Chapter 271
Escorted by the shikigami, Se-Hoon headed to the deepest part of the family estate, stopping before a certain room.
Unlike other areas in the estate, the area they had arrived at was empty, without the escorts or shikigami acting as guards, creating a solemn atmosphere. It was almost as if it demanded reverence.
But all Se-Hoon felt as he scanned his surroundings was boredom.
Trying to act all serious...
Not interested, Se-Hoon refocused on the shikigami who had guided him.
“I have summoned Mr. Lee,” it said, kneeling before the door.
Silence—there was no reply. However, the shikigami seemed to have expected that, as it quietly opened the door without hesitation.
“Please, head on in.”
Walking past the shikigami, Se-Hoon stepped inside and looked around. The room was bare, with little to no furniture, except for one side, where a thin curtain revealed a silhouette behind it.
Staring at it, Se-Hoon noticed it bore a striking resemblance to the one he had previously glimpsed in Ren's memories, sparking his curiosity.
I see. So this is how Ren must have seen him.
Intrigued, Se-Hoon made his way over to it and sat directly in front.
A silence fell.
Then, a few moments later, a calm voice finally resounded from behind the curtain.
“My apologies.”
The voice was gentle, its echo resonating with the room’s stillness.
“To think I left my own household’s matters unattended, resulting in a guest being dragged into it.... It is quite an embarrassing display.”
Se-Hoon was certain. The voice was the one from Ren’s memories.
“...Well, things happen.”
“According to the Heroes Association’s investigation, the recent attack was orchestrated by the Himura and Amane families—specifically, their heads, who acted independently in collusion with the Demon Force.”
“Is that so?”
“I’m assuming they wanted to solidify their power. They’re currently on the run with their close allies, but we’re tracking them. As things are right now, unless the Demon Force offers them an escape route, we’ll catch them soon enough.”
“That would be ideal.”
Se-Hoon remained curt, seeming almost disinterested even though the head of the Inoue family himself was laying out the situation.
With no attempt for conversation made, the room fell silent. But not long later, the silhouette behind the curtain, Inoue Ryuuma, chuckled slightly, breaking the silence.
“It doesn’t seem like this is the conversation you wanted.”
“It’s just, I was thinking that being born to one of the Three Great Families doesn’t mean much when you’re just pawns at the end of the day.”
“Pawns, you say?” Ryuuma asked curiously.
Not batting an eyelid, Se-Hoon calmly responded, “The head of the family was away, the barriers were weak, and the enemies somehow easily targeted the ley line, which is supposed to be the core of the research facility. And coincidentally, the required blacksmith and materials were all present to resolve the situation.”
“...”
“Looking at it this way, don’t you think it’s less of a coincidence and more like someone’s orchestrating it?”
Softly laughing, Ryuuma responded, “Well, coincidences like these are why the word ‘chance’ exists. I think you’re over-analyzing it.”
“That’s a convenient excuse.”
“That it is. But... isn't that also true for you?”
Ryuuma’s gaze seemed to pierce through the curtain.
“A young man from an ordinary family with no remarkable talents suddenly begins growing immensely fast, reaching the point where he can forge Legendary-tier equipment within half a year. A young man so capable that he has caught the attention of all the Perfect Ones and is even involved in the death of a Ten Evil.”
“...”
“Doesn’t it sound more plausible to think of you as a hero, one meticulously crafted from the beginning to the end, rather than also attributing it all to coincidence?”
Se-Hoon’s expression shifted slightly.
Hearing it laid out like that... does sound a bit suspicious.
In fact, Ryuuma wasn’t entirely wrong. After all, everything he achieved so far had only been possible because of his regression. But just because he thought it was an obvious conclusion, it didn’t mean others thought the same.
Se-Hoon fell silent, lost in thought. Then, after some pondering, he answered, “I have my own reason.”
“Oh? And what is it?”
“I’m just a genius.”
“...”
“...”
“...It doesn’t sound like you’re joking,” Ryuuma said at last, his tone expressing his bewilderment.
But unfazed, Se-Hoon even brazenly added, “If you find it difficult to believe, I can lay out the evidence.”
“I see. Let’s hear it.”
“When I was with Erika, inspecting the underground facility, I realized it was a mirror image of the estate above.”
Se-Hoon pressed his index finger to the floor, drawing Ryuuma’s gaze.
“If the goal were sharing the barrier between them, then sharing just a few key structures would have sufficed. But you went as far as replicating even the exterior of the buildings.”
“...”
“At first, I thought it was for channeling the underground ley line’s power more efficiently. But after seeing the deeper parts, I realized there was another reason behind it.”
As reflections of one another, if the underground facility had had the sealing mechanism—which was in contact with the mountain’s ley line—at its core and the Inoue family was aiming to achieve something by creating symmetry, then the sealing mechanism at the core was likely also mirroring something.
“It’s not like it’ll be a mirror of the mountain’s peak, and even if it was, there’s nothing in the sky there.”
“...”
“So in that case, we need to look at the symbolic aspect of the overall design.”
A straight passage ran to the very bottom of the mountain, meeting the massive power of the ley line at a focal point.
“And the only place that matches that symbolism...” Se-Hoon lifted his finger from the floor and pointed upward. “...is the top floor of the Tower of Heroes.”
Normally, one would have to conquer the Tower of Heroes to access its power, but the Inoue family opted for trying to get to it through a spell. That was the secret of the family’s hidden underground facility.
“...”
Silence fell, lingering in the air. Then, a moment later, the voice behind the curtain said just one word: “Impressive.”
He’s not denying it.
If Ryuuma had tried to evade the speculation, the conversation would have dragged on as Se-Hoon presented his case. But it turned out there was no need for that.
At that moment, Se-Hoon heard rustling behind the curtain and saw Ryuuma’s silhouette pull out a long pipe from his sleeve.
Is that a kiseru?[1]
The flicker of light a second later confirmed Se-Hoon’s guess.
Then, with a wisp of smoke rising into the air, Ryuuma continued. “As you said, we’ve been researching ways to obtain the power of the Perfect Ones without actually ascending a Tower of Heroes. That’s why we are in possession of the Heaven’s Well and Erika.”
“Why would you want to do that?”
“For the sake of world peace.”
“...”
“...”
“...You’re not joking, are you?”
From Ryuuma’s calm tone and the steady gaze he felt from behind the curtain, Se-Hoon could tell he was serious. However, that just perplexed Se-Hoon. He stared back, asking for answers.
Ryuuma straightened up.
“The world we live in exists solely because of the absolute power of the Perfect Ones. In other words, if they were to disappear one day, that peace would vanish just as easily.”
“If things are bad enough that even the Perfect Ones are dying, hasn't that peace already been broken?”
“I wonder.” Though a curtain separated them, Ryuuma’s eyes met Se-Hoon’s. “Even the Seeker, who was thought to be missing, was killed by the Demon Force. What makes you think it won’t happen again?”
Surprised by the unexpected revelation, Se-Hoon’s eyes widened.
And upon seeing that reaction, Ryuuma became amused. “I thought you would know about this.... Could this be a generational gap?”
“What do you mean by...”
“The Heaven’s Well was actually created during the war with the Demon Force. Countless sorcerers were involved, and the ones coordinating it were the elders of the Three Great Families. However, the one who oversaw the entire process was...”
“The Seeker?”
Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed. He’d always wondered where the Heaven’s Well, a piece of Mythical equipment, had come from, but never had he expected it would have something to do with the Seeker.
Why didn’t she mention this?
Had the Seeker deceived him? With the question lingering in his mind, Se-Hoon recalled their earlier conversation.
“What is it? You want to know if the Inoue family ever collaborated with me?”
“No, that’s not it.”
“...”
He clearly remembered that he had asked the Seeker if she collaborated with the Inoues in any way, but then he had rejected it himself.
Perhaps that was why the Seeker had intentionally left out the backstory about Heaven's Well’s creation.
But with her sense of self, she must’ve known.... I guess she just wanted to mess with me for not asking properly.
Annoyed, Se-Hoon was seriously considering how to get back at the deceased Seeker when Ryuuma spoke up again. “The Heaven’s Well was made for the Seeker, and we obtained borrowing rights due to our contribution. With her permission, we could summon it as well.”
But one day, the Heaven’s Well had been summoned to the Inoue family covered in blood, and the head of the family at the time had concluded that the Seeker had gone missing and was likely dead—the moment that had marked the beginning of decades of research on the Heaven’s Well.
“Perfect Ones may look like unkillable monsters, but there’s no guarantee they won’t die. That’s why we, too, need to prepare.”
“So you’re trying to create Perfect Ones artificially, even making artificial lifeforms like Erika.”
Confirming, Ryuuma nodded calmly. “It’s easier to start fresh than to modify existing humans, even if it means failing several times. Wouldn’t you agree?”
“...”
“Well, there’s no need for you to answer. I’m not interested in discussing old-fashioned topics like ethics or morality here.”
Pausing, Ryuuma took another puff from his pipe before looking at Se-Hoon.
“Why don’t you join hands with us?”
“...”
“As you just heard, we only want to maintain the current peace in the world. To that end, we haven’t done a thing that could be marked as betraying humanity.”
“And Erika?”
“Just as no one considers shikigami human just because they look and act like one, it’s the same for her.”
At those words, Se-Hoon’s eyes narrowed. However, Ryuuma continued without hesitation. “If it becomes a problem, Erika will be disposed of later. But I don’t think that’s what you want.”
“You’re quite the loving father, aren’t you?”
Hearing the dripping sarcasm in Se-Hoon’s comment, Ryuuma chuckled. “If you want to help Erika, it’s best to cooperate with us. That way, you’ll have more chances to intervene. And if you’re worried about how it’ll look to outsiders, you could even get engaged—”
“No, thank you.”
Cutting Ryuuma off, Se-Hoon abruptly stood up before looking again toward the curtain. “I’ll consider today’s conversation as if it never happened.”
“Hmm? So, you're just going to let this go?” Ryuuma asked.
“I don’t think there’s a need to rush when there might be a better solution out there.”
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While he didn't agree to cooperate, Se-Hoon made it clear he wouldn't simply ignore the situation either.
And to Ryuuma, that was a very amusing stance.
“That's a rather positive answer. Why not just cooperate with us, then?” Ryuuma asked, a smile on his face.
At the question, Se-Hoon glanced at the silhouette. “When such an important proposal comes through a shikigami, it’s hard to trust it.”
“...”
“Next time, I'd like to meet you in person. I hope we can be more honest with each other then.” With that, Se-Hoon walked out of the room, leaving a heavy silence behind.
And it wasn’t until much later that Ryuuma's voice quietly slipped out from behind the curtain. “He saw through me from the start.... I had thought I was prepared enough, but apparently, I underestimated him.”
Having used the surrounding barriers to almost perfectly synchronize the shikigami with his true body, he had never expected Se-Hoon to see through the illusion so easily.
There's no avoiding suspicion at this point, Ryuuma thought.
While he hadn't been directly involved, he had given a slight push to the two family heads who had been on the edge. Still, to claim he had planned everything from start to finish would be a stretch.
If I don't make a move now, things might get troublesome... Ryuuma mused, before glancing down at the underground facility below him.
“...That might do nicely.”
There was a satisfied smile on his face.
***
After leaving the room, Se-Hoon replayed the conversation with Ryuuma in his head.
It didn’t seem like he outright lied, but... a lot was left unsaid.
Ryuuma’s connection to Watchers, the method for creating artificial Perfect Ones, and Erika's transformation before Se-Hoon's regression—there were still too many unclear aspects.
However, thinking about any of them would lead to endless questions, so Se-Hoon focused on what was most important right now.
The Heaven’s Well and Erika.
If he kept digging, the link with Watchers would reveal itself eventually. Therefore, the priority was ensuring Erika and the Heaven’s Well didn’t end up as the same abominations they had been before the regression.
For now... I should figure out how things ended up that way in the first place.
But where should he start? Pondering over it, Se-Hoon instinctively swung his hand to the side.
Whoosh!
Catching the blue arrow, Se-Hoon noticed a letter tied to the tip and immediately checked the contents.
“It seems everything went well.”
Reading the message from Baek-Yeon, Se-Hoon belatedly understood why there had been no support during the recent attack.
Did you use your power of Perception to guide me to this outcome? he mouthed, not making a sound.
Then, as if on cue, another arrow flew into his hand.
“I did help steer things in this direction. Doppelganger blocked my way in between, so I couldn’t offer direct support. I should've put a couple more arrows into its side. Tsk.”
Reading Baek-Yeon’s reply, Se-Hoon narrowed his eyes.
Then what was the point of that sparring session with Ren?
As if anticipating his confusion, another arrow arrived with a letter.
“If I didn't suggest a spar, he would’ve left for somewhere by evening. That’s what I sensed from him. Well, that’s all in the past, so let’s get to the main point.”
The one that flew in next would be the final message. Se-Hoon unfolded it.
“Inoue Ren. It seems he’s got his own plans, so keep an eye on him.”
Fwoosh.
Simultaneously, the letters burned up along with the arrows, leaving just Se-Hoon mulling over their contents.
His own plans, huh...?
Thinking back, Erika’s transformation into Gluttony happened after Ren became the head of the family. Could it be that Ren, not Ryuuma, had orchestrated those events?
I guess I need to meet him again to find out.
Regardless of whether Ren had a different agenda than his father or not, becoming close to him would be the key to uncovering all of the secrets. Resolving to look into it once the new term began, he headed back to his room and noticed Erika standing outside it.
“Hm?”
Approaching her with a curious look, Se-Hoon’s gaze focused on the black box in her hands that was revealed when she turned her head. The box was pitch black, absorbing the surrounding light, and was giving off an ominous, foreboding aura.
“Is that...”
“It's the family heirloom of the Himura family,” Erika replied.
“...Why is that here?”
“We took it during one of the power struggles. Officially, it’s listed as lost property due to demonic activity,” she explained, causing Se-Hoon to frown.
Looks like the grudge runs deep between them.
If they even had a history of stealing heirlooms, the behind-the-scenes power struggle between the Three Great Families must have been intense.
Well, it's over now anyway, he thought.
With the head of the family missing and accusations of colluding with the Demon Force, the Himura family had essentially lost all influence. And naturally, the Inoue family would take over the void left behind.
This all seems clearly orchestrated... but where is Ryuuma hiding?
Given how he was keeping such a low profile, there was a chance he was involved in something related to Watchers.
As he mulled over what it could be, Erika extended the black box toward him.
“Why are you giving me that?”
“The head of the family asked that you accept it as thanks for your help in this incident,” she replied.
“The heirloom?”
It was obviously a valuable object, but accepting it would risk accusations of collusion with the demons who plundered the Himura family.
However, Erika shook her head upon noticing his concern. “The heirloom is just a bonus. The real gift is the material inside.”
“Material?”
Puzzled, Se-Hoon took the box from her and carefully opened the lid.
Swish-
With just a crack, a dark, yet familiar, energy began to seep out. Seeing it, Se-Hoon hesitated before fully opening the box.
Gulp-
Inside the box, a black, viscous substance churned, as if it might spill out at any moment.
It was a fragment of the Heaven’s Well, undulating like a dark swamp.
1. Japanese smoking pipe ☜