◈ Episode 441. Hypocrite (3)
A duel of spacetime.
Jesse was not surprised.
Fortunately, there were footsteps she could refer to.
The duel of spacetime between Hoyeol and the Sword Saint Shegwin.
That duel had not only been broadcast to the players.
It had also been broadcast through Arcana’s official website.[You have entered the Spacetime Duel Arena.]
Jesse looked around the arena. The empty seats were being filled one by one with players. Of course, the players’ expressions were bewildered. Their voices reached her.
“A spectator message popped up, so I accepted for now. What is this?”
“Wait a second…… Isn’t this that Colosseum?”
“The place where Lee Hoyeol and the Sword Saint fought!!”
Soon, players recognized her.
“That cone hat……? Don’t tell me that’s Jesse Heinness?!”
Tug.
Jesse pressed her cone hat down once and muttered.
“Thanks to you, Master, my individuality has gotten too strong.”
—Do you dislike it, then?
“Not particularly.”
—If you have time to grumble, stay alert, Jesse.
The Tower Master inside the cone hat had realized it from the conversation between Jesse and the Transcendent.
That in the end, things would come to this.
If asked when he had realized it.
It had been from the moment a majority of the Transcendents agreed to Jesse’s entrance into spacetime.
A majority was merely seven.
This was the vast Arcana continent.
Even if Transcendents were rare.
It made no sense that their numbers were only around ten.
Chief Lee and Mary, as well as the heads of the Four Families.
Counting just them already made six. Needless to say, they would not have cast votes in favor of Jesse becoming a Transcendent. Chief Lee’s rules were stricter than any.
Then the answer became simple.
Excluding the Transcendents listed above……
It meant there were no other Transcendents on the Arcana continent.
Why was that?
Simple.
The cone hat made his disciple aware of reality.
—Jesse, they are after your life. And this likely isn’t the first time those bastards have targeted a Transcendent’s life.
At the same time, something flickered before Jesse’s eyes.[The Immortal Creature, Urs, has completed entry.]
Jesse opened her mouth.
“Urs……”
In order to build a broad understanding of magic.
Jesse read the Magic Tower’s books on magic whenever she had time.
Thanks to that, the name “Urs” was familiar to her.
It could not be otherwise.
After all, he was a figure who had appeared in a book with Lee Hoyeol.
Those three syllables engraved on the cover.──────Methods for Cultivating Elixir HerbsAuthor: Cle Odia, Skilled MageReviewer: Lee Hoyeol, Chief Mage──────The cone hat asked.
—Do you remember reading it with an exceedingly grave expression?
“Of course!”
Jesse lightly nodded.
Urs’s deeds were impressive enough to be difficult to forget. In the era when the ancient kingdom existed, he had first exchanged his own territory for an elixir and consumed it. After that, Urs wandered the Arcana continent, consuming countless elixirs.
That Urs had a point of contact with Chief Lee.『Urs became a creature capable of facing the king of all things, a dragon; he was reborn as a living elixir. However, consuming countless elixirs does not mean that anyone can become Urs. I hope you will keep this in mind. There is no power that can be seized without pain.』‘Seeing as there was a warning written there that didn’t seem like Chief Lee……’In the past, Hoyeol had consumed the elixirs, 『Ten-Thousand-Year Snow Flower』 and 『Scorching Sunflower』 at the same time in order to form a Circle. Thanks to that, he had even shattered and eaten a teacup and had nearly crossed into the afterlife.
But he had told no one about it, and certainly had not left it in the records.‘He must know something related to that.’All she could do was merely guess that even the power of elixirs must come with a price.
Watching Urs slowly take shape.
Jesse thought.‘Can I exploit that price?’Even if she had awakened the power of a true Archmage.
It was only natural that her opponent would not be easy.
According to her master, the seven Transcendents who had sent her telepathy were masters capable of effortlessly slaughtering fellow Transcendents.
That was why Jesse had accepted the duel of spacetime.
The whisper of the Transcendent who had warned her.
—“How unfortunate. We have no need for traitors, Jesse Heinness.”
The cone hat murmured.
—This is why one must have discernment even in learning, Jesse. I acknowledge that you admire Chief Lee regarding magic and anomalies. But is there really any need to imitate even his venomous tongue?
They weren’t Transcendents, but hypocrites.
Jesse had thrown a straight ball.
Yet Jesse herself was confident.
“It’s not like I said anything wrong!”
In the end, it meant they had no choice but to face each other.
It meant the duel had no choice but to begin.
And the players who had entered the Spacetime Duel Arena.
“?!!”
It meant the audience had no choice but to be horrified.
Rustle.
The players stirred at the sight of Urs.
“……
Is that really a p-person?”
Only a very small part of his form remained human enough to call him human.
Urs looked like a creature beyond description.
As if he were half-human, half-tree.
Had a plant become a person?
Or had a person become a plant?
It was the moment the audience fell into confusion at the sight of Urs.
Swish.
Urs’s arm cut through the air.
At the same time, wind erupted.
Its destructive force was comparable to a raging typhoon.
Ruuumble.
Even the completely isolated seats of the Colosseum shook.
“……
Isn’t this going to turn into something serious?”
“Why is Jesse even fighting in the first place?”
“No, Jesse Heinness isn’t the type to get caught up in pointless trouble, is she? She’s even less the type to do something while announcing it to the whole world like this. Who the hell is that Urs guy?!”
“Maybe she got dragged into the Colosseum by force……?”
Murmur, murmur.
Countless guesses ran rampant.
Unfortunately, every single one of them missed the mark.
Who would have dared imagine it?
Within the slowly settling dust.
An overwhelming aura bloomed.
Jesse’s voice rang out.
“You being who has craved elixirs, mere matter, for eons.”
Eyes filled with the mana of violet twilight.
“Do you believe that for those same eons.”
“……?”
“You can surpass us, who have craved truth?”
“……!!!”
That Jesse Heinness would utter such words.*Who is it?[The duel of spacetime will soon begin.]
Grandfell had no interest in social circles.
I, Lee Hoyeol, had no choice but to stay faithful to that setting.
Thanks to that, related to the Spacetime Social Hall.
I had refused all system messages, every last one of them…….‘It must be appearing because I entered the social hall.’I had no way of knowing who was fighting whom in a situation like this, but even if curiosity rose in me, I had no leisure to pay attention right now. The curse, [Understanding of Darkness]
Now that I had entered it.
The complete scenery of Akshan was reflected in my vision.
Indeed, it was exactly as I remembered. From the fluttering outfits to the way they did not even greet each other despite making eye contact. Even the atmosphere where not a shred of affection could be felt.
Looking at Akshan and the demon hunters like that.‘……
I feel nauseous.’A phrase instantly came to mind.
Mirror therapy.
What a terrible sight, seriously……!!
Hoyeol of the past. How did you ever look at those bastards……. No, those demon hunters, think they were cool, and go searching for Akshan?! Just looking at this, they’re clearly people with serious problems, aren’t they?!
Suddenly, a voice rang out.
“Do not hold me.”
I will say it once again.
Demon hunters are basically taciturn.
They do not even greet each other, so when would they ever have cause to hold each other back?‘You stepped on your own cloak, and now what?’Do not hold you, senior……!!
I could be certain. Grandfell’s way of speaking would only have worsened after joining Akshan, not improved. In that respect, I became even more puzzled.‘Now that I look at it, they’re all the same.’As you can see, Akshan is not a common-sense organization.
Therefore, even if Grandfell acted in an abnormal manner, perhaps there was no reason for him to be hated greatly? If so, I had all the more reason to dig into the Understanding of Darkness, into Grandfell’s past that I was witnessing now.‘Why did he get caught up in the Akshan civil war?’Why.
Why did the Akshan deserters who had closed their eyes in the holy ground of the Shadow Mercenary Corps say that Grandfell had to be hunted? In order to find that reason, I wanted to search the Akshan base from top to bottom right away, but…….[Quest: Curse Hunting]……
Ah, damn.
I had overlooked it.
The horrible grind quests of Akshan from that era!
Memories from the days when Arcana was nothing more than a game came back vividly.
Seeing the quest, I remembered it completely.
What, curse hunting?
As expected of an Akshan quest, the wrapping alone was quite plausible.‘But its true nature is…….’From Akshan to a nearby city.
Following the quest objective, I moved and stood before an outer wall.
The owner of the building said,
“Then, I’m countin’ on ya.”
Yes, I remembered it completely.
This damned quest!
Even in the player community back then.
There had been demon hunter players sticking out their tongues in disgust.
—I’m suing Cosmo fr fr for false advertising
—I got tricked by the Akshan wolvesㅠㅠㅠㅠㅠ—They told me to just delete my account and make a new one lolololol—Curse hunting, my ass, you’re just erasing graffiti on a wall?!!
The demon hunter outfit looked as if its stats had been entirely invested into style rather than function.
While going to the effort of wearing such an outfit.
All you did was crouch in front of a wall and erase the graffiti drawn there.‘This humiliation would be hard for most people to endure.’While others were roaming the Arcana continent chasing dreams and hopes, you were crouched there cleaning an outer wall. It was no wonder people said they would rather delete their accounts and raise new characters.
In that sense, I was once again forced to swallow my admiration.‘……
Just how twisted were my tastes?’To think I overcame such humiliation and stubbornly stayed with Akshan.
In any case, I approached the outer wall.
If I wanted to return to Akshan, I had to finish the assigned task, didn’t I?‘Huh.’But I had overlooked it.
You see as much as you know.
The same was true of curses.
My vision flickered.[Curse: In the Beginning, There Was Evil]
The time period was before the Cataclysm.
In other words, before the demons of the Demon World overflowed into the Arcana continent. However, demons had existed on the Arcana continent from the very beginning.
Including the Primordial Evil and the Seven Deadly Sins, the great evils.
They were the pure-blooded demons of the Arcana continent, who called the demons of the Demon World mongrels. I, Lee Hoyeol, retract every disparaging remark I made while slandering Akshan up until just now.‘It was spitting in my own face anyway, but still……!’To think what I had regarded back then as a mere grind quest.
Had truly been for purifying curses that had spread across the Arcana continent.
Grandfell’s mouth opened.
“Hasty judgment is forbidden.”
I get it, all right?
This time, I’ll reflect, Grandfell.
More importantly.‘I should use what I know.’If it had been the past me, I would have crouched down and erased the curse by hand.
But there was no need for that now.
Manifesting a simple low-level spell.
With my posture perfectly straight, I wiped the outer wall clean.
“As expected of Akshan. I’ll ask ya again next time.”
Somehow, I felt like I was being treated as a cleaner rather than a demon hunter……. But it was fine. I had learned the truth, hadn’t I? Thinking that, Akshan looked impressive once again.‘This really isn’t easy.’Maybe it was because I had experienced society.
It felt all the more remarkable.
The truth was, they had accomplished something incredibly great.
Yet others dismissed it as insignificant.
Continuing to do work no one would ever recognize, I mean.‘If left alone, who knows what might happen.’A curse could be used as a magic circle to offer sacrifices to demons, or, as the word meant, it could be used as a curse to break the human mind.‘If Akshan had not erased the curses…….’If they had left the curses alone out of dissatisfaction at being treated like cleaners.
The power of the Primordial Evil, the great evils, and the Seven Deadly Sins on the Arcana continent?
It would have grown uncontrollably vast.‘Maybe they would have reigned on equal footing with the upper Demon Kings.’Imagining that made our Akshan seniors seem worthy of respect.
Of course, the moment I returned to Akshan.
That respect was swept clean away.
Flop.
A demon hunter who had plopped down on the ground spoke.
“I did not trip over the hem of my clothes.”……
How utterly shameless.
“I merely intended to rest for a moment, intoxicated by the scenery.”
Then, as if to prove his own words.
He lay back just like that and closed his eyes.
What is this, is his mouth determined to run wild?
If Grandfell did not value formality.
I might have collapsed on the street and closed my eyes too.
They seemed so cool just a moment ago, but seeing them again completely breaks the illusion.‘Please just pick one, seniors.’If that was an anomaly, then perhaps it was one.
It was the moment I was feeling confused.
Suddenly, a chilling voice reached me.
“Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.”
Damn, you startled me.‘No, of course it’s only natural that they know it.’Because I was suddenly called by my full name, I needed time to compose myself.
After calming down and turning my head, there was an Akshan demon hunter there.
The demon hunter continued.
“I have something to say to you.”……
Something to say?
As I said, these were demon hunters who did not even greet one another.
What on earth could he possibly have to say to me?
While I was thinking, the man asked.
“Was it enjoyable?”
What was he asking if I enjoyed, erasing graffiti?
Silence is a virtue.
When I kept my mouth shut, his words continued.
“The hypocrisy you have shown until now.”
Words that could not be overlooked followed.
“Claudi, bloodline of demons.”……
What?
Before I could react.
Grandfell opened his mouth.
“Take care with every syllable you utter from this point onward.”
A cold voice.
A hand reaching toward the waist.
A situation one step away from exploding.
“The weight of my family is not so light that it may be tossed about in idle rumors.”
Soon, other Akshan hunters surrounded us.……
Wait a second.
Don’t tell me the Akshan civil war started from here?
You were the person directly involved, Grandfell……?