Confrontation

What did I just see?

What did I just hear?

No one, absolutely no one could speak.

This entire situation felt like nothing more than an unfunny, emotionless joke.

“Should we… retreat?”

Lytol spoke.

Fear lingered in his pupils. Lytol, who had experienced the historic defeat on the 91st floor. Perhaps because he had witnessed so many futile deaths back then? He seemed to grasp the reality of the Magic Emperor’s death more desperately than anyone else.

While I and most others couldn’t fully comprehend the Magic Emperor’s death, Lytol alone trembled with his hands shaking.

“Shouldn’t we… retreat?”

I swallowed hard.

Right. Let’s say the Magic Emperor is dead. And died so pathetically at that… begging to an Outer God like a fool while dying miserably. Then what should I do? Should I retreat?

I shook my head.

“No. We’ll go to the allied command first. We need to hear what the Magic Tower and Society think. And… we need to meet with the remaining forces of Truth Tower as well.”

I don’t know myself.

Whether this choice stems from a sense of responsibility that we must somehow achieve results… or whether it’s naive talk because I can’t truly grasp the Magic Emperor’s death.

At any rate, the 65th floor was now just two days away.

When I made my decision, Ak-hu, Beatrice, and Yuria scattered without a word to rest. Everyone had blank faces, lacking any sense of reality. Lytol still anxiously kept looking around, while Hwi Someong stood frozen like stone with a ghostly expression, just staring up at the northern sky.

One day passed.

And another day passed.

People belatedly came to terms with reality.

Hesitant, hesitant.

The mages who had been following me began to flee. It hadn’t been that long ago when they’d been talking boldly about fighting together and being able to climb to the top of the tower, but now, as if playing some guessing game, one by one, then in groups, they broke away from the formation. The garrison was cut in half every single day.

Even the mages who didn’t leave the group gradually began to accept reality.

“Damn it. He should have died honorably… instead so shamefully…”

“It’s hollow. I never imagined the Magic Emperor’s final moments would be so miserable…”

“Does this even feel like the world I knew? Maybe I’ve been transported to a different dimension? Could that really be true?”

Their voices were low, almost swallowed by their throats, but because only eerie silence surrounded us, even those small voices came through crystal clear.

Crack.

Hwi Someong, who hadn’t washed or rested for two days, ground her teeth.

“Don’t you dare babble carelessly.”

The mages who had been chattering immediately shut their mouths tight.

“What do you know that makes you babble? His Majesty couldn’t have done such a thing.”

Rumble—

Hwi Someong’s agitation was far from ordinary. She had even activated her Circle. The three mages who had sealed their lips also immediately sharpened their gazes.

“What are you trying to do now! Water Wizard!”

Whine—!

In response to the clear killing intent Hwi Someong displayed, they too desperately activated their Circles.

Even though there had been no particular conversation on the day the Magic Emperor died… day by day, everything crumbled. People fled, and those who remained quarreled among themselves.

‘Is calamity… more frightening in its long, terrible aftermath than in the moment of destruction itself…?’

It was a moment when I understood the hearts of the mages who had fled without looking back.

The Magic Emperor’s death itself wasn’t what was frightening. Well, of course that was frightening too, but… compared to the situations that would unfold because of the Magic Emperor’s death, that was nothing.

In other words,

We would never again be able to be optimistic like before.

We would never again be able to trust each other wholeheartedly while standing shoulder to shoulder.

On a thriving luxury cruise ship, everyone is a compatriot, but on a sinking cruise ship, they devour each other. Fierce battles break out between those who try to monopolize the lifeboats to survive and those who can’t tolerate it.

And so the hope of victory grows even more distant.

If you can anticipate such a sight… perhaps it would be wise to quickly escape while you still have strength left.

But.

“Water Wizard. That’s enough.”

I grabbed Hwi Someong’s shoulder to calm her down. When my hand touched her, she flinched and tensed up rigidly. Her shoulder bone felt as delicate as a bird’s.

While she stopped, I signaled with my eyes to the three mages who had been quarreling with Hwi Someong. They bowed their heads once and then hurriedly packed their belongings before leaving the formation entirely.

“Ptooey!”

One of them spat toward our formation as a final gesture before departing.

Fighting back a rising sigh, I looked at Hwi Someong. She was trembling. Though I couldn’t see tears, it seemed like she was crying.

“What… what are you doing?”

She asked me in a trembling voice.

“Ah, sorry. You seemed too agitated.”

I released Hwi Someong’s shoulder, which I had been gripping firmly, and took a step back. But instead, Hwi Someong whipped around, her platinum hair flying as she grabbed my wrist. Her pale green eyes were burning like fire.

“That’s not what I mean! What are you doing right now! You! You must have something His Majesty left behind!”

What? Left behind with what?

Unable to understand her words, I blinked, and Hwi Someong squeezed the hand gripping my wrist tighter, as if frustrated. Hard enough that my wrist, made of Philosopher’s Stone, creaked audibly.

“His Majesty left behind his final words!”

Final words?

“Don’t you remember? ‘Hmph! You want to devour me? Do you think the likes of you could digest me! I’ll burn my soul to become a dagger that pierces your spirit!’ He promised this!”

Ah… was that what she meant?

I found myself at a loss for words. We had all witnessed what happened after that.

Why is she bringing that up now? Honestly, looking back on it now, wasn’t it pathetic beyond miserable, even downright unseemly? I don’t know how much torture he endured, but… still, how could he die begging for his life…!

Crack.

Hwi Someong ground her teeth. When I turned to look, her face was filled with shock and rage.

“You… surely… surely you don’t think His Majesty failed to keep that promise? Surely you don’t think like those idiots earlier that His Majesty surrendered to the Outer God… do you?”

Damn it… what am I supposed to do?

Should I spit right in her face, ‘That’s right! The Magic Emperor turned out to be complete trash after all! I never knew he’d die begging for his life!’?

Crack!

Hwi Someong’s hand gripped my shoulder. It hurt. Her fingers felt like claws digging in.

“Listen to me carefully. His Majesty has never once broken his word. This time is no different. Forget what happened afterward. What you need to focus on is confirming how His Majesty’s final words were fulfilled.”

Surprisingly, what I found in her eyes was unwavering faith. Even faced with the reality that the Magic Emperor she had worshipped like a god had been brutally murdered, she didn’t harbor even a hair’s breadth of doubt about the Magic Emperor’s final promise.

“It’s your mission. Finding out what dagger His Majesty planted at the end. Only you can do it.”

I don’t know what she wants me to do. I also don’t know how long I have to keep playing along with this fanatic’s blind faith.

Honestly, if the Magic Emperor had some final technique, wouldn’t Hwi Someong be the one who could best figure it out, not me? I’ve only met the Magic Emperor a few times.

Hwi Someong stared directly into my eyes. As if she knew all my thoughts, she shook her head.

“No. It’s not. Only you can know. His Majesty said so. He said you have a very powerful insight gift. That it’s the most special among all the spells you possess.”

My heart feels heavy. Water Wizard… no, Hwi Someong. That’s not it. My gift is classified as an insight gift, but it’s not that kind of all-seeing ability. It’s called [Simulation]. And it doesn’t even work on Outer Gods or the Magic Emperor!

But Hwi Someong said,

“Try it.”

“No… so there’s a misunderstanding here…”

“Try it, I said.”

The lustrous platinum hair that had lost its shine but remained beautiful, the pale green eyes that burned and melted until they glistened. The voice that repeatedly said “try it.”

All of it felt like some kind of spell.

I closed my mouth.

After hesitating and hesitating, I moved according to her will.

[Simulation]

The world went dark. The air felt somehow cool.

I blinked.

I don’t know what meaning this has. What significance could there be in that promise he couldn’t even keep?

I hesitated for a long time.

Because I didn’t want to.

Really, really… I didn’t want to do this.

But what ultimately moved me was Hwi Someong’s image burned into my mind like a brand. Those eyes… that voice.

Right. Let’s try it once.

I added conditions.

The Magic Emperor.

When he was fighting the Outer God for a while, when he was briefly connected to me—the Magic Emperor from that time.

Originally, I shouldn’t have been able to access his records. The Magic Emperor had put security on his own records. I had been severely punished before when I tried to [Simulate] him…

But this time was different.

The condition addition executed without any resistance, and a new figure appeared in the darkness.

“…Where is this? Ah… so it’s come to this? Honestly, I can hardly believe it.”

Hearing that voice made my heart feel like it was freezing.

“Seeing you there… I must have died, mustn’t I? Haha. I talked about showing a magnificent sight, but so disgracefully…”

An old wizard in dust-covered white robes.

It was the Magic Emperor.

My emotions were too complex to know what to say. In a single day, I had respected him, worried about him, resented him, and despised him… And yet he seemed to have anticipated this moment. Even though at this time he still believed he could fully escape from the Outer God… he calmly accepted his own death.

“By the way, your gift… what’s its official name? I knew it could read the Akashic Records, but I never imagined it was like this. Truly fascinating.”

“It’s called… Simulation.”

“Ah, I see? Right. So the current ‘me’ is a simulation based on stored records!”

Even though he was saying that his real self had already died and the current him was nothing but an illusion within a simulation… the Magic Emperor’s eyes sparkled. Even in this situation, he didn’t let go of his vigorous curiosity as a mage.

Somehow that made my anger flare.

“You are dead.”

“Ah, I know. That’s why I’m standing before you now.”

“And disgracefully at that.”

“Hmm?”

Only then did the Magic Emperor’s eyes turn toward me.

Ah… I don’t know why I’m acting like this either. What am I doing, taking it out on an illusion in a simulation? This is exactly why I didn’t want to simulate dead people…

But I can’t help it. My mouth is already running on its own.

“I could tolerate the miserable screams. But later you begged for mercy, said you were sorry? Do you know what you’ve done? You trampled on humanity’s pride. You stole our hope and threw us into the gutter!”

The Magic Emperor blinked.

“I did that?”

“Yes!”

The Magic Emperor’s expression turned sadly distorted.

“Someong must have been heartbroken.”

Ha! Is that what’s important right now…!

“But on the other hand, that’s a relief.”

“What did you say?”

“Nothing else. What else did I say?”

“No. Wait. What do you mean ‘a relief’?”

The Magic Emperor ignored my question and asked again.

“Tell me. I must have said something else before all that crying and begging. What did I say?”

Sudden resentment welled up.

The promise marked the beginning of the Magic Emperor’s utterly shameful end.

What’s the point of hearing about it now?

Gritting my teeth, I answered.

“I’ll tell you word for word. ‘Hmph! You want to devour me? Do you think the likes of you could digest me! I’ll burn my soul to become a dagger that pierces your spirit!’ That’s what you said. Then you immediately screamed and begged for your life before dying.”

The Magic Emperor nodded slowly. He didn’t seem particularly surprised even by the part about begging for his life.

“Right? As expected, I used that method. Ha… truly disgraceful. But still… it seems I succeeded.”

“Succeeded at what… what have you been talking about since earlier?”

“I cried and begged, you said. Then that means I didn’t just die.”

…What?

Why does it work out that way?

I stared at the Magic Emperor in utter bewilderment.

The Magic Emperor spread both arms wide toward me.

“Come on, read me more closely.”

“…What?”

“Read me, I said. More deeply. Not just a simple simulation… with the determination to read to the very bottom of my soul.”

The Magic Emperor sighed.

“Ha, truly embarrassing. Since I’ve already been shattered so miserably, whatever I prepared must be a pathetic thing. Ha… but there’s definitely a gift there.”

The Magic Emperor in the [Simulation] said this.

Just like Hwi Someong outside the [Simulation].

Surely believing that he had fulfilled his final promise.