Thinking positively, having a spy attached to us is somewhat of a good sign. It means the movements of the Demon God Temple are sensitive and important enough to put them on high alert.
Besides, with my telepathy, it doesn't matter how many spies there are.
However, the question remains: is this group called the Demon God Temple, who can't even identify a single spy, truly reliable?
"It seems he doesn't exactly welcome me."
"Johan is a fundamentalist. He believes that only the advancement of magic is the most rational and correct path to reaching the Demon God. He won't be pleased with outsiders like you or Shei meddling."
"Will I be able to get along with him?"
"It's fine. Even if you don't get along."
"Pardon?"
The Red Tower Master wore a confident smile.
"Without conflict, there is no progress. Sparks bloom from friction. Regardless of what he thinks, whatever methods he devises, even if he clashes with us! Such friction will ignite sparks that will bloom and bring forth something the world has never seen!"
She doesn't know that Lord Johannes is a spy. She simply couldn't care less about what attitude he takes.
It's an arrogance befitting an absolute being. Considering her unique magical path and level of attainment, it suits her.
"Is that why you're rebelling against the Demon King? To cause friction?"
My question carried the underlying doubt: *Can you actually do that?* Hwaran Fahrenheit—she was the Red Tower Master, a powerhouse capable of melting the ice of the Celsius family all on her own. However, compared to the Demon King, she fell woefully short. I wondered if she could truly overcome the Demon King and discover the Demon God.
"Rebellion? Is it truly rebellion?"
"Pardon?"
The Red Tower Master's confident expression briefly faded. In its place, she was filled with a fervent, burning desire for something.
"In the Floating Castle, there is nothing the Master does not know. She knows exactly what the Demon God Temple is and what we do. Perhaps even this very conversation we are having now will be relayed to Her."
Not because of the spy...?
The Demon King's power deals with space. While not fully revealed, it strangely shares many similarities with Rene's relics. No, it would be safe to say they are identical.
Wasn't it the Demon King who gifted the Treasure Pavilion to the Celsius family in the first place? He might possess the power to interfere with Rene's Pocket.
And if He could freely wield such spatial magic, He would be virtually omnipotent, akin to a god.
"But does that matter? To doubt and investigate is the very duty of a mage. Dismantling and processing mysteries to forge the bricks for building a tower—that is a mage's obligation. To stack those bricks and reach the stars in the sky is a mage's lifelong aspiration! The Master wishes for this as well!"
"What the Demon King desires is for someone to rebel against Him?"
"The reason the Master tolerates every attempt to target the Demon God while serving as Its guardian is because She hopes someone will challenge Her and seize the Demon God! That is not rebellion! It is upholding the Master's will!"
There's a massive leap in her logic, but it holds some credibility.
When the Blue Tower Master, the Green Tower Master, and the Black Tower Master engaged in petty skirmishes, the Demon King never stopped them. Instead, He separated the space, letting them run amok without worrying about involving their surroundings.
Considering all that...
"Perhaps the one upholding the Demon King's will the best is you, Red Tower Master. After all, the more omnipotent and powerful the opponent, the more worthwhile the rebellion."
Hearing my murmur, the Red Tower Master beamed with a radiant smile and abruptly pulled me into a hug. Her body temperature, practically half-naked even in this northern region, was beyond warm—it was scorching.
"That's it! The King of Humans. A being who accepts and understands all of humanity. You will definitely understand me. And you will help me! You have no choice but to. You are..."
"Wait, you're too close!"
Shei cut off the Red Tower Master and interjected. Stepping right up, Shei yanked me away from the Red Tower Master and glared at her with sharp eyes.
"Look, I agreed to help the Demon God Temple for now, but it's a problem if you act like I'm your subordinate!"
My body was easily shoved aside by Shei, but the Red Tower Master wasn't. There was a strange resistance around her body.
Shei's physical strength is at a level difficult for an ordinary person to withstand. Even with her robust vitality, the Red Tower Master was still a mage. She shouldn't be able to resist the strength of a Qigong Master, yet... something was coiling around her.
Standing her ground, the Red Tower Master looked at Shei and me, then scoffed.
"Shei. This is the most passionate you've been since you agreed to help the Demon God Temple. Weren't you just leaning against the wall and observing the entire time?"
"I just had nothing to say."
"But now you do? That's a good sign. Igniting that passion in you alone is reason enough to bring Hughes."
"Haa? What passion...? It has nothing to do with that? I just didn't like my sib— I mean, comrade, being dragged into this!"
As Shei replied and tried to cross her arms, the Cheonbangyeong sounded a warning bell in her mind. Shei immediately drew Cheoneung.
Flames cascaded down from above. Incandescent light and heat rippled through the air, even though there was nothing left to burn.
Combustion is the act of splitting and breaking down matter to forcibly extract the light and heat trapped within. Once a spark ignites, it births further violence, spreading to its surroundings. The ensuing flames persist until there is nothing left to burn, making them destructive, violent, and utterly domineering.
Ironically, however, to initiate destruction, a preceding destruction is required. An initial spark must be generated before a fire can be stoked. The irony of needing fire to make fire.
The reason the entire world is not engulfed in flames is likely because it cannot overcome that very irony.
But in the Red Tower Master's world, it is different.
Unique Magical Path: Dohwawon (Garden of Ignition).
A garden where fire blooms like flowers. In that world, all things can burn at any given moment. Without even needing an initial spark.
"Heavenly Sword Art: Dankong!"
Dust reacted to the mana and ignited. Shei immediately swung Cheoneung. The compressed space slashed through the very air, and the blade of Cheoneung ignited as if catching fire.
'The resistance! This is...!'
Cheoneung was too sharp to be wielded within the Garden of Ignition. Even the microscopic friction generated the moment it attempted to sever space proved overwhelmingly shocking, as localized explosions bloomed like fruit along Cheoneung's blade.
"As expected. The Rene's Pocket you possess is special! It's different from the Master's."
The Garden of Ignition grows stronger the closer one gets to the Red Tower Master, and even the mana cloaking her body ignites in an instant. Like a meteor burning up from atmospheric friction, any object approaching the Red Tower Master collides with her mana and explodes.
With her Unique Magical Path activated, the Red Tower Master was essentially wearing armor made of explosives.
Having ignited flames in the space around her, the Red Tower Master stared at the weapon in Shei's hands.
"You cannot take out another pocket from inside Rene's Pocket. All of Rene's Pockets exist on the same dimensional plane; even though they are pockets, they merely share partitions within a single space. However, your pocket exists on a deeper plane."
Eyes that pierced through truth analyzed Shei's Cheoneung. Shei unconsciously gripped Cheoneung tighter.
'Cheoneung isn't from the Magical Federation; it's a holy relic of the Holy Emperor's Court. A key to reaching Rene's Map, the true relic of Saint Rene...! Tch, nothing good comes from catching the eye of the Demon God Temple! This is all because of Hughes!'
*How is that my fault? If anything, it's yours. A key to reach the holy relics of Saint Rene? Why didn't you think anything of it until now when you had something like that?*
Well, it's not particularly important right now.
"All the pieces have gathered. An opportunity that fell into place like a lie. You two were the pieces we needed the most. If not now, there will never be another chance."
The flames she had unleashed earlier were merely a greeting. Ignoring Shei's sharp hostility, the Red Tower Master forcefully turned around. Walking over to a fireplace, she ignited a spark within it.
"King of Humans. And Shei. Our goal is the Demon God. Yours as well, I presume. Use each other, whether you hold hands or step on toes, claw your way up. Let's seize the Demon God at the top of that Tower of Babel!"
Beyond the fireplace, a crimson landscape came into view. I hadn't been there, so I couldn't be sure, but that was likely the Red Tower. To think one could instantly travel from the Celsius territory to the Floating Castle. Rene's relics were nothing short of outrageous.
It made sense why the Demon God Temple coveted Rene. With such an important and formidable power, it was inevitable.
"We'll be able to communicate through the fireplace from now on. This is my fireplace, and I'll keep it lit for the time being, so come find me whenever you need to. It's fine even if it's nothing special. I can always make time for you."
UlFRblVJeEt0R01oWGZFZXFXMGFSNTF1bkZINGJzeGh5SzdyOFl6bGIxQ1ZteXpqZlA0OWQ3RlBjVWp2U2N2NQ
It must open when a fire is lit. How peculiar.
Right. I had something to ask before she left. I called out to the Red Tower Master, who was already halfway into the fireplace.
"Wait a moment. One last thing, I'm curious about something."
"Don't beat around the bush, just ask. I'll answer everything I know."
Meeting the very subject of the Demon God Temple's interest like this—it was quite the encounter, but... it certainly wasn't a natural one.
I had read her mind, but I felt the need to be certain. I asked the Red Tower Master:
"Why me? Even though 'Sister' was there?"
'Sister' was the King of Humans.
Her power was genuine. Whether it was the Red Tower Master or any other mage, they would have known it the moment they saw her, even from a distance. That the King of Humans was the 'real deal.' That she had truly returned.
Typically, only one King of Beasts is born in an era. If 'Sister' was real, the interest and suspicion directed at me would naturally fade away.
Yet, the Red Tower Master had identified me as the King of Humans from the very beginning. As if she knew from the start that there were two kings.
The reason...
"At the peak of the Tree of Origin lies what Nebida treasures most. The King of Humans from long ago who died when humans were still beasts. The 'Sister' you speak of must be that entity, yes? Did you refer to her as a sister because you are both Kings of Humans?"
This wasn't knowledge someone would know just from hearing it secondhand. I carefully asked,
"The fact that you mention that... You must also..."
"That's right. I, too, was one who awaited the King. You know what Nebida's lifelong wish is."
The Red Tower Master was the sovereign of all creation. She was one of those who eagerly awaited the King of Humans and strived to find Him.
Nebida was a living Demon God, and the Demon God Temple researched the Demon God. It wouldn't be strange if the two had made contact.
But what I was curious about was why she chose me over 'Sister.'
"Because a weak king close by would need me more than a powerful king far away."
In short, because I was weak. Was she saying that if the function was the same, she'd choose the one easier to handle?
Good grief. There's a limit to how blunt you can be.
Having said that much, the Red Tower Master paused in thought for a moment before continuing.
"And this is just my personal stance, so let it go in one ear and out the other. I find a king who is obsessed and single-minded like you far more lovable than an aloof, absolute king."
"Pardon?"
"What?"
That hit close to home. Does she not consider boundaries when choosing her words?
Paying no heed to Shei's and my reactions, the Red Tower Master spoke on.
"You are searching for something. You are walking toward a destination. Footsteps that march forward do not fall. They create change by colliding with their surroundings. I love a flame that burns itself away, even if it extinguishes quickly."
"Very Fahrenheit of you."
"Exactly. Fahrenheit. My beautiful, brilliant, and ultimately reduced-to-ashes homeland. Just like that place."
Stopping in her tracks, the Red Tower Master wore a dreamy, hazy expression. Shei, who had been in a foul mood for a while now, snapped at the Red Tower Master as she was about to step into the fireplace.
"What are you doing? Didn't you say you were busy? Just go already!"
"Ah, right. We'll see each other again soon."
The Red Tower Master threw me a wink before disappearing into the fireplace. Like a spark.