"…Even if we only picked up the things you discarded, we were always grateful to you, my lord."
[I did not wish for it.]
"…No one could usurp the title of king while you were here, my lord."
[It is only natural.]
"…We were your people."
[I did not consider you so. My country is only Geumguk.]
The closer she got, the clearer Hwanggeumgyeong's voice became. Peru's power to disintegrate matter acted as a probe searching for Hwanggeumgyeong. It was the same principle as the Golden Ship. Since Hwanggeumgyeong's power also spread from his relics, Peru could trace her abilities to find him.
Whether intentional or not, instinctively drawing closer to the Golden Bell, Peru continued to speak.
"…We could give you nothing, my lord. Because you were whole as an alchemist. Because you reached a higher realm than anyone else. We had no choice but to revere and follow you."
However, that was not for a surprise attack. For Peru right now, the desire to ask him was far greater than attacking Hwanggeumgyeong.
"…To us, you were our ruler, our master, and our god. That is how we saw you… Yet, were we still lacking to be your people?"
Despite Peru's earnest heart, Hwanggeumgyeong's answer was cold.
[It is merely your self-righteous faith. I am a human of Geumguk, and my king is only one. I am not a king, but a Gyeong. I am a being who temporarily watches over the land the king left behind.]
A king requires his people. To farm in his stead, to work in his stead, and to die in his stead—only with such people does one truly become a king. That is why a king cherishes his people. Because they are necessary.
Having died and become a Demon God, he requires nothing. Having killed even himself, he can discard everything else without any hesitation. Even if it is his country. That must be why the god is cruel. Realizing the fact that she had been abandoned, Peru swallowed her rising tears and asked her god.
"…In that land, are we not included?"
After pondering for a moment, Hwanggeumgyeong answered.
[You are not.]
Peru's steps halted for a moment. Hanging her head, chewing on her despair, Peru set down the Furnace of Residual Rust she had brought. Disintegrating matter accelerates the disintegration of other matter. The furnace, which had been fed countless Alchemical Steel as fuel to move the Golden Ship until now, was fully condensed with Peru's authority.
'…The power of Residual Rust I've gathered for years… Will this be enough?'
A Black Box that could neither be dismantled nor emptied until now because once broken, it could not be reversed. Peru took out a red bead from her bosom and placed it on top of it. Called Lava Tears, a stone excavated from a volcano and then condensed with heat through a special process. It is a treasure that sells for a high price even in Yeolguk, where alchemical value inflation occurs. Peru infused magical power into the Lava Tears she had kept for emergencies.
The bead burst, and bright red lava flowed down onto the furnace. The burning liquid flames spread widely over the furnace, greedily devouring its shell. The furnace too turned red hot, and soon, unable to withstand the heat, it melted. *Drip*, a single drop of lava that penetrated the deepest made a hole in the furnace. At that moment, the ominous power sealed for years pushed its way out through the weakened seal.
It wasn't that the power of Residual Rust didn't work on the furnace. It just couldn't reach it due to the furnace's special structure. However, the moment the lava melted the furnace, the seal was broken. Peru's authority, gathered over the years, flowed out, swallowing even the seal that had imprisoned them.
'…Even if it doesn't work. This is the only thing I can do.'
Now it wasn't even scrap. It was a mass of calamitous liquid similar to a flowing fluid. It didn't even touch the floor. The moment it touched, it disintegrated the floor and fell down like a waterfall. The scattering calamitous liquid was even more destructive. As it went down, it gradually increased in volume, reducing everything it touched to the same state as itself. The power of Residual Rust instantly swelled its forces, dyeing the Golden Palace.
"…Hah, hah."
Even though it flowed downward following gravity, just being close to it dyed Peru's hands and feet pitch-black. Peru's breathing gradually quickened. Even without direct contact, just the aftermath completely ruined Peru's body and internal organs.
[Impressive. To think you'd try to oppose me to the very end.]
Peru gasped and answered.
"…For, Yeolguk."
[But, you've forgotten one thing.]
Even as the poison swallowed the inside of the Golden Palace, Hwanggeumgyeong spoke as if it were of no consequence.
[That even that furnace was made by me.]
The power of Residual Rust, which had been piercing through the floor as if creating an abyss, stopped at a certain point. It didn't move, as if blocked by a wall.
Peru, who had been coughing painfully, belatedly realized the situation. The fact that the place she was standing on right now was made of the exact same material as the furnace she had brought.
[I already did it once when making the Golden Ship. What has been done once can be done twice. The first time is always the most difficult.]
"…Ah."
This place, no, the entire Golden Palace was a seal to trap Peru and her power. Peru thought she was infiltrating, but even that was being guided by Hwanggeumgyeong. Toward the despairing Peru, Hwanggeumgyeong kindly explained as if teaching a disciple.
[There is a countermeasure to your power. The problem was the mercenaries you brought. The weapons to kill the mercenaries become useless against your power, and the means to counter you are destroyed by the mercenaries. To solve that problem, it was necessary to separate you.]
"…So, the fortress..."
[Because your mercenaries were dangerous. I needed to be on guard.]
Perhaps because her spirit was broken, or perhaps she had purely reached her limit. Peru could hold on no longer and collapsed. Through her gasping ears, Hwanggeumgyeong's cold voice rang out.
[It was impressive. But this is the end. If Yeolguk is so precious to you, then disappear along with it.]
Now Peru had no moves left. She didn't even have the strength to use her Unique Demon Path. She stared with open eyes at the ceiling gradually drawing closer. The ceiling, moving according to Hwanggeumgyeong's will, would crash into the floor like this. Not caring what obstacles were there. Peru would disappear from the world as minced flesh and blood, without even leaving a corpse behind. Though it might have been a fate decided from the moment she was abandoned by her god.
Just before death drew that close.
The death Hwanggeumgyeong commanded approached Peru. Just like that, just before death came to Peru.
The ceiling and the floor stopped for a very, very brief moment. In the Golden Palace, which moved according to Hwanggeumgyeong's will, that meant only one thing.
Hwanggeumgyeong was hesitating.
Hwanggeumgyeong saw something in the dying Peru's figure. He saw that figure and felt it, but Hwanggeumgyeong could not skillfully explain the feeling in words. Even his original, Demi, did not understand humans, so demanding that Hwanggeumgyeong, a homunculus created for the reconstruction of Geumguk, discuss human emotions would be unreasonable. Let me put it into words.
I cannot read his thoughts either. However, telepathy is not strictly necessary for a human to understand something. If Hwanggeumgyeong was modeled after humans. It must be the same for him.
"You feel some sense of rejection, don't you?"
Unique Demon Path, End of Gold. I drew a line on the wall with a card. The solid castle wall was sliced like tofu. Because this was the Golden Palace, it was a feat made possible by applying Hwanggeumgyeong's authority to Peru's Unique Demon Path.
Using the authorities of creation and destruction at the same time, I felt a slight shudder as I carved my way into Hwanggeumgyeong's world. So that he couldn't turn a blind eye, I came all the way inside the Golden Palace and spoke to him directly.
"Even if it's an ugly and dirty country, you love it, and act for the country. And then, just before dying after being abandoned by the king you revered and followed. Doesn't that look like someone you know?"
The reason Hwanggeumgyeong couldn't kill Peru was simple. It was because his original, who had died so miserably, overlapped with Peru. He was feeling a sense of kinship with his pre-death self who was about to die after being abandoned by the one he believed and followed. The ceiling and floor vibrate ominously. Hwanggeumgyeong stuttered as if broken somewhere. His voice dragged out as if slurring. After pondering for a long time, Hwanggeumgyeong spat out a single word as if making an excuse.
[…It is different.]
"How is it different?"
[This country is not Geumguk. I am not her king. She, too, is in a different situation from me. The differences are… too many…]
Of course. It's not like he regressed, so how could it be exactly the same? If it were truly the same, it would lead to the same result. However, pointing out a few differences is proof that similarities exist. Even if he doesn't want to, he can't help but take in the similarities. Once found, they are bound to keep catching his eye.
"That's a valid point. Shall I tell you another difference?"
[…What is it.]
"It is that the one making the choice is you, not Elric."
Because he's experienced it once, he'll be more adept. The world doesn't demand experienced people for nothing. What choice will he make in this situation?
"You were abandoned once and went through hell. You plunged yourself into endless guilt. You suffered, with not even death becoming a refuge. But in truth, that was the wrong the country committed against you. You were merely sacrificed for the country."
Even if I can use Hwanggeumgyeong's power and Peru's Unique Demon Path, with my shabby magical power, changing the reach of a single card is all I can do. After all sorts of hardships, I barely arrived on the same floor and trudged through the dark corridor until I reached Peru. Standing a few steps away, lest the power of Residual Rust harm me, I shouted at Hwanggeumgyeong.
"It's unfair to just take it, right? So I recreated the same situation. Now, you're the one doing the discarding for the sake of your country!"
Her gasping breaths gradually slowed. Peru's breath seemed like it could snap at any moment. With her in front of me, I urged Hwanggeumgyeong to make a choice.
"What to take to the country you will build, and what to discard. Make your choice."
If he lets Peru die, it means affirming the death that had come to him. If he saves Peru, it means showing room for compromise. What choice will Hwanggeumgyeong make?
The deliberation was not long. It couldn't be long. Peru's lifeline was like a burning fuse, and he had to finish making a decision before its time limit arrived.
*Jingle.* A bell sound was heard. I saw a light approaching from far down the corridor and smiled.
From afar, Hwanggeumgyeong was walking over, holding the bell.
Even if he is a Demon God who uses not only his own life but the lives of others as materials, he cannot deny himself. It was a predetermined result the moment he saw his own figure in Peru. Because abandoning Peru here would mean affirming that he was abandoned in Geumguk.
Hwanggeumgyeong crossed the corridor in an instant and arrived. He placed the Golden Bell at Peru's head and sat down beside her. Alchemical light flashed over Peru's dying body.
Peru's hands and feet, swept by the power of Residual Rust, were dyed pitch-black. In her punctured lungs, blood moved instead of air. They were body parts that could no longer function. Amputation was the only solution, but Hwanggeumgyeong filled them with something else instead.
Hwanggeumgyeong had already fully grasped the mechanical structure of humans. The homunculi were not perfect because they lacked other parts, but the homunculi he created were superior to humans in functional aspects.
Just looking at the homunculus Hwanggeumgyeong moving with his own ego was proof enough. As long as there was an ego to move the flesh, his homunculi would be no less than real humans. Hwanggeumgyeong repaired Peru's broken parts with alchemy. As if claiming that humans were no different from machines.
"…Ah, ugh."
That claim was proven as Peru opened her eyes. Peru gasped for breath and looked at her king.
"…My Lord."
[Do not misunderstand. My will to rebuild Geumguk remains unchanged. I merely kept you alive.]
Hwanggeumgyeong looked down at Peru with cold eyes and said.
[Even in the rebuilt Geumguk, someone is needed to convey my words outside the Golden Palace. Since there is no Eokaphoeju, you will succeed them now.]
"…Hekto, my lord."
[You will have to follow as well. Alchemy is the power of change. Having filled your body with it, you won't be able to stay outside the Golden Palace for long anyway.]
Now that a part of her body had been replaced with something external, Peru was merely a machine in need of adjustment. From now on, she would likely have to stay only by Hwanggeumgyeong's side. However, Peru was not afraid of him. With her consciousness still unclear, Peru grabbed Hwanggeumgyeong's hand.
"…I thank you for your kindness. Though it is shameless of me, having received your mercy."
It wasn't to crumble it with Residual Rust… Peru pleaded, keeping her hand over Hwanggeumgyeong's.
"…Could you not extend this kindness to the others as well…"
[I cannot. Geumguk will be rebuilt.]
A firm voice. However, having saved Peru, he had created an opening. Without even knowing it well, Peru dug into that opening.
"…If you were to give a place for the others in the Geumguk you will build."
[They are not people of Geumguk.]
"…We lived on the land of the old Geumguk. We are the sons and daughters of the old Geumguk people. Instead of metallurgy, we just make a living with alchemy… We are no different from them."
[There is a difference. It is not Geumguk.]
A cold and firm answer repeated several times. Peru gasped for breath and asked.
"…There is no one on this land, so how can it become a country…?"
[They are not needed. I will create them.]
"…Is a country filled with homunculi Geumguk? What is Geumguk…?"
[Geumguk is.]
Hwanggeumgyeong, about to answer, suddenly stopped speaking. A confused expression appeared on the face of a being who had awakened to the greatest truth and reached the level of a Demon God.
The ideal Geumguk he had tried to create was an ideal nation where diligent homunculi cultivate a beautiful land. He moved himself to catch and kill all the wild dogs that gnawed at the country and create a nation that would prosper forever. By trying to transmute the entirety of Yeolguk.
[Geumguk is….]
However, hearing Peru's question, he faced a fundamental doubt. What is Geumguk?
"Geumguk? It's an illusion."
I did cheer him on. There's some feeling that I slightly egged him on to make Geumguk. But there's nothing you can do about it since you don't know unless you try it yourself.
If you don't try, you won't even know it's impossible.
"Humans, from some point, always hang themselves over something they don't even know. It's not just concepts like faith or good and evil; they define what a country is however they want without even knowing what it is… Without ever having seen it properly or knowing what it is. No matter how much beasts and the like cry out for an ideal existence, the fact that it is an illusion doesn't change."
Hwanggeumgyeong, caught in doubt, found an answer from me.
[Geumguk is not an illusion. It certainly existed in reality.]
"Because you believed so, I had no choice but to cheer you on. Even knowing it's a futile wish."