Chapter 218 Leader of the Light (2)
—Are you looking at that picture again?
Yoon-seok, no, Rick Gerssey, sat with his back against the wall looking at the portrait, raised his head. Disaster was looking down at him, in the human form that Yoon-seok had seen during the 8th-floor mission.
‘Where am I?’
Gray skies, and a dull city with similar-looking stone buildings set in a line. For some reason, he was familiar to this sight.
‘Could it be, the plaza…?’
—It’s starting soon. It’s dangerous to stay here.
While Yoon-seok realized where this place was, Rick rolled up the portrait and stood up.
-When you’re done, come back here. We’re getting ready to leave.
Rick nodded and walked from the plaza. Suddenly, Disaster called to him.
—Rick!
—…?
—Seriously… is this really okay? It’s not too late.
Disaster’s eyes were filled with anxiety. However, Rick could see the resentment hidden inside. It was clear that Disaster thought he couldn’t be a help this time, and he was only burdening him. What a foolish friend.
—…It’s not late at all.
Rick smiled helplessly and turned around. He already made up his mind. But, until the end… no, even at this moment, something invisible seemed to be weighing on his shoulders. Ironically, Disaster’s words eased that weight. Was this really what friends were for?
—…
Disaster no longer held Rick back.
Rick continued to walk while watching everything, though smiling and chatting as they passed by. Everything came from something, so everything he was witnessing now must have been someone’s elaborate hard work.
Thud.
Rick stopped at a huge circular plaza where numerous challengers were gathered. Rick took another step and stood in the center of the plaza. Some of them glanced at Rick, but they didn’t show him much interest.
Until Rick drew his sword.
Whoooooosh-!
Rick’s sword was gently wrapped around the wind. And at that moment-
Swaaaaaaaaaaa-!
The buildings, people, their laughter, worries, relationships, and even their fate. Everything that touched the wind scattered to dust and flew away.
—D-destructive Monarch…
A name that challengers began to refer to him as at some point.
—No matter how many times I do this, I can’t get used to it.
Rick smiled bitterly. However, the news would soon be delivered to the Tower’s manager, so he had no time. Rick fled, swinging the sword with the power of destruction in exchange for signing with the Queen.
Swaaaaaaaaaa-!
Once, twice, thrice. Every time a gust of wind left his sword, hundreds turned to nothing. Whenever that happened, Rick felt like his shoulders were weighed down. However, he never stopped walking.
How long had it been? Five minutes? Ten? He didn’t know. Then, how many people had he slain? He had no clue. No, he didn’t want to know.
—…
Rick stopped, and he watched the gray city scatter.
—Elle…
Rick took the portrait out and looked at it again. Somehow, he couldn’t look straight into the eyes of the girl smiling brightly in the picture. If they met again someday, what would this child say to him who’d become a monster?
—…Rick, the Tower’s sanction has begun. We have to go now.
Rick folded the portrait back away, letting his longing pierce his heart.
“…”
Yoon-seok quietly opened his eyes. Ashton, who was watching from the side, suddenly stiffened.
“Whoo.”
Yoon-seok breathed in. Only then did Ashton relax. Perhaps it was a brief illusion, but this was the normal Yoon-seok.
“Can you give me a moment?”
At Yoon-seok’s request, Ashton left the room without complaint. Once he left, Yoon-seok stretched out on the sofa.
“…”
This one was completely different from usual. Not only had he seen it from Rick’s point of view, but his feelings, thoughts, and vague memories were conveyed much more clearly to Yoon-seok. Thanks to this, he received much information even though more than half of the 15-minute vision was of a ruthless massacre.
Yoon-seok started writing on a notepad to organize the mess in his head.
Rick Gerssey signed a contract with the Queen.
He guessed it, but this memory just confirmed it. Disaster and Britzmann said she was the Queen. Rick signed a contract with the Queen for some kind of purpose.
The Queen’s purpose is to destroy the Tower.
He also somewhat expected this too. Just as the Tower fostered challengers to kill the Queen, the Queen signed with Rick to destroy the Tower. However, it wasn’t known what Rick could gain from the contract, but Yoon-seok guessed that the reason was related to Elle.
Disaster is helping Rick.
He seemed to have a very important role as he allowed Rick, who wasn’t a challenger, to come to the Tower plaza. However, the one he helped was not the Queen but Rick. There were countless scenes where Disaster tried to stop Rick, but why was he helping him? Yoon-seok thought there would be an answer in the curse he had.
The Destructive Monarch was Rick.
Yoon-seok didn’t expect this at all. He thought it would be a real person, but it was Rick?
Rick misses Elle.
This alone proved that Rick knew that Elle survived and became a challenger. That was why a question arose. Why did Rick choose the Queen’s side, albeit knowing that? Also, why did Elle side with Rick’s enemy?
—As I said. I haven’t. I haven’t. Because you weren’t chosen by the Tower!
Elle said she couldn’t meet Rick when she was a challenger.
‘Although Rick knows about Elle, was she unaware of him until she became an admin?’
If his speculation was correct, it was only when Elle became an admin that she found out Rick was the Destructive Monarch. However, Elle’s feelings toward Rick were the same. It was evident that she waited 500 years to reunite with his next life.
Then why did Elle say that she was on the Tower’s side and that the Queen was his enemy? Reuniting and being together, it looked like both of them wanted the same thing.
‘Does this mean there is still a large part that I don’t know?’
He sighed. It was Rick, the ties of his previous life, so honestly speaking, it wasn’t that important to Yoon-seok. He was Choi Yoon-seok, born and raised in Korea, who became a twisted human after being bullied by Kang Hyung-woo. Therefore, it didn’t matter Rick’s promise to the Queen or how much he loved Elle.
The feelings he had now and the ties he built in his present life were much more important than those from his previous life. However, the problem was that regardless of his will, that past life continued to interfere with his present.
‘If I want to prepare, I have to keep digging.’
The Tower, Queen, Elle, Disaster, Britzmann. Everyone was expecting something from Yoon-seok, and they tried to manipulate him so he would move in their favor. Therefore, Yoon-seok was forced to continue searching for his past life’s memories.
Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer. To avoid being misled by their deceptions, he should at least know what was going on. Perhaps that was why he felt particularly comfortable around Cheon-ma, who had nothing to do with his past life.
“I have something to do, so I’ll get going.”
“Yes. I don’t know what it is, but I hope it all works out.”
Yoon-seok bid Ashton farewell and returned to the Tower. It was time for him to face Elle again.
“Elle.”
Yoon-seok’s voice resonated quietly in the empty waiting room. No one was listening, but Yoon-seok waited quietly.
「Lady of Liberation is calling you.」
「Would you like to accept?」
Unlike usual, the call took a while to arrive. Yoon-seok smiled bitterly because he could sense her hesitation. She missed him but was afraid to meet up. Now, he thought he could relate to Rick.
Elle’s cabin was the same as before, as if time had stopped. He wasn’t used to it, considering the number of items she purchased through WP increased every time he visited.
“…”
Yoon-seok sat carefully in his usual seat. The table, which was usually full of steaming teacups and sweet snacks, was empty. Yoon-seok faced Elle with a strange sense of loss. She wore a stiff smile, and it looked like she’d lost weight.
“…It’s been a while. Yoon-seok.”
“Yes.”
After saying hello awkwardly, the two watched each other in silence for some time. Elle no longer called Yoon-seok ‘Mister’ jokingly. Maybe just like Yoon-seok did, she might have thought and figured things out while she was alone.
Breaking the long silence, Elle asked weakly:
“Are you here to buy a power?”
He was. However, that was not his main purpose. Yoon-seok realized one more thing at Elle’s question.
“Are you not watching over me any more?”
Elle had been watching Yoon-seok’s every move. That was why she knew how he was doing even if he didn’t tell her, and she also understood why Yoon-seok came. But not this time.
“Yes, I thought you would hate it. If possible, I try not to watch you if you don’t call me first.”
“If possible?”
“…Yes. But I’m still your admin, so I have to know what you’re up to. And I was a little worried….”
Elle explained as if she were making excuses. In other words, it meant that she peeped in sometimes.
“T-the last time I saw you was when you were in Killian. Your location suddenly changed, so I was a little curious….”
“That’s why you thought I came here to buy power.”
“Yes. I saw you collect WP and thought you’d find me when you finished collecting… ah, that’s not why you’re here?”
Elle stopped and tilted her head. If he wasn’t here for power, then why had Yoon-seok called her? Yoon-seok was about to explain the reason, but he hesitated. He visited because he wanted to have a sincere conversation with her. But before that-
“I have something to say first.”
What was he trying to say that he had to lower his voice? Elle shrank back.
“W-what is it…?”
Yoon-seok hesitated as all kinds of thoughts began to run in Elle’s mind. Most of them were sinister, and she even thought this might be the last conversation she would have with him.
At that moment, Yoon-seok opened his mouth.
“I’m sorry.”
“…Hic?”
“I didn’t mean it when you asked me if I was going to make excuses.”
“…Hic!”
“…What’s wrong?”
Yoon-seok struggled to continue his apology due to the strange sound that kept popping out of Elle. Elle quickly lowered her head and covered her mouth with both hands.
“N-no! I was so surprised! So the hiccups suddenly… Hic! Ah, please don’t look at me….”
Yoon-seok turned his head away as Elle wished, and he waited patiently until the hiccups died down. But perhaps that wasn’t what Elle wanted.
“…Please continue. Hic! A-and don’t look at me.”
“But…”
“I’m okay! Hic!”
In the end, Yoon-seok couldn’t stand it and began to laugh. It was completely different than the atmosphere he had in mind…
Whatever. This wasn’t bad either.
“You said you didn’t mean it… Hic! A-are you saying that you trust me now? Hic! Me?”
Yoon-seok nodded.
“Yes.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“…then can I call you anytime now? Just like before… can we also eat snacks together?”
“Calling me anytime is a bit too much, but as long as it’s not bothersome for you, I’m fine with it.”
“Waaaah.”
‘Waaaah?’
Yoon-seok talked while facing the wall but turned his head at the sudden noise. Come to think of it; the hiccups had suddenly stopped. Then, what was that sound just now?
“…Waaaaaaaaaaaaah!”
Yoon-seok realized that even a grown-up could make this sound when crying.
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