Book 2, Epilogue 3 - Return of the Hero(?) (3)
“You deserve it.”
“What the hell did you just say?”
“I said you deserve it.”
Hugo became angry at the man and woman correcting him.
The ones visiting him were none other than the Virgo Saint Kevin and Gemini Saint Heiji. They were the only two around the world who had helped Hugo bring Lee Gun into his household.
This was why Hugo didn’t chase them out. He had invited them into his house, yet they dared say such a thing??
“I deserve it? I deserve being dropped into parenting hell?” Hugo, who was using a rocking bed to put Lee Gun to sleep, got angry.
Kevin smirked as he drank his coffee mix. “You reap what you sow. Who let Lee Gun go to the World of Emptiness on his own? I was disgusted by it, so I ignored your request for funds. I’m surprised you went through it without going bankrupt. It would have been great if you had died from bankruptcy.”
“I see. That’s why you turned down my request…” Hugo’s eyes flashed as he grabbed Kevin by his collar. “Bastard. You still have memories of Lee Gun! You didn’t forget about him!”
After Lee Gun had disappeared into the World of Emptiness, most of humanity had lost their memories of Lee Gun.
The Zodiac Saints with a low amount of Faith toward Lee Gun had also forgotten about him.
Hugo didn’t want the evidence that his friend had lived in this world to disappear. This was why he had asked for monetary support in the upkeep of the Lee Gun’s building.
[Kevin: Lee Gun? Who is that? ㅋ? I don’t know who that is. ㅋ?]
[Stevens: Lee Gun? Is it a goddess?]
[Sophie: Who is that???]
Kevin was one of those who had asked him who Lee Gun was. Thankfully, Heiji had remembered Lee Gun, so Hugo was able to borrow the repair fee from her.
“Bastard. You acted as if you forgot Gun. You didn’t help me on purpose!”
“Hmmph. You reap what you sow.”
“Why the hell would you say that?!”
Kevin clicked his tongue as if Hugo could say nothing to justify his actions. “You allowed Lee Gun to die. Who the hell are you in the first place to allow Lee Gun to go to the World of Emptiness alone? Lee Gun is someone I have to kill.”
“…?!”
“Thankfully, Lee Gun is back. The fact that he went to the World of Emptiness meant he was going to die. You didn’t put up much of a fight. You let Lee Gun go alone.”
Kevin had developed a grudge against Hugo for this. It was why he had ignored Hugo’s request for help.
Despite this, Kevin had used political power and money to crush anyone who suggested demolishing Lee Gun’s Building.
Kevin glared at Hugo with eyes full of resentment. “If we were by his side, we would have never let Lee Gun go to the World of Emptiness. We wouldn’t have allowed it even if we would have had to transfer his Karmic Debt to someone else.”
Kevin had recovered the memories of his past life. Since he used to be a pillar-rank angel, he knew what kind of place the World of Emptiness was.
“The fact that he was able to come back through inheritance was a miracle.”
Kevin held such a big grudge that he didn’t even bother making eye contact with Hugo.
Back then, Hugo’s children and subordinates had expressed feeling a similar type of grudge, so Hugo had nothing to say. Still, he thought it was a step too far.
‘He acted as if he had lost his memories???’
As he had that thought, Hugo looked at Heiji.
Kevin was snobbish. He acted as if he was the only one who existed in this world. He wasn’t close to anyone, and Heiji was one of the people that he had a terrible relationship with.
“You heard him. You suffered damage because of him. Don’t you want to take revenge on him?”
“….”
“Heiji?”
When Heiji gave no response, Hugo furrowed his eyes. “What the hell? This isn’t like you. Why are you so quiet…”
However, Hugo was at a loss for words when he saw her.
Heiji’s gaze was rooted on Lee Gun, who was sleeping inside the rocking bed. The baby had a small face, large eyes, and long eyelashes. His cheeks were milky and soft.
Lee Gun was peacefully sleeping as he made little fists. Heiji didn’t know what to do with herself when she saw this. Her face was flushed.
‘H…He’s so cute.’
How could a child be so pretty like this? She wanted to touch Lee Gun once. She kept extending her hand before pulling it back, looking conflicted.
Hugo started to sweat. “H-Has she been like this since she arrived here?”
“Yes.”
If this weren’t someone else’s house, Heiji would have hugged Lee Gun to her bosom. No, she might have tried to kidnap him.
Anyway, she agonized over what to do for a very long time before she looked at Hugo with a serious expression. “You must be struggling since you welcomed a third child, right? I’ll take on all the monetary burden. Do you think I can take and raise him— Kyaa!”
Heiji screamed when a spear was thrown at her from an unknown direction.
“How dare you?” It didn’t matter that her opponent was a Zodiac Saint; Yooha looked very annoyed.
Heiji was shocked by the look in Yooha’s eyes. She got up and touched the wound on her cheek. “Have you lost your mind? How dare you lay a hand on me?” Heiji approached Yooha as if she wanted to throw down.
On the other hand, Yooha remained serious. Heiji was a Zodiac Saint who had impure thoughts toward Lee Gun.
‘I can’t let her find out that Uncle will grow up in no time.’
She wouldn’t make the mistake of letting the number of her foes grow!
“I’ll raise Uncle into a fan of mine. No, he’ll be a young groom. No, I’ll raise him to be a fan of his older sister!!!”
As he glanced at his daughter, Hugo looked like he wanted to die. Why did all his children turn out like this?
At that moment…
“Let’s get to the point.”
“!”
Kevin pointed at the baby Lee Gun as he asked, “What’s your verdict?”
“!”
The reason the two Zodiac Saints were visiting Hugo was simple.
“We gave you a grace period of half a year. Did you find out the identity of the child?”
“…!”
Hugo started to sweat.
‘I still haven’t dispelled the idea that he is a monster.’
The world had barely become reacquainted with Lee Gun, and there was a chance that some people around the world would try to kill him. This was why he had worked very hard to ascertain Lee Gun’s identity.
‘I can’t feel any Divine energy from him.’
The energy of Life and Death couldn’t be felt from the baby, and neither could the energy of a Creator.
It also wasn’t the case where he was connected to the Constructs. Therefore, it was understandable why the world was abuzz regarding the baby Lee Gun.
“Is he really Lee Gun?”
“It is.”
“Did he go through inheritance?”
When asked that question, Hugo looked tense. He monitored the two. “H-He did go through inheritance.”
“Then why is he letting out the energy of a monster instead of a god?”
“T…That is…” Hugo started to sweat as he remembered a certain incident.
* * *
Not too long ago…
‘Does Gun have his memories?’
Why does he possess the energy of a monster?
Everyone was curious, and Hugo was being asked for a report as soon as possible.
“Damn it! If I knew the answer, I would’ve already answered it! I’m the one who is the most curious to learn the answer to these questions!”
Hugo violently shook the baby bottle as he headed toward Lee Gun. He was able to keep the child under the guise of monitoring him. That was all well and good, but Hugo felt frustrated by the deluge of questions being sent his way.
‘I’m sure he is Gun.’
Of all the people in this world, there was no way Hugo would fail to recognize Lee Gun. However, the only evidence he had was his instinct telling him that it was Lee Gun. It was a terrible situation to be in, but he knew the baby was Lee Gun.
Moreover, Hugo didn’t care if Lee Gun had his memories or not; his loss of Divine power wasn’t important at all. The important part was that Lee Gun had come back! It didn’t matter what shape he took.
At the end of the day, Hugo didn’t care what form Lee Gun took. He just wanted to love and take care of Lee Gun. However, the world didn’t feel the same way as him.
‘If they aren’t sure, they’ll try to take him away from him.’
Lee Gun smelled like a monster, and his identity was unknown. Some people would either try to kill him, study him, or do something unspeakable.
It would cause his poor Gun to cry and look for his dad! Of course, Lee Gun wouldn't cry in reality. He would take the opportunity to crush the others, yet that possibility didn’t exist within Hugo’s head.
Anyway, Hugo needed to make a report if he wanted to continue to keep Lee Gun. This was why he needed to conduct an investigation. So he sought the one person who was supposed to have all the answers.
Hugo asked Aslan,
- Gun’s memory? What do you think, Hyung? Do you think he has it or not?
Aslan had reappeared alongside Lee Gun. He had a bright smile on his face. It seemed he enjoyed Hugo’s reaction.
Moreover, Aslan had gone out of his way to call Hugo the way he called him when the latter used to be Eternal Change!
Hugo hated that part of his life. It was his shameful past, so he feigned ignorance as he spoke to Aslan.
- Please don’t act out like this, Gun’s father. Please give me an answer.
- This hurts me, Hyung. You search me out only when you have a problem. He might or might not have his memories. Why do you want to know?
‘This bastard has no intention of giving me an answer.’
Hugo knew patience was a virtue when faced with Aslan’s playfulness.
- Let’s put aside Gun’s memories for now. What happened to the Divine power he used to possess? Did Gun really become a monster? Or something else…
- Wouldn’t you know the answer to that question better than anyone else, Hyung? He became a resident of the World of Emptiness. You should be able to tell if he’s a Cluder or not since you used to be one.
Aslan truly had a terrible personality! While he had an innocent face, he was a wily and black-hearted person inside. It seemed he hadn’t changed at all!
‘He’s a doctor with a bankrupt character!’
How could someone like him possess the Divine status of Asclepius, who was supposed to be a virtuous god of medicine?
Hugo shook. He wanted to throttle Aslan as he used to in the old times, but Hugo had promised himself to keep Eternal Change and Hugo separately.
Anyway, Hugo continued to follow Aslan around as he asked the questions. Aslan merely laughed and used his son to torment Hugo.
- Gun. Daddy Hugo plans to eat meat without you. Isn’t he too much?
- Ba…?
- Ahhk!! I was finally able to put him to sleep, yet you did this!!
In the end, Hugo gave up on getting an answer from Aslan, who marched to his own beat.
‘Since Hailey returned ok, Gun must have gotten rid of Universe….’
Hailey’s soul had been imprisoned by Universe. There was no way it would have been freed unless Universe no longer existed.
On the other hand, Hugo was well acquainted with what kind of being Universe was.
‘There is no way he could have done something against such a being.’
The World of Emptiness was the home ground of the Cluders. This was why Hugo had seen Universe when he was a child. Universe was the world itself.
While Hugo did let Lee Gun go to the World of Emptiness because he trusted him, he still had been curious about whether Lee Gun would be able to get rid of a foe of that caliber. That wasn’t all.
He hadn’t told the others about it, but he viewed Lee Gun as a first-generation monarch. This was why he knew this truth.
‘There is no mistaking it. He is….’
[Yes. He is a monster.]
“Ahhhk!!!”
Hugo had been about to put the baby bottle in Lee Gun’s mouth when he screamed and dropped the bottle. Baby Lee Gun pouted as if he found this unacceptable.
The one to appear in front of them was Lee Gun’s Construct—Fairy King Mimir, who possessed the greatest trove of knowledge within the Divine world.
Shocked, Hugo looked at the Construct. “Mimir! Where have you been? You haven’t shown yourself since Gun went missing for the past three years…”
[Where else? Didn’t you hear it from my old master? I went to the World of Emptiness with Yeonwoo and my old master. We went there to rescue Master.]
“!”
Mimir’s attitude was cold. He didn’t seem too happy to deal with Hugo after the latter had regained his memories as Eternal Change.
[Old master said I should visit you. That’s why I’m here. Do you not need me?]
“No! I do need you! What did you just say right now? Monster? Gun is a monster?”
[Yes. It was a risk factor.]
“Risk factor?!”
Hugo became serious, but Lee Gun merely wanted his fallen meal. He sat in a high chair and pounded the table with his short arms.
He started to protest, but Hugo didn’t even pretend to listen to him. This made baby Lee Gun scrunch up his face as he extended his chubby hands toward the baby bottle.
A strange magical energy emanated from him. It was strong enough to blow away the house that Hugo was barely able to acquire.
It was unclear whether Hugo knew what was going on or not. With a serious expression on his face, he looked at Mimir. “Give me the details. What do you mean by risk factor? Is it perhaps the Karmic Debt from getting rid of Universe? Is that why he became a monster?”
[Well, yes. He did become like that because he got rid of Universe…]
“What?! I’m right!?” Hugo looked shocked. “I was wondering why Gun was reborn with all his memories missing…!”
[Wait a moment. That’s not it at all.]
“Damn it! That means his appearance is a form of punishment.”
[It isn’t like that, servant. Just listen to me until the end.]
Hugo wanted Lee Gun to be happy in this life. “This time, I didn’t want him to suffer. That’s why I’m trying to raise him as my child.”
Mimir was about to say something, but his eyes turned round from surprise. He found what Hugo said quite unexpected. He looked at Hugo.
‘Servant…’
While he might have expected such a thing from the previous Hugo, this version of Hugo possessed the memories of Eternal Change.
Mimir held no love for a monarch, who had slaughtered the gods.
Hugo continued, “I thought Gun would finally be able to live a life devoid of fights. However, he would once again get dragged into the fight against the gods if he possesses such power. It doesn’t matter if he wants it or not.”
Mimir was surprised as many thoughts ran through his mind.
‘He’s someone who looks after the interest of Master to this degree.’
Mimir looked at Hugo with compassionate eyes.
[…oh, servant. It seems I’ve greatly misunderstood you. You really wanted to raise Master as if he were your child. Thank you for being so considerate toward Master—]
“This time, I wanted to make him fanboy over Daddy Hugo. I would have made him grow up as a fanboy of his father!”
[Hey!!]
“What!! Daddy’s boy is great!!!!”
[This monarch bastard was raising Master for his own interest and desire?!?]
Mimir looked at Hugo with contempt, as if he couldn’t understand what was going through Hugo’s mind.
Soon, Hugo’s eyes flashed. “Anyway, Gun turned into a monster because of his Karmic Debt?”
[Have you not been listening to my words? It isn’t Karmic Debt! In fact, he acquired a new power! He acquired Universe’s power!]
* * *
Back to the present…
Hugo relayed to the Zodiac Saints what Mimir had said.
Kevin scoffed. “What? Power of the Universe?” He looked at Lee Gun with doubt in his eyes. “Since he got rid of Universe, Lee Gun is letting out the energy of a monster?”
“Yes.”
“He doesn’t have his memories?”
“Y…Yes.”
Heiji, who held Lee Gun tightly, also furrowed her brows. “What if he did acquire the power of Universe?”
“I’m not so sure. We’ll have to monitor him, but the probability of it being true is low. The power of Universe is something that can be used only within the World of Emptiness. Once he came to the earth, that power should have disappeared.”
“If that’s true, why can we feel the energy of a monster from him?”
“That’s…. In reality, Universe is the ancestor of the Cluders. They might be related to each other….”
“What? Ancestor??”
“Yes. To be precise, other dangerous types of monsters like the Cluders exist, and Universe is the master of all of them.”
Kevin and Heiji became serious. They didn’t really know what Hugo was talking about, but at the end of the day, Lee Gun wasn’t human anymore once he got rid of Universe. That was a certainty. Also, they were talking about the power of Universe.
Lee Gun was already someone who was nuts as the Serpent Bearer. Now he possessed the power of Universe? Merely possessing such a power was a problem!
‘Will the earth be safe?’
To make matters worse, that power was in the hands of a newly born baby.
In the end, Kevin had only one thing to say. “Raise him well.”
“Thank you!”
“I’m not being facetious. You really have to raise him well or the earth might be blown apart!”
“Don’t worry! I’m the only father among the Zodiac Saints.”
Kevin and Heiji scrunched up their faces in doubt.
Hugo furrowed his brows. “Why are you looking at me like that? Unlike you guys, I’m experienced.”
The two of them scrunched up their faces further when they thought about the “Chun siblings.”
“At the very least, you should try to make him regain his memories.”
“Yes. If he has his memories, the earth won’t be destroyed.”
They had spoken those words because they were truly worried. However, Hugo reacted very poorly to it. “Memories? Have you lost your mind? That must not happen!”
“What? Why? It’ll be good for you if he regains his memories, right?”
Hugo hugged the baby Lee Gun as if he were precious. Then his face suddenly turned serious as he looked at the two Zodiac Saints. “Nothing good will come from Gun regaining his memories.”
Heiji and Kevin bit their lips.
‘Hugo wants Gun to grow up happy.’
It might be better if Lee Gun didn’t have the memories of fights and pain.
Heiji let out a bitter laugh. “Hugo. If that’s your wish, you can forget what we just said…”
“If he regains his memories, I can’t turn him into a fanboy of me! Don’t say something so disastrous!”
Their expressions were a sight to behold.
Hugo didn’t care as his eyes flashed. “Do you realize how much effort I’ve put into making Gun into a daddy’s boy?!”
An enraged Hugo brought out a tablet PC in front of them.
Kwahng!
Hugo brought up pictures, videos, articles, blurbs from textbooks, and memoirs. They weren’t something that could be spoken all through words, but they contained everything that he had accomplished in the past twenty years. All the pictures and articles were compiled with them centered around Hugo.
“See? His father’s accomplishments are sung to him as a daily lullaby. I read them to him and educate him about them! Like Yooha and Sungjae, I’ll be able to create my own fanatic!!! I learned the importance of learning by rote!”
“…”
“…”
This was beyond losing his mind. His brain had turned smooth.
“What do you think? Do you understand me now?”
“Yes. I now understand that you’re an incorrigible person.”
“Why!! Do you guys not realize how noble this revenge is? Do you understand the sorrow of having your children stolen from you?”
The two Zodiac Saints ignored him.
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