Chapter 67: Whispers of the Love God (Part 7)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 67: Whispers of the Love God (Part 7)
"Fine, I'll go with you."
As if possessed, Muen found himself saying those words.
"No—"
An froze for a split second, then immediately snapped back in fierce opposition.
"The Young Master cannot go with me!"
"And why not?"
"This has nothing to do with you, does it? There is no reason for the Young Master to take such a massive risk for my sake!"
"Who says it has nothing to do with me? And who said I was doing this for you?" Muen said with a light chuckle.
"What?"
"Actually, I just remembered—I still owe that girl Eluka for the meal she gave me."
Muen turned his head, gazing at the massive, grotesque monstrosity.
A flicker of sorrow surfaced in his eyes.
Strictly speaking, Eluka was the very first friend he had made since coming to this world.
Well, he’d eaten at her house, so that counted as being friends.
He just hadn't expected that in the time it took to grill a single fish, she would end up like this.
Fate was truly something to be lamented.
And loathed.
"Since we're friends, I have an obligation to see her through to the very end," Muen said, hands on his hips, his voice ringing with bravado.
"No one has the right to stop me. Not even you, An."
"But... it’s still not right!"
An stood up, stubbornly blocking Muen’s path. She looked at him with dead seriousness.
"It’s too dangerous. I promised the Master and Madam that I would protect the Young Master and never let him come to harm!"
"Protect me?"
Muen tilted his head and said softly:
"But An, haven't you been trying to hurt me this whole time?"
"Hurt you? I haven't."
"Drugging me, ambushing me, imprisoning me, even wanting to chop off my limbs... aren't those all things you've done, or at least wanted to do? Are those not forms of harm?"
"I..."
An froze.
I did it because of love. It was because of love that I did those things to the Young Master.
If it were the An of the past, she surely would have said that.
It would have felt so natural, so justified.
But as she looked at Muen’s calm gaze, then at the rampaging monster nearby, the raspy wails of hundreds of people and Eluka’s maddened words echoed in her ears.
An found she couldn't bring herself to say those words.
It felt as though if she spoke them, Eluka would appear, standing atop a pile of corpses in a pool of blood, grinning at her with a hideous sneer:
"See, Mentor? You're just like me."
I'm not. I'm not. I'm not.
"Please, Young Master."
In the end, An could only resort to pleading.
"Don't go."
"If something happens to you too..."
"I will never forgive myself, even in death."
An clutched Muen’s lapels tightly, begging through her tears.
"Please, Young Master..."
"An."
Muen looked down at the weeping girl.
He remained silent for a moment, carefully observing her in this state.
Then, he suddenly raised his voice and roared:
"An! What is the first rule of conduct for a maid of the Campbell House? Tell me, loudly!"
"Yes!"
It was like a reflex.
Muen’s shout triggered the instincts that had been carved into An’s very bones over years of repetition.
It was as if she had been transported back to those early mornings, standing before the former head maid during the daily briefing.
An straightened her back, standing as tall and firm as a pine tree.
She lifted her chin, chest out, and shouted:
"The first rule of conduct for a Campbell maid: except when bowing to masters or guests, one must always keep their back straight!"
"That’s right. Keep your back straight, An."
Muen patted An on the shoulder. Then, with a smile, he smoothed out her messy bangs and tucked the stray hairs behind her ears. He began tidying her maid uniform, smoothing out the wrinkles one by one.
He didn't stop until An looked exactly like the woman in his memory.
Dignified, elegant, capable, and composed.
"This is more like you, isn't it?"
"Young Master..."
"Alright, stop crying. I know you're worried about me, but haven't you been saying it lately? I'm not the same as I used to be."
Muen lowered his head slightly, meeting An’s eyes with a gentle expression.
"I'm sorry I couldn't become your ideal version of me. But you’ve seen it, haven't you? I'm not that useless young master anymore.
"Sure, I might still only have my usual three tricks, but I was able to escape from your hands, An—and I escaped from that monster, too.
"I'm a professional when it comes to running away. So even if I can't win, I can still bolt.
"In a way, I'm even more capable than you, An.
"So, don't worry, okay?"
"But..."
An gazed blankly at Muen.
She wanted to say more.
But Muen suddenly pressed a finger against her lips, silencing her.
"No talking back. That is an order from your Young Master."
An felt a momentary daze.
Though it was an order, the words were incredibly tender.
She stared at Muen, lost in thought.
The sunlight hit Muen’s golden hair, surrounding him in a hazy, ethereal glow.
The breeze blew, making his features seem so bright and vibrant.
Those eyes, clear as a mountain lake, felt as though they were pulling her very soul inside.
Yes, the Young Master has changed.
Overnight, he had completely veered off the tracks she had laid out for him.
He had become motivated, gentle, cunning... and a little bit of an idiot.
To think he would voluntarily face the corruption of an Evil God—that was something the old him would never have even dreamed of.
It was as if he had become a different person entirely.
But why was it that this version of him—the one that deviated so completely from her ideal—was the one she couldn't take her eyes off of?
You're so dazzling, Young Master.
An wept, feeling as though she were staring directly into a scorching sun.
*
"Alright, let's go."
Seeing that An was finally convinced, Muen gave a soft smile.
He shook out his arms, loosening his muscles.
Then, without looking back, he walked toward the hideous monster.
He said:
"Let's go bring salvation to your disciple, my friend—our dear Miss Eluka!"
*
"Aaaah, why am I doing this again!?"
A hundred meters up in the air, Muen stood atop a massive metal pillar. Taking advantage of the fact that no one was around, he clutched his head and thrashed about like he was having a mental breakdown.
"My goddamn Episodic Death-Seeking Syndrome!"
It was the same with Celicia, and it was the same now.
Clearly, there were better paths to take, yet he insisted on sprinting down the road to certain doom.
He cherished his life so much, so why couldn't he control himself at the critical moment?
"Heh, I guess I'm just a different breed of degenerate—I see a pretty girl cry and I just can't walk away."
Muen sighed softly.
However, this time was a bit different from the last.
At least this time, he wouldn't be as powerless as before.
*
"Listen, An. I'm going to tell you exactly what we need to do."
"First, once someone is corrupted by an Evil God, Eluka cannot be killed by normal means. I think you've already realized that."
"So, our goal isn't to waste energy trying to kill her or wake her up. We're aiming for the source of the Evil God's corruption—the medium through which the Evil God projects its power."
"A ring, a necklace, a sculpture... there has to be something like that. An Evil God can't just dump power out of nowhere; the rules of this world wouldn't allow it."
"The source will definitely be near Eluka. So, An, I need you to use your abilities to clear a path for me."
"You open the way and block the monster's attacks. I'll use my mobility and agility to get close to Eluka, find the source of the corruption, and destroy it!"
"That's the plan!"
*
Recalling the plan he had taught An not long ago, Muen let out a soft breath.
At times like this, he was actually glad he had read the original novel. That was the only reason he knew how to deal with an Evil God.
But... it still wasn't going to be easy.
Because the more he remembered from the book, the more he understood just how terrifying those things were.
"...Nothing for it but to go for it."
Muen spread his arms, took a deep breath, and shouted toward the monster currently playing in the water:
"Hey!
"Everyone, eyes on me! I have an announcement to make!"
"Huh?"
Hearing the voice, the monster twisted its body. Hundreds of faces turned their gaze toward him simultaneously.
Then, it lunged forward.
Eluka cried out in joy, "Mr. Muen, are you finally coming to accept my love?"
"I'm definitely not accepting your love."
Muen flashed a middle finger and laughed loudly:
"Because—
"I'm a paratrooper!
"Hahahaha!"
With that, Muen leaped into the void.