Episode 12
Kudan Ragna.
To the world, he was a treacherous son who killed his older brother and even tried to kill his niece. He had fallen and been branded a traitor who instigated a rebellion.
But the hidden truth was precisely the opposite.
To save his precious niece, Kankun, he had tried to kill Kankun’s father, Karan, and tried to kill the elders.
“I have nothing to say. A father who tried to kill his own daughter. And an uncle who staked his life on a rebellion to save such a niece….”
At Loki’s words, Aum smiled and continued.
“So I lent him my subordinates to help. Well, actually… even without help, he could have annihilated the Ragna Tribe alone… but I wanted to protect Kankun in case of an emergency.”
Aum looked at Loki.
‘However, I never imagined it would lead to the worst outcome imaginable.’
Aum swallowed those last words.
Loki nodded as though convinced.
There seemed to be no falsehood in Aum’s words. If he asked the elders of the Ragna Tribe about this, he would be able to learn the truth.
“I see.”
“May I ask my questions again now?”
“Ask.”
“You said you are not a Constellation. Then….”
‘In this place, do they also refer to gods as Constellations?’
Loki pondered Aum’s words.
If so, he might belong among the ‘Constellations.’
The ‘god’ named ‘Loki’ in the game had become reality.
Which meant that the Nodine’s words about the descent of a god were not entirely wrong.
“If you are not the Constellation of Sin, then what are you?”
However, what Aum was asking about was the ‘Constellation of Sin.’
Loki only needed to give the answer that corresponded to that.
“I do not know.”
“……?”
Loki tilted his head slightly and spoke.
“I do not know about my own existence. I lived in another world, and when I awoke, I was here. And I had been asleep for over 300 years.”
“…….”
“I know nothing about my own existence itself.”
There was no sign of falsehood.
‘…Did he lose his memories as well?’
But sleeping for 300 years. That was surely a lie.
He did not call himself the Constellation of Sin, but the demon in the sanctuary was insisting he was.
In the end, it was no different from showing his will to continue playing the role of ‘Ruler of the Nodine.’
Then, Loki asked his next question.
“Now, allow me to ask.”
Loki pointed to the chessboard and the tteokbokki.
“Where did you obtain these?”
“The Southern Continent. I met a woman.”
Loki’s eyes widened.
“What was your connection to her?”
“She saved my life, taught me this board game, and also taught me this dish.”
“Then she is….”
“I know nothing more than that.”
“…….”
“Because she disappeared just one day after I met her.”
A worthless answer.
Loki became displeased.
“However, I am not the only one who knows about her.”
“……?”
“Kudan. That man has met her before.”
“…….”
“Kudan once said he had been hired by that woman and escorted her for several days as a mercenary.”
Kudan Ragna.
Kankun’s uncle knew the answer Loki wanted.
“My next question. Is Kankun alright now? Kudan wishes to know if Kankun is saf—.”
Aum was rendered speechless. Feeling pressure bearing down on his shoulders, he looked at Loki.
Black aura surged as Loki raised his head.
His red gaze fixed upon Aum.
Aum closed his mouth while asking his next question.
‘Dangerous!’
Dangerous! Truly dangerous!
His survival instincts rang alarm bells.
The opponent’s demeanor had changed.
He had wanted to ask about Kankun’s safety, but now he had to put that aside.
He changed the subject of his question.
“…My next question.”
Aum spoke, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“…Do you have no intention of letting us go?”
“Of course not.”
Aum and Pereu’s faces hardened.
“Lord Loki, we are visitors who came to this city as emissaries for exchange….”
“Do not act arrogant. You are intruders who invaded my domain without permission. I spoke with you out of interest, nothing more, nothing less.”
And that interest had now vanished.
“…Th-then what must we do for you to let us go?”
“Are the questions not over?”
“…….”
“It is my question. I will ask. No, I will demand. You shall bring Kudan Ragna before me.”
It was not a question. It was an order and a threat.
“If you promise to bring him to me, I may let you go.”
“…Are you telling me to hand over Kudan?”
It was as though Loki was telling them to buy their lives with Kudan as the offering.
Why had the topic suddenly shifted to Kudan?
‘What is his reason for showing interest in Kudan? Is it because of that woman?’
The woman connected to the object that had piqued Loki’s interest. He must be curious about her whereabouts.
The opponent before him now seemed to have lost interest in him. It meant he no longer had any business with him.
Therefore, he would either eliminate them as intruders or use them as bait to bring Kudan.
“What do you intend to do with Kudan…?”
“There is something I wish to ask him.”
“…It will be difficult to converse with Kudan. He considers you an enemy, so the moment he sees you, he will try to kill you.”
“I will know when we meet.”
Damn, he won’t listen to reason!
Aum gritted his teeth. He opened his mouth to try to persuade Loki somehow, to avoid arousing his hostility.
“Rather, use me as a neutral party so the two of you can talk… or if you hand over Kankun, Kudan will open his heart as well.”
“I cannot yet confirm whether what you said is the truth. Since I cannot know whether Kudan is truly a threat to Kankun, I will ensure Kankun’s safety myself.”
It sounded as though he was protecting Kankun.
“Did you say safety?”
Aum let out a hollow laugh.
He was nothing but a fraud mimicking a Constellation. There was a girl who, enthralled by such a one, wondered if she had brought disaster upon herself.
There was no way a tender-hearted girl like that could remain unharmed while with such a wicked being.
“You do not believe me.”
“…….”
“As expected, we cannot come to an understanding.”
Of course. There was no way he could believe him.
A monster had appeared out of nowhere without warning and was pretending to be a god while controlling the Nodine—there was simply no way to believe that.
“What happens if we do not hand over Kudan?”
“I will imprison you in the underground dungeon of Valhalla Palace. Furthermore, I will seek out Kudan myself and head to the Linia Tribe.”
“…….”
If Aum were captured, the Linia Tribe would lose its center.
And among those who learned that the Great Chieftain had been captured, greedy ones would target the seat of power.
The power structure Aum had built over a long time might collapse in an instant.
‘…And the Linia Tribe will come to invade this city called Valhalla.’
There would be warriors who wished to rescue Aum.
And the fraud before him would slaughter such an army in an instant.
If even the Linia Tribe were devoured, there would no longer be any Nodine who could stop this unidentified being.
‘If that is the case….’
“…I will hand over Kudan.”
“Brother!”
Pereu, clutching his severed arm, shouted in a pained voice. Aum broke into a cold sweat and sneered inwardly.
There was no other choice right now. He had no choice but to make the opponent believe he was accepting his terms while pretending to be cornered.
“Very well, then… you may go.”
As Loki rose from his seat and stepped back, the Skeletons also moved aside and cleared a path.
Aum and Pereu’s eyes widened.
The opponent had opened the way far too easily.
He had expected that Loki would hold at least Aum or Pereu hostage and send only one person, but that did not seem to be the case.
‘…What is this?’
Aum looked at Loki.
‘What exactly is he plotting?’
Could he be pretending to release them to track and hunt them for sport?
Or was he trying to use their failure to bring Kudan as a pretext for invasion?
He could not fathom the reason.
The question ‘Are you simply letting us go?’ echoed in the back of his throat.
But he could not predict how the opponent would react if he asked it.
“…Then… we shall take our leave….”
“Bring Kudan.”
“O-of course.”
Aum walked with a fake smile as he moved away with Pereu.
“Ah yes, the question you wanted to ask.”
Aum stopped walking.
And the moment he looked back—
Hook-like fingers were touching Aum’s forehead.
“I shall give you the answer to that.”
Loki pressed his fingers against Aum’s forehead and tilted his head.
“You asked how Kankun is doing, did you not?”
Startled, Aum tried to step back, but it was already too late.
A strange flow of energy poured from the tips of Loki’s fingers.
The black energy climbed Loki’s fingers, digging into Aum’s forehead and flowing inside.
“Huh?”
An unknown energy penetrated deep into his body and churned….
And belatedly, a terrible pain arrived.
“Uaaaaaaaaaaaaargh—!”
Aum clutched his head. No, he thrashed his entire body and screamed.
“B-Brother!?”
His younger brother Pereu called from beside him, but Aum could not even respond.
‘It hurts! It hurts! Stop… Stop…! Just… kill me!’
Every organ felt like it was burning. A headache like his brain was melting rushed over him.
Loki looked down at him.
“I have engraved [Mark of Tracking] upon your soul.”
“Uaaaaaargh—!”
When Loki flicked his fingers, Aum’s pain vanished like a lie.
“Uaaa… ugh… ugh….”
But unable to recover from the shock of the pain, Aum lay face down on the ground, drooling.
And he looked up at the one who had done this to him.
“I can know wherever you go—.”
Loki. He looked down at Aum as one would at a struggling insect, sneering.
“Every three days, I can make you feel the pain of floundering in the flames of hell.”
“……!”
“If I do not release you within a month, even your soul will burn and be annihilated. Thus, it is a command.”
“…Ugh… ack—!”
“Bring Kudan to me. If he refuses, tell him this.”
Loki turned his back and spoke.
“That Kankun is being tamed nicely by me.”
“…Ugh.”
“If he does not come.”
Loki let out a laugh.
“Then I shall personally invade your tribe.”
Invasion.
The opponent had declared that he would lead an army and attack.
At that point… Aum had nowhere to run.
Because Loki had said he could know his location.
“Then… I shall wait.”
Loki left.
The Skeletons followed behind him.
In the silent market street, people had already begun to come and go.
It was as if the commotion from moments ago had been a lie.
“…B-Brother…!”
Pereu hurriedly supported Aum. He held his severed arm in his mouth.
“Aum… Pereu….”
“What… do you intend… to do with Kudan?”
Because he was holding the arm in his mouth, Pereu’s speech was muffled.
Aum’s legs gave out, and he walked with difficulty, supported by Pereu.
Though the people around the market cleared a path for the two in their wretched state, no one paid them any mind.
“…Do you intend… to hand over Kudan? To that demon?”
“…….”
“He is a demon we cannot face. He might truly be….”
Pereu’s face paled.
“…the Constellation of Sin.”
“…I know. But… he said himself that he is not a Constellation.”
He must be human.
Therefore—.
“There must be a way to kill him.”
“…! Are you planning to oppose him? Did you not see what we faced? He is too powerful. F-for now, through negotiation—!”
“That monster is targeting Kudan, and Kudan must be targeting that monster as well. I do not think the two of them will have a conversation. Above all—.”
“…….”
“We do not know what kind of being he is. For a human like that to appear without any warning is bizarre in itself. It is impossible.”
‘There might be a third force on the continent backing him.’
Among the empires of the continent, there might be an existence that raised such a monster.
A force that rules the North, this frozen land, and seeks to enslave the Nodine.
If such a force exists….
“…Leaving him be is dangerous.”
If he reigns as a Constellation in the North, a great calamity will arrive, just as the Shaman prophesied!
“Then….”
“War.”
Pereu closed his mouth.
“Prepare for war.”