“To be honest, I don’t think we can defeat Shub Niggurath on our own.”
After returning with the Bing Yeon Blossom Heart, it was Azazel who first brought up the topic. Having made a contract with the Outsider, Mordigian, she understood well what it meant to deal with such a being.
“Why do you think that? If we join forces…”
“The opponent is different from the entity residing in my body. Mordigian is unusually friendly towards humans, but one can’t really understand the nature of the Outsiders.”
Azazel explained to Bi Wol, who seemed puzzled. Not truly comprehending the nature of an Outsider from another world, she probably thought they could just crush it with sheer force.
She might mistakenly believe she stood on the same level as me, a Bing Yeon, thanks to her victory at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.
“I think so too. In the end, we’ll need external help.”
Moreover, the soul of the person Shub Niggurath was holding hostage was my lover in reality, Yoo Seolhwa. Wasn’t there a way to separate the Outsider safely, without harming her?
“The most likely candidates to help us in our current situation, you all know, are Kim Hyul and Zikhart.”
I spoke up after wracking my brain. Sure, there’s an option to call upon the strong from the Murim or Western Region, but my disciples here are also the Final Bosses.
Naturally, they were supposed to challenge the protagonist and grow from there, pursuing entirely opposite goals. It’s common that they might struggle to understand their counterparts given their extreme positions of good and evil.
“…It’s impossible for Kang Si Woo, but those two would probably be happy to cooperate.”
As the previous treacherous relationships had faded away, it seemed more prudent to take advantage of the variable. To face the Outer God known as the God of Space, I’d also need to unleash my full power.
“I talked to him, and he didn’t seem like a bad person at all!”
Verdandi said with a bright smile, raising her hand. Given she could discern between good and evil and recognize lies, what she said carried weight.
“Really?”
“Yes! He mentioned his family had been taken hostage, so he had no choice but to kill us! However, he was actually careful not to let us die!”
Verdandi recounted the shocking story with a cheerful demeanor. In fact, all her injuries had missed critical spots. There was nothing wrong with her statement.
“That guy Kim Hyul said something similar. He warned us not to become like him.”
Bi Wol nodded as if she finally understood. Those in the Murim often found it easier to understand one’s sincerity through a single clash of swords rather than a hundred words.
I had been pondering how to persuade these kids to cooperate with the protagonists, but it seemed they had shared some words with each other without me knowing.
“Don’t even get me started on that trashy Kang Si Woo. That guy is crazily obsessed with putting me under his foot!”
Azazel jumped into the conversation, venting her frustrations. Maybe it was just her who hadn’t heard warnings about Shub Niggurath or Bing Seolhwa, but she used vulgar language unlike a saint.
“…So, the person we need to deal with is that woman, Bing Seolhwa? The one Shub Niggurath uses as a nest?”
Everyone’s gaze focused on me. I didn’t know when they figured it out, but they all seemed aware of the link between Seolhwa and Shub Niggurath.
“That’s right. I hope we can physically separate the Outsider from her.”
I calmly addressed my disciples. Even if the chances were slim, there was no other way to save her.
“Why do we have to? She’s the one who ordered us to be killed at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering.”
“Exactly! And she’s the villain who hurt my precious master!”
Verdandi and Azazel voiced their objections, while Bi Wol remained silent, as though she awaited my explanation.
In truth, it wasn’t me who fought the protagonists at the Dragon and Phoenix Gathering, but my disciples. They wouldn’t understand that they barely survived thanks to the connection with Shub Niggurath residing in Seolhwa.
“…Bing Seolhwa is also my half-sister, someone precious enough that I’d trade my life for hers.”
I spoke without fabricating lies. I didn’t need to attach grand reasons like being my lover from a past life or that she was the trigger for creating this world.
Long-winded reasons would simply dilute the original meaning, leading to a vicious cycle where the emotional transmission fell flat for the reader.
“So, please, join me in this.”
My genuine desire to save Seolhwa was what I hoped would resonate with my disciples.
I spoke with a voice that was slightly choked with emotion.
“It’s all my fault. If I had written even one novel properly to completion, this wouldn’t have happened.”
Bi Wol wouldn’t have suffered under the Heavenly Demon Divine Sect, Verdandi wouldn’t have almost been killed by Zikhart, and Azazel might have been spending a happy everyday life with Kang Si Woo.
“If you won’t help me, I’ll save her alone, even if it costs my life.”
I recited my resolve tinged with regret, and Bi Wol slowly stepped beside me, resting her head on my shoulder.
“…I’m always on your side, Master. No matter what anyone says. Even if the fools of this world point fingers at you, how could they ever bring down the sun in the sky?”
Bi Wol began to speak gently to me, even patting my head reassuringly.
Caught off guard by receiving back a gesture that I always did, I tried to excuse myself from the situation, but…
“Please stay still. Your hands are trembling, are they not?”
Bi Wol held my hand firmly to ensure that I couldn’t escape. Noticing that I prioritized my emotions over logic regarding Seolhwa, she was looking at me with a melancholic gaze.
“…So that was your plan.”
“How cowardly! I want to pat my master’s head too!”
Azazel and Verdandi were showing jealousy, biting their nails at Bi Wol’s behavior. Even I, notoriously clueless, could see this was definitely a sign that she was harboring feelings for me.
“If it’s a request from my most precious master, I could even bring down the moon from the sky.”
Bi Wol dismissed the jealousy of the others and, with a chuckle, wrapped her arms around me tightly.
“Bi, Bi Wol, this is too close, don’t you think?”
I found myself being petted on the chest of my disciple, trying to suggest that she should let go.
“Hehe, at this point, you look just like a baby nestled in a mother’s arms. Ah, if I were to bear a child…”
In no time, our discussion about Seolhwa was forgotten, as Bi Wol continued to pat my head without restraint. It was quite clearly an act of self-indulgence.
“Can’t we just save her! If we save this Bing Seolhwa! So please, let go of the master!”
“Exactly! Why should sister be the only one to act cowardly? Didn’t we all agree to make progress together earlier?”
Verdandi and Azazel yelled, pulling Bi Wol away from me, only to try to hug me and pet my head again themselves.
It was supposed to be a serious discussion, yet how did it come to this? I squeezed my eyes shut and sighed internally.
Feeling as if I couldn’t save Seolhwa unless I catered to their moods, I reluctantly allowed myself to be embraced by them.
“Your master’s hair feels coarse and sturdy. It’s different from my own hair.”
“Ah, brother. Isn’t my embrace more cozy and soft than that of a strong warrior?”
The two of them pressed their bodies close, using their hands to pet my head. I was barely exhaling as I tried to avoid suffocation.
They both expressed their feelings, and there was an air of competition between them.
“Don’t worry about your sister. I was already thinking of rescuing her. I wouldn’t want to see my brother sad.”
“I just tried it once! I thought that’s how I could earn such rewards!”
Showing a complete reversal from earlier, they both were now onboard with the plan to rescue Seolhwa, of which only Bi Wol had initially supported.
“Hehe, no matter how hard you try to cover it up, I was the first to pet the master, and I have the most alluring figure among us…”
Bi Wol observed the two, no longer showing jealousy. Instead, she sported a confident demeanor, almost as if she found it amusing.
“…You won’t be able to erase me from your memory, Master.”
In the first place, the reason behind the disciples’ figures being so pronounced was largely due to Seolhwa’s influence. She had an aura that none of them could match.
‘If I say this, I’d probably be found dead the next day.’
I swallowed hard, choosing to stay silent.
*
Meanwhile, underground at Seongyeongmun, a figure slowly opened her eyes, regaining consciousness, and began looking around.
“…Where is this?”
The woman who had crossed paths with Bing Seolhwa in the Secret Vault of the Void, only to go missing, had finally revealed her identity: the Master of the Gold Tower, Wolfram Alchemista.
