Kudan Raguna
In the eyes of the world, Kudan Raguna was a vile traitor—a parricide who had slain his own brother and even tried to murder his niece. He had sparked a rebellion and become a betrayer.
But the hidden truth was the exact opposite.
To save his precious niece Kankun, he had killed her father Karan and sought to eliminate the elders.
"No words to say, then. A father trying to kill his own daughter. And an uncle who risked his life in rebellion to save that niece..."
At Loki's words, Aum smiled faintly and continued.
"That's why I sent my men to help him. Though, truthfully... he could have wiped out the Raguna Tribe single-handedly. I just wanted to protect Kankun in case of any mishaps."
Aum glanced at Loki.
'I never imagined it would lead to an unimaginable worst-case scenario.'
Aum swallowed those final words.
Loki nodded as if convinced. There was no hint of deceit in Aum's words. If he questioned the Raguna Tribe's elders on this point, he would surely uncover the truth.
"I see."
"May I ask my next question now?"
"Ask."
"You said you're not a Constellation. Then..."
'Do they call gods Constellations here?'
Loki pondered Aum's words. If so, he might indeed qualify as a Constellation. The 'god' named Loki from his game had become reality. Which meant the Nords' talk of a god's descent wasn't entirely wrong.
"If you're not the Constellation of Sin, then what are you?"
But Aum was asking specifically about the Constellation of Sin. Loki needed only to answer that.
"I don't know."
"...?"
Loki tilted his head slightly and spoke.
"I know nothing of my own existence. I lived in another world, and when I awoke, I was here. Asleep for over three hundred years, no less."
"..."
"I know nothing about my own being."
There was no trace of falsehood.
'...Has he lost his memories?'
But asleep for three hundred years? It had to be a lie. He hadn't called himself the Constellation of Sin, but the demon in the holy text insisted he was. In the end, it was the same as declaring his intent to rule the Nords.
At that moment, Loki posed the next question.
"Now it's my turn."
Loki pointed to the chessboard and the tteokbokki.
"Where did you get these?"
"The southern continent. I met a woman there."
Loki's eyes widened.
"What was your connection to that woman?"
"She spared my life, taught me this board game, and showed me how to make this dish."
"Then she..."
"I know nothing more."
"..."
"She vanished after just one day."
A hollow answer. Loki's mood soured.
"But I'm not the only one who knows about her."
"...?"
"Kudan. He's met her before."
"..."
"He was once hired by that woman as a mercenary and escorted her for a few days."
Kudan Raguna. Kankun's uncle knew the answers Loki sought.
"My next question. Is Kankun safe right now? Kudan wants to know if she's all right—"
Aum's words caught in his throat. He felt a crushing pressure on his shoulders as he looked at Loki. A black aura rose, and Loki lifted his head. Crimson eyes glared straight at him.
Aum clamped his mouth shut mid-question.
'Dangerous!'
Dangerous! Truly dangerous! His survival instincts screamed.
The man's demeanor had shifted. He had meant to ask about Kankun's safety, but that could wait. He changed the question.
"...My next question."
Aum spoke, sweat beading on his brow.
"...You have no intention of just letting us go, do you?"
"Of course not."
Aum and Per's faces hardened.
"Lord Loki, we are guests traveling this city, here for exchange and... "
"Don't get cocky. You are intruders who entered my domain without permission. I spoke with you out of curiosity—nothing more, nothing less."
And that curiosity had now vanished.
"...Th-then, what must we do for you to let us go?"
"Aren't your questions over?"
"..."
"My question. No—my demand. Bring Kudan Raguna before me."
Not a question. A command. A threat.
"If you promise to bring him to me, I might let you go."
"...You're telling me to hand over Kudan?"
Trade Kudan as a sacrifice for your lives. That was what Loki meant.
Why had the topic suddenly shifted to Kudan?
'Why the interest in him? Because of that woman?'
The woman connected to the items that caught Loki's eye. He must be curious about her whereabouts.
The man before him seemed to have lost all interest now. No more business with Aum. So he would either expel them as intruders or use them as bait to lure Kudan.
"What do you plan to do with Kudan...?"
"I have questions for him."
"...Talking to Kudan will be difficult. He sees you as an enemy and will try to kill you on sight."
"We'll see when we meet."
Damn, he won't listen to reason! Aum gritted his teeth. Desperate to avoid provoking hostility, he opened his mouth to persuade.
"Why not use me as a neutral mediator for you two to talk? Or if you hand over Kankun, Kudan will open up."
"I can't yet confirm if what you say is true. I don't know if Kudan truly threatens her, so I'll secure Kankun's safety myself."
It sounded like he was protecting her.
"Safety, you say?"
Aum let out a hollow laugh. He was just a con artist mimicking a Constellation. And there was a fragile girl who had fallen for him, potentially inviting disaster. No way such a tender-hearted girl could remain unscathed with that evil being.
"You don't believe me."
"..."
"As expected, words won't work with you."
Of course. How could anyone believe? A monster appearing out of nowhere without warning, playing god and ruling the Nords—who could trust that?
"What if we refuse to hand over Kudan?"
"I'll throw you in the underground dungeon of Valhalla Palace. And I'll head to the Linia Tribe myself to find him."
"..."
If Aum were captured, the Linia Tribe would lose its center. Greedy ones among them would eye the throne upon learning their great chieftain was taken. The power Aum had built over years could crumble in an instant.
'...And the Linia Tribe would march on this Valhalla to rescue me.'
Warriors loyal to Aum would come. And this con artist would slaughter them effortlessly. If even the Linia fell, no Nord could stand against this enigmatic being.
'Then...'
"We'll hand over Kudan."
"Brother!"
Per cried out in agony, clutching his severed arm. Aum inwardly sneered through his cold sweat. No choice now. He had to play the cornered man accepting terms.
"Very well. Then... you're free to go."
As Loki rose and stepped back, the skeletons cleared the way.
Aum and Per's eyes widened. He had let them go too easily. They expected at least one held hostage, sending only the other.
But no.
'...What?'
Aum stared at Loki.
'What scheme is this?'
Was he pretending to release them only to hunt from behind? Or fabricating an excuse for invasion if they didn't bring Kudan?
He couldn't fathom it.
'You're really just letting us go?' The question echoed in his throat. But asking might provoke an unknown reaction.
"...Then... we'll be going."
"Bring Kudan."
"O-of course."
As Aum forced a smile and walked with Per—
"Oh, and the question you wanted to ask."
Aum halted. The moment he turned—
A hooked finger touched his forehead.
"Here's your answer."
Loki kept his finger pressed to Aum's brow, tilting his head.
"You asked about Kankun, right?"
Aum jolted back in shock, but it was too late. A strange energy flowed from Loki's fingertip. Black currents climbed along his finger, burrowing into Aum's forehead.
"Huh?"
An unknown force invaded deep within, churning wildly...
"Gaaaaaaah—!"
Agonizing pain hit late. Aum clutched his head—no, he writhed and screamed, his whole body convulsing.
"B-brother!?"
Per called from beside him, but he couldn't respond.
'It hurts! Stop... please... just kill me!'
Every organ burned like fire. A migraine like his brain melting assaulted him.
Loki looked down at the writhing Aum.
[Mark of Tracking] imprinted on your soul.
"Gaaaah—!"
Loki snapped his fingers, and the pain vanished as if by magic.
"Haaah... ugh... "
Still reeling from the shock, Aum drooled and collapsed face-down. He looked up at the one responsible.
"I can track wherever you go—"
Loki sneered down at him like a wriggling insect.
"Every three days, I can make you writhe in hellfire torment."
"...!"
"If you don't bring him within a month, your soul will burn away to nothing. That's an order."
"...Ugh... aa—!"
"Bring Kudan to me. If he refuses, tell him this."
Loki turned his back and spoke.
"Kankun is being well tamed."
"...Urgh."
"If he doesn't come."
Loki chuckled.
"Then I'll invade your tribe myself."
Invasion. He had declared he would lead an army against them. At that point... Aum had nowhere to run. He could track his location, after all.
"Then... I'll be waiting."
Loki departed, skeletons following. People soon filled the quiet market street again. The earlier commotion seemed a lie.
"B-brother...!"
Per hurriedly supported Aum. He bit down on his severed arm.
"P-Per..."
"Kudan... what do you plan... to do with him?"
His words were muffled by the arm in his mouth. Legs weak, Aum leaned on Per and trudged on. Market-goers parted for their wretched state but paid no mind.
"...Hand Kudan over? To that demon?"
"..."
"A demon we can't oppose. He might truly be..."
Per's face paled.
"...The Constellation of Sin."
"...I know. But he said himself he's not a Constellation."
He's human, then.
So—
"There must be a way to kill him."
"...! You're going to fight him? Didn't you see? He's too powerful. F-first, negotiate—!"
"That monster wants Kudan, and Kudan wants that monster. They won't talk. Above all—"
"..."
"We don't know what he is. A human appearing without warning is unnatural. Impossible."
Aum gritted his teeth.
'Some third continental power might back him.'
One of the empires might have raised such a monster. A force aiming to dominate the frozen north, enslaving Nords.
If it existed...
"...Leaving him be is dangerous."
If he reigns as a Constellation in the north, as Shaman prophesied, calamity would come!
"Then..."
"War."
Per fell silent.
"Prepare for war."