[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

Chapter 294

* * *

“I found it. The very last part of the item you wanted.”

“Oh? Already?”

“I got lucky. I never would’ve guessed that, out of all those countless worlds, the one memory-world I picked at random would be the exact destination we needed.”

Lispa Elde chuckled.

Honestly, I hadn’t put much faith in her.

Seeing the state she was in now… well, it didn’t exactly inspire confidence.

When I narrowed my eyes at her with that thought in mind, she too narrowed hers back at me.

“Hey, hey, you bastard, can’t you open your eyes in a friendlier way? Oh—oops, sorry. Didn’t mean to say that.”

“…It’s fine. It’s not like it’s the first time.”

“Ahem. Uh, sorry? I know you’re not the one I should be snapping at…”

Still, it felt like we’d gotten much closer than before.

Like we’d both become a little more comfortable with each other.

No longer just a client and a contractor, but people who could actually joke around.

“Still, I’m a little hurt. While you were lazing around for days, do you know how much I’ve been doing?”

She pouted.

“First off, I couldn’t find any leads on Eve. She’s hiding herself ridiculously well.”

Her words made me freeze like I’d just been struck by lightning.

You did so much, huh?

“What about the other thing?”

“I found the last part of the item you wanted.”

Well, at least that made the effort worth it.

When my expression brightened, she smirked.

“Oh my, look how happy you are. You like Luna that much?”

“Of course.”

“Pfft. Anyway, you know about the upcoming branch gathering, right? The competition where the post-initiation disciples test their skills against each other? The champion’s prize—that’s the final part of your item.”

“Does it usually exist in the form of an object?”

“In this world, every element is just condensed energy, unlike reality. If energy fuses with an object, its form can change however it likes.”

Thanks to Eve, the rules of this world were a mess.

“In the old days, I’d have just reset the whole thing… but I don’t have that authority anymore.”

“So what do we do?”

“The easiest way would be to take it by force.”

“Is that really something you should be saying?”

“Cold truth—it’s the most efficient option. Remember: nothing in this world is real. They’re all just fragments of memory. And in our situation, worrying about moral codes isn’t exactly a luxury we can afford.”

She had the ability to empathize.

She had seen countless people suffer under the rigid laws of the archangels, and she hated such behavior.

For her to choose the same path as the archangels?

That made me realize her expression was twisted in discomfort.

Lispa Elde Remielia—she was giving up her own beliefs for my sake.

“Let’s not do that, Lispa Elde.”

“But we’re short on time. Eve is already drawing closer to this place, moment by moment. We need to grab what we need, quickly…”

“That’s not what you really want. It’s no different from being an archangel.”

At my words, she lowered her head.

She knew it better than anyone.

Maybe she felt a heavy debt toward me—guilt for putting me in enough danger that she’d have to bend her principles.

But I wasn’t going to let that mindset slide.

From the start, this was an assignment I accepted knowing the risks.

“If the client keeps changing the job description, then from that point on, I’ll just do things my way.”

“Then… can you handle my complaints?”

“Wasn’t the original request to protect you?”

“Ah…”

At that, a smile appeared on her lips.

“Those archangel bastards… if even half of them were like you… things would’ve been so much better…”

“Well, they probably have their own burdens too.”

That was true enough—I’d spoken with archangels before.

Their logic wasn’t actually wrong.

If the ones who managed the balance of the world allowed themselves to be swayed by personal feelings, it would just become a dictatorship—one where the strong crushed the weak.

That kind of thing might be acceptable for a human nation, but if it became the foundation of the world’s structure, everything would start to creak and fall apart.

The ultimate dystopia.

If the outer gods consumed the world, maybe that’s exactly the kind of place that would be born.

Not that any living creature would survive long enough to see it.

So I did understand why the archangels acted as they did—understanding was different from accepting, though.

Even if they were just clumps of energy, even if time would eventually reset and those who existed here would appear again, they were still living and breathing now.

Touch them and they’d flinch, get embarrassed, feel joy, or get angry.

A passing philosophical thought crossed my mind.

Meaningless, perhaps.

“To recover our target, we’ll first need to participate in that post-initiation branch gathering.”

But how?

How was an outsider supposed to just waltz into a gathering like that?

As I was thinking that, she lifted her chin proudly and tapped the air.

A luminous melody began taking shape in the air, forming like a chalkboard.

“From here, we’re going to use the events that will soon unfold to plan an operation.”

“An operation?”

“That girl—So Wuryeong, was it? Honestly, I feel a bit bad about using her, but maybe… just maybe, it could be a brief salvation for her.”

She said:

“First thing—you know she’s wearing a Skin Mask, right?”

“I knew the moment I saw her.”

“Ahem. Anyway, do you know why she’s wearing it?”

“No idea.”

She laid out her thoughts in the form of a plan.

If it was going to happen anyway, we might as well ride the wave, get what we needed, and make sure the one suffering didn’t have to suffer—at least for a while.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]

* * *

She called the plan “a play.”

In truth, the plan we devised was nothing more than meaningless self-satisfaction — in the end, it was simply using those who suffer for the sake of our own goals.

When this world fulfills its purpose and is restarted, the same thing will happen all over again.

But perhaps… this kind of story is exactly what Lispa Elde — no, what she, back when she was the Archangel Remiel — had always wished for.

To reach out a saving hand so that the righteous would not be hurt.

So they would not grieve.

The Archangel had always been more inclined to strike down with the spear of judgment rather than extend a hand of salvation.

Along the way, I had many doubts, but Lispa Elde, as she laid out her plan, carried herself with an air of confidence.

The day before the council, the Sichuan Clan — the location where the council would be held — hosted a banquet.

It was a place where the younger generation of the great families from each region gathered to mingle and form connections.

Of course, everyone knew that such an event was nothing more than a battlefield of pride among these heirs.

In the Eastern Continent, there are four great territories:

The White Tiger Territory’s Sichuan Clan and Namgung Clan.

The Vermilion Bird Territory’s Muyeol Clan — to which Gu Hwan belongs — and the Cheonmu Clan.

The Azure Dragon Territory’s Mohwan Clan and the Bukseong Clan.

The Black Tortoise Territory’s Shaolin Clan and Huashan Clan, among others.

Some of these clans stirred memories from my past life, but their very roots were clearly different.

That is simply the way of the Eastern Continent.

Rather than a unified nation, it is a land where great clans each hold their own domain and reign like kings.

And aside from the clans already mentioned, countless other groups exist here as well.

Naturally, the young heirs representing these clans — especially those attending this banquet — were of the most prestigious bloodlines.

In fact, even apart from those directly involved in the council, many of these exalted heirs were in attendance.

Normally, we would have no right to be here.

Only those connected to the clans or organizations participating in the council could enter.

We, on the other hand, were mere guests at best.

“A child of the clan has died, yet they hold a banquet… Truly, humans are hard to understand.”

“Well, it’s not completely incomprehensible. But still, judging by the clan leader’s expression, it seems he’s not entirely at ease.”

When I casually agreed with Lispa Elde’s muttering, she turned her eyes toward me with a faint pout.

“Normally, in this sort of situation, shouldn’t they be in mourning?”

“They may be a clan, but that doesn’t mean everyone is family. Besides… as you said, isn’t it the Sichuan Clan that’s hosting this council? If the host greets their guests with wailing and lamentations, the clan’s prestige would be in ruins.”

One could hardly ask them if the clan was more important than the loss of a loved one.

Besides, it didn’t seem that this man, Dan Ryeong, was a direct descendant.

In the Eastern Continent, many are willing to risk their lives for the sake of their clan — this was nothing unusual.

Lispa Elde’s first move had been to deliver news of our return to the clan leader.

“We have rested enough; we will be returning.”

It hardly sounded like a “plan” at all — but the moment those words were spoken, the clan leader’s expression grew complicated.

He then asked us to attend the upcoming banquet.

After all, we were still guests.

And though the gathering of council participants was held elsewhere, there were multiple banquet halls.

The one we found ourselves in was a place for guests from other regions who were not heirs — along with their bodyguards — to eat and drink.

That was enough to count as having “entered.”

Because we wore bamboo hats and veils, we avoided outright stares, but our presence was hardly inconspicuous.

Even so, Lispa Elde and I stayed in our seats, quietly eating and observing the banquet.

After all, there was nothing we could actively do.

The plan was simply to watch.

From here on, events would unfold almost identically to how they had in reality — except that ever since we arrived here, the predetermined sequence of events had already been twisted.

All we could do was anticipate situations and discuss them in advance.

And soon enough, things began.

It happened in the midst of the chatter and laughter of the young heirs drinking together.

So Wuryeong and Gu Hwan, who had kept quiet in the banquet despite their earlier tavern brawl, locked eyes.

Gu Hwan smirked and rose to his feet.

After confirming that the Sichuan Clan’s leader was absent, he spoke.

“Now that I think of it, I heard that Dan Ryeong, who was supposed to participate on behalf of the Sichuan Clan, has passed away.”

At those words, the surrounding air fell into heavy silence.

The first to react was So Wuryeong.

Her hand tightened around the hilt of the sword at her waist as she glared coldly at him.

“Shut your mouth, Gu Hwan.”

“Oh? I’m only offering my condolences for the deceased.”

As he shrugged with feigned innocence, a cold, sharp killing intent began to seep from So Wuryeong’s entire body.

“Hey now, calm down. Is that really the attitude you should show to a guest come to pay respects?”

“Your condolences aren’t welcome. I warn you — if you run your mouth one more time…”

“Hah.”

At such a hot-blooded age, how could provocations like this not lead to a fight?

In the end, before the council even began, a duel seemed inevitable — and no one made a move to stop it.

It was only natural. Gu Hwan’s behavior from the start had been orchestrated by certain clans.

All to tarnish the Sichuan Clan’s prestige.

[Translator - Night]

[Proofreader - Gun]