◈ Chapter 499. Only After the Hero Had Distanced Himself from the Magic Tower......
Srrrk.
Camilla unclenched the fist she had been gripping.
“Do you really have no blood or tears?”
If not, then you truly are incredible.
“The Commander-in-Chief is......”
Camilla thought of Hoyeol.
How could he say such harsh things right to Jesse’s face?
Just a few words are enough to make my heart feel like it’s being torn apart.
-“No matter how I think about it, I can’t forgive a traitor.”
There was only one reason Camilla had rejected Jesse with an excuse she didn’t even mean.
The Magic Tower, and the sharp gazes that had been directed at her.
She did not want the sparks to fly to Jesse, who knew nothing.‘Rox......’After Dimitri’s death.
Rox changed.
He never stopped whipping himself mercilessly.
-“Aren’t you pushing yourself too hard, Rox?”
-“I have no choice. I have to do Dimitri’s share too.”
-“You’re romanticizing him. Dimitri never lived that diligently.”
-“Didn’t he? Haha.”
Because she had watched Rox for a long time, she also knew that the laugh at the end had not been sincere. Even so, she had thought that if it was Rox, he would be able to overcome it.
Camilla smiled bitterly.
“In that sense...... I’m an accomplice too, aren’t I?”
Back when Arcana was nothing more than a game.
Rox had been so competitive it was hard to imagine now. It had been her mistake to think that the Rox she had watched all this time would set that competitiveness ablaze and use it as momentum.
-“Everyone was amazing.”
Right after the Great Beast Raid.
-“All of them were shining so brightly.”
Rox had said that with empty eyes.
Looking back on their achievements, it was understandable that he would feel that way. Especially Nam Taemin, Hisagi, and Leonie, whom Rox had considered to be at a similar level to himself. The growth and accomplishments of those three had been dazzling.
“Even then, I......”
Had comforted him lightly, as though it were no big deal.
-“That’s all thanks to Class Quests, you know~”
Rox’s class, [Knight].
One of the classes whose Class Quest had yet to be revealed.
At the very least, she should not have added those words......
-“Once your Class Quest appears, Rox, you’ll be able to catch up in no time~”
Even though she knew Class Quests were not something that could be carried out so easily...... She should not have brought up Class Quests so carelessly to him, when he longed for one more than anyone......
As expected, no small part of this is my fault.
“......
I’m sorry, Jesse.”
How things would unfold from here?
Even without bringing up the vision of her class, [Bow Master], she could see it clearly. Even if he attacked the empty Bohemian guild house, seized the command room, and won the siege for the moment.
Rox’s actions would end there.‘Yugwid’s memorial has ended.’The Bohemian Guild would return to their guild house.
And the guilds that shared Bohemian’s will,
the guilds belonging to the Holy War Alliance, would lend their strength.‘If it’s Shining, they might be able to hold out for a few days.’Unification Under Heaven, Shining, and the Great Alliance.
Now that Unification Under Heaven had collapsed, Shining was one of only two super-giant guilds. But Camilla was aware. The guild master Rox’s control over his guild had weakened.‘That must be why they contacted me instead of following Rox.’Rox was running wild.
Perhaps the best way to settle this incident was to treat it as Rox’s individual action, not Shining’s. In truth, that was what it was. But Camilla could not turn away.
“You know, Rox. Attachment is a frightening thing, isn’t it?”
Now that Dimitri left first.
It seems I can’t leave you alone.
Speed pouring out from her high [Agility] stat.
Sssssk.
Camilla lightly leaped over the rooftops and soon arrived at Shining’s Seoul branch. And on the building opposite, she spotted Rox attacking Bohemian’s branch.
“......!”
And she sensed something strangely alien.
Blond hair.
Decadent eyes.
An expressionless face that rarely changed.
All of it was Rox, and yet.
“Rox......?”
Flutter.
“......
What are those wings on you?”
For some reason,
wings had sprouted from Rox’s back.
The wings of a black beast.
*
I looked at the players moving busily.‘Rox.’Shining had struck them in the back, they said.
It was quite unexpected. After all, Shining had cooperated considerably with the Holy War Alliance until now. Had they not even participated in the recent Great Beast Raid?
“This, too, must be thanks to not neglecting inquiry.”
Yes, I remembered seeing it on Nettube. An edited video of players trapped in the prototype rift escaping it through exchange with reality. Rox had definitely been in that video.‘......
Hmm.’He no longer existed in reality or on the Arcana Continent, but.
If Liu Zunqun had struck someone in the back, I would have nodded immediately.
Because that bastard was more than capable of doing something like this.
However, Rox’s actions
were actually ambiguous to call a betrayal.
Marcelo opened his mouth.
“To me, it appears to be nothing more than meaningless action, sir.”
That’s true, isn’t it, Marcelo?
That’s the only way it looks to me too.
It was not all of Shining moving, but only Rox alone.
Murmurs reached my ears.
“Rox? He’s from ages ago. Sure, his ranking is still higher than Guyver’s, but now he’s barely clinging to the top ten, isn’t he? What can he do alone?”
“He’s literally just robbing an empty house.”
“Anyway, can this end peacefully?”
“When I saw the Bohemian Guild earlier, they all looked seriously pissed.”
Moreover, this was reality.
Through CCTV, the eyes of citizens, and smartphone cameras,
every move Rox made was being transmitted.‘It’s certain. Rox attacked Bohemian’s branch alone.’Even after taking Bohemian’s guild house,
Shining’s guild members did not join Rox.
That was only natural.
Rox was not a [Monarch].
‘He can’t forcibly brainwash loyalty into them like Liu Zunqun.’What that meant was simple.
Before long,
Rox, alone, would be subdued.
I subtly spoke to Granfell within me.‘So I’m telling you, we don’t need to step in.’We haven’t even become the owner of Seoul yet.
There’s no reason to start sticking our noses into everything already, is there, Granfell?
And we have to rest at times like this
so we can endure it later when we end up working like dogs.
Soon, my mouth opened.
“It is still too early for stray thoughts.”
Honestly, even your reasons are strict.
“According to Arcana Continent time, the memorial for one who departed the Magic Tower before us is to be held for one day. Even accounting for the time difference between reality and the Arcana Continent, it is still insufficient.”
That was right. If one followed the Magic Tower’s strict rules,
the mourning for Yugwid was still not enough.
Therefore, I sat upright and kept my place.‘Like I said, this isn’t something we should get involved in.’The conflict between Rox and Bohemian.
For me to step forward and mediate,
there was not enough justification to stop mourning Yugwid and move.
“Your words are correct, sir.”
Marcelo nodded, then continued.
“In that case, sir, may I ask about the next item on the schedule?”
The next item on the schedule?
“It is nothing other than this. Now that the Arcana Continent and this city are connected, I would like to ask what you think of granting all mages of the Magic Tower complete freedom to leave the Tower.”
Complete freedom for mages to leave the Tower?
Wouldn’t that be fine?
No, actually, I’d welcome it with both arms raised!‘Just the applications to leave the Tower number several a day, and that......!’However, our Lord Granfell
did not consider my personal convenience in the slightest.
I had no choice but to ask back.
“I assume there is a more specific reason.”
“The twilight mana that we felt on the Arcana Continent can now be felt in this city as well. I judged that in an environment where twilight mana surges, the magical achievements of the Magic Tower’s members may advance.”
“Indeed, you have a point.”
As expected of Marcelo.‘Has he even understood the concept of buffs now?’Unlike me, who had filled notebooks with lines to understand 『Magic』, you’re absorbing the knowledge of this world quickly. My lips parted.
“I shall consider it favorably.”
Wait, consider it favorably......?
Whenever I heard that from my manager,
I never once saw anything actually pass......!‘Please, I believe in you, Granfell. Save me.’The moment I was begging inwardly.
“However, there is a matter that must be handled before that.”
I ended up blurting it out without realizing it.‘......
No, there’s something more important than distributing work?’This, somehow.
It seemed that though I, Lee Hoyeol, had completely forgotten it,
Granfell absolutely had not.
“I must enter the Demon Realm.”
“......!”
Marcelo’s pupils widened.
There’s no need to be that startled, Marcelo.
I’m just as surprised.
‘Right, that was the case.’Putting aside my reunion with Paimon of the Demon Realm,
I had an obligation that was not quite an obligation
to find Yong Seong-rak’s body.
It must be because I had witnessed Yong Seong-rak’s pride with my own eyes.
I added so Marcelo would not misunderstand.
“There is no need for concern, Marcelo.”
“But the Demon Realm......!”
“Even if it is the Demon Realm, it will not take very long. The scheduled regular meeting and the Round Table meeting need not be adjusted for my sake.”
Just how obsessively have I kept my appointments all this time?
More than any other words,
that made Marcelo quickly understand and nod.
“If you should need any assistance, please tell me, sir.”
Assistance, huh. As always, I answered confidently.
“Even if it is my first visit, I am sufficient alone.”
Sufficient, my ass.
Just thinking about entering the Demon Realm already
made my chest feel tight.
After all, I still could not be confident of victory if I faced a high-ranking Demon King. Of course, if I deliberately made [Heaven Above and Below, I Alone Am Supreme] run wild or borrowed the power of [Blackening]......‘Even now, I might be able to defeat someone on Paimon’s level.’But I had, without realizing it, incurred Jin Antonium’s debt to Paimon, and Paimon was not the only high-ranking Demon King in the Demon Realm. Even if Paimon overlooked me, I could not guarantee that the other high-ranking Demon Kings would stay quiet.‘My own life is in danger, and I’m supposed to take companions?’That arrogant declaration just now was all for your sake.
Perhaps he understood that hidden meaning of mine.
Marcelo nodded.
“If that is your will, sir, I shall wait.”
Anyway, I’m touched that you said that much.
A heart that thinks of one another.
At last, even the Magic Tower seems to have a human scent to it.
The moment I was about to nod.
“......
Wait.”
The players’ flower offerings were still continuing.
Suddenly, those who had finished their memorial for Yugwid flinched.
But the conversation I heard was somehow unusual.
“H-he was alive?!”
“Who is it? Why are you so surprised?”
“You’re asking because you don’t know? Look closely!”
I was not trying to eavesdrop.
It was simply that, thanks to my developed hearing, even the softly whispered conversations of the players reached me clearly. Thanks to that, I inadvertently came to know why the players had lowered their voices.
“This guy’s from Unification Under Heaven. He was in the same group as me.”
Indeed, there was a reason to whisper. In the past, Unification Under Heaven had run wild as it pleased, so players who had belonged to Unification Under Heaven could not help but receive unfriendly gazes.
But the fact that they had come to the Magic Tower to pay their respects proved their innocence and pride. Therefore, I could not simply let the conversation between the former Unification Under Heaven guild members pass by.
A man scratched his head.
“What was it? What was his name? It was really unusual......”
“......
Wasn’t he one of the Five Stars?”
“Every Tom, Dick, and Harry was one of the Five Stars, so what are you......! Ah, I know!”
At the name that followed, I could not help but flinch.
“Yong Seong-rak! The one facing Rox here is Yong Seong-rak!”......
Yong Seong-rak?
Not only had he died,
but he had fallen into the Demon Realm.
And now he was standing in Rox’s way......?
*
I’m dizzy.
His vision was confused, and his hearing was faint.
Rox belatedly recognized the voice hovering around his ears.
“......
Rox!”
What, it’s Camilla.
“Camilla, I’m fine.”
After answering that, Rox looked around. The guild, Bohemian’s Seoul branch, had been reduced to a mess. As soon as he entered the empty command room, clusters of light flickered in his blurred vision.[Attacking Side: Shining Victory][Guild House: You have conquered Bohemian.][Your name is beginning to resound through Seoul.]......
Right.
The quest.
He had definitely been in the middle of carrying out a quest.‘It was a bizarre quest.’But why am I
carrying out such a strange quest right now?
Rox clutched his throbbing head.
Then he examined his surroundings a little more closely.
His own body was floating in the air without resistance.
Class, [Knight].
There was no such thing as a levitation skill.
Rox forced out the words.
“What is this...... Is it a dream?”
At that moment, a voice came from ahead.
“It is not a dream.”
“......
What did you say?”
“Human, you have fallen.”
Fallen.
The newly revealed abnormal status.
The moment the player Rox’s knowledge raised its head.
“I’ve fallen......?”
Rox’s vision flickered once again.
This time, too, it was a quest.[Class Quest: The Hero’s Path]
“......!”
However, this time, it was the Class Quest he had so desperately longed for.
Life returned to Rox’s eyes.
Whatever the man before him was saying,
it did not reach Rox’s ears.
“Mixed blood. Because your blood is mixed, you are incomplete, yet strong at the same time. Truly strange. This, too, is knowledge I would not have been able to acquire even if eons had passed, had you not existed.”
At this moment,
to Rox,
only the quest objective was visible.-Defeat the ‘Most Heinous Demon’ and prove your qualifications as a hero. (In Progress)
The quest objective began to flicker even more intensely.
Rox could sense it instinctively.
The man before his eyes
was surely
the Most Heinous Demon the quest objective spoke of.‘I’ll take him down, no matter what.’For Dimitri, and for Camilla.
Chwa-rak.
The moment Rox spread wings even he himself knew nothing about,
this time, in his ear,
he heard a sound he could not ignore.
Click.
At the same time, Rox’s face distorted sharply.
“Get out of my way, Lee Hoyeoooool!!!”...
Get out of your way?
Rox.
That’s harsh enough to hurt my feelings......?