There Is No World For ■■
Chapter 149: Retrograder, Egoist, And Commie (6)

* * *

Perhaps because he had already experienced this once before, Yeomyeong wasn’t particularly flustered and was able to respond rather calmly in his mind.

I’m not sure what you mean by a Repeat Sign, but I am Cheon Yeomyeong.

- It’s both a truth and a lie.

The crystal’s light swept across his forehead, as if trying to pierce into his thoughts.

- Your real name… is Dung Beetle? Why would you even name yourself something like that?

…

- Well, Cheon Yeomyeong sounds more like a human name, so I’ll call you that.

…Was this a different entity from the crystal he encountered in Manchuria?

This crystal before him seemed… somewhat ruder than the one he had spoken to back then.

- Cheon Yeomyeong, I ask you: why do I sense the presence of ‘us’ within you?

As Yeomyeong quickly realized that ‘us’ referred to the World Tree, he replied cautiously in his mind.

I consumed a crystal.

- You? How?

Yeomyeong instinctively recalled the moment when he swallowed the crystal Darulma had given him.

Did it read his memories? The World Tree’s crystal fell silent for a moment.

And just before silence settled in completely, the crystal sighed.

- My plans have been disrupted…

- This is why Repeat Signs…

- That’s the problem with experienced all-rounders: they’re always vulnerable to unpredictability. Don’t you agree?

Yeomyeong couldn’t make sense of the strange sequence of words it uttered.

He continued to gaze at the crystal in silence, neither confirming nor denying anything.

The crystal gazed back at him, and just as it seemed like the mood was growing heavy, it spoke again.

- Cheon Yeomyeong, what sort of person are you?

…Are you asking about me?

- *Yes, you. The one who has caused countless sacrifices to be in vain and will continue to let more lives be sacrificed in vain.*

…

- I don’t intend to blame you. Just as one who loses their home in a storm cannot resent a butterfly across the globe, I know that you too were just flapping your wings. Just like all butterflies do…

Its words carried a profound sadness that Yeomyeong couldn’t fully grasp. Feeling a sudden wave of emotion, he frowned slightly.

I am simply myself.

- A philosophical answer. Also, the furthest from the answer I wanted.

Complex questions call for complex answers.

- You never back down, do you? You’re just like that Margrave. The two of you even look alike… Are you related by any chance?

Look alike? I don’t feel like that at all…

Just as Yeomyeong tried to respond, the crystal suddenly emitted a bright light.

He flinched and attempted to gather mana, but the light engulfed him faster.

What’s the meaning of this?

The crystal didn’t reply, only intensified its glow, piercing even through his eyelids.

It seemed to delve into his mind, flickering violently, and then…

It vanished.

What just happened? Opening his eyes cautiously, Yeomyeong saw the crystal glowing dimly.

It was akin to a person flinching in surprise and curling up instinctively.

And as is to prove it, the Crystal’s voice was trembling intensely.

- Oh dear, it seems that ‘I’… have already made a choice.

…What choice?

Once again, the World Tree did not respond.

As the light hummed faintly for a moment, it spoke with a voice that made it seem like it was suppressing something with much difficulty.

- It is unfortunate that it has come to this. You, too, will have to make a choice.

…Is this another koan¹?

- A koan? Let’s call it Foresight instead. No need for a consultation fee.

A consultation fee? What was it, some kind of fortune teller? As Yeomyeong entertained the absurd thought, the Crystal continued to speak.

- Just as we once did, you too will soon have to weigh the weight of life. Hundreds of millions, or perhaps, something even more extreme. Billions versus one.

…

- *And when that moment arrives, remember these words. ‘I trust your choice.’ Do you understand?*

…I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about.

- Neither do we. Why did ‘I’ choose you, of all people? You don’t even look like a protagonist.

A protagonist? What is that supposed to—

—mean?

Yeomyeong didn’t even get the opportunity to complete his question before the crystal’s light faded away a bit faster than expected.

Crack—

And with the sound of something snapping, he felt the floating sensation subsided as things slowly returned back to normal.

* * *

Immediately after opening his eyes to reality, Yeomyeong rolled off a small inn bed like a doll with broken strings.

Was it because he was expecting to wake up in the World Tree’s dream?

His head hit the hard concrete floor, chasing away his sleep in an instant.

The dull pain in his forehead brought a bitter smile to his face, but he held back his laughter.

There was an unfamiliar presence in his room

“…Who’s there?”

Rubbing his throbbing forehead, he asked. No answer came from the room still cloaked in the darkness of night.

Right, if they intended to show themselves obediently, they wouldn’t have hidden in the first place.

Yeomyeong quietly gathered his mana and began weaving a spell.

He heard the sound of his concealed opponent gasp, but he managed to complete the Telekinesis spell just a little faster.

First, an invisible force sealed the door and windows. Just as the door clicked and locked, the Telekinesis pressed down on the entire room.

In the next moment, Yeomyeong’s Telekinesis located something invisible, trying to make a jump for the window.

He immediately manipulated the spell to grab hold of the intruder, and Yeomyeong clenched his hand.

Or rather, he was about to.

However, just as he directed the spell to choke the intruder, the intruder let out a sharp cry.

“B-Brother-in-law! Wait a second!”

…Brother-in-law?

Surprised, he halted his spell at almost the exact moment the figure trapped within his Telekinesis removed her Invisibility Cloak.

“…”

Right then, the moonlight peeked into the room as the window opened slightly.

Under the faint light, Yeomyeong and the girl caught in his Telekinesis met each other’s gaze.

Her blue eyes were a shade lighter than Seti’s.

Yeomyeong looked at her suspended in mid-air in silence, then massaged his forehead and looked again. He was at a loss for words.

An awkward, heavy silence ensued.

“Um… Did you sleep well? I didn’t wake you up, did I?”

Unable to bear the awkwardness any longer, the moonlight fled out the window as Neti spoke with a smile.

Looking at her smile, Yeomyeong briefly considered tossing her out the window—then sighed as he noticed the Invisibility Cloak in her hand.

“So, where did you get that Invisibility Cloak?”

“…Soe Miri-ssi gave it to me. She said it was yours, brother-in-law.”

As expected. Although, to be precise, it was only borrowed.

“And why are you only telling me this now?”

“…Honestly, I forgot.”

“Fine. We’ve had a lot going on, so I’ll let that slide… But why did you sneak into my room wearing that at this hour?”

“…No comment?”

Yeomyeong opened the window and began pushing Neti out. Just as she was nearly out, she confessed.

“I-I was just curious!”

“…Curious about what, exactly?”

“Well, um… that is….”

As soon as she trailed off, Yeomyeong pushed her further outside.

His attitude made it clear that he didn’t need to hear anything more.

Letting out a cry that was something between a scream and making a fuss, Neti clung to the windowsill.

“Physiognomy! I wanted to check your physiognomy!”

“…”

A short silence ensued once more.

Only after the night breeze, as if bewildered, swept through the room did Yeomyeong sigh and pull her back inside, setting her down on the floor.

“You’re really good at using Telekinesis magic…”

Ignoring her comment, Yeomyeong took the Invisibility Cloak from her arms.

After inspecting it thoroughly for any damage, he sat down on the bed.

With an air of a younger sibling’s intuition, Neti quickly knelt in front of him in a formal pose.

“I’m sorry….”

“…”

Yeomyeong massaged his temples, trying to come to terms with the current situation. Truthfully, he wasn’t all that angry.

Compared to that ‘Saintess’… this was almost endearing.

Making up his mind to forgive her, he asked lightly.

“…So, how did my physiognomy look?”

His question was meant to lighten the mood, but Neti’s response was anything but that.

“It’s both good and bad.”

“…”

“Your type of physiognomy is often called Yang Shaoyu’s physiognomy. Your eyes are like a phoenix’s, bright and bold, with eyebrows angled upward. This suggests that you are born with both talent and luck.”

“…And the bad part?”

“Your luck with women is the worst. If you have a femme fatale² as your first partner, it could ruin your fate. So, the first woman is the most crucial.”

“…”

“Oh, and by the way, my sister is not a femme fatale.”

All of it sounded strangely familiar…

Yeomyeong thought back, then sighed, wondering why he was even listening to this so seriously in the first place.

“Neti.”

“…Yes, brother-in-law?”

“I don’t care about physiognomy or anything like that, so next time, just ask instead of sneaking in. Got it?”

With that, he patted her on the shoulder.

It was a clear sign that he had forgiven her and a hint to leave, so Neti stood up, bowing her head.

Just as she was about to turn the doorknob and leave, she turned back and spoke cautiously.

“…Please, don’t tell my sister.”

“Of course, it’ll stay a secret between us.”

“Thank you….”

Unfortunately, Neti’s wish didn’t come true.

The moment she opened the door, the sight of Seti in the hallway with arms crossed greeted her.

“What’s my little sister doing here at this hour?”

Neti turned to Yeomyeong for help, but he just shrugged with a faint, bitter smile.

Sorry, I also can’t help you with this one.

* * *

In the still-dark inn room, with dawn yet to break.

“So, they’re churning out Rat Beastfolk somewhere in the sewers using the World Tree’s crystal…”

That was Seti’s first remark after hearing about Yeomyeong’s dream of ‘the World Tree’s dream’.

“The Skeletal Dragon, Shepherds, and now a legion of Rat Beastfolk? This is utter chaos.”

“…And don’t forget the outsiders after the World Tree’s crystal and Arcane Relic coming to the city as well.”

Yeomyeong replied, carefully omitting the direct conversation he had with the World Tree’s crystal from his dream story.

“…And the Count Palatines show no signs of wanting to put an end to this mess either.”

In fact, aside from Eastern Count Palatine, the other two seemed hell-bent on escalating things—as if preparing for a full-blown war.

“The situation’s so twisted, I don’t even know where to start intervening.”

Sitting by the window as moonlight flowed down her beautiful hair, Seti bit her lower lip in concern.

Yeomyeong admired her hair for a moment, then stood up holding the Invisibility Cloak.

“Do we really have to get involved in this mess?”

“…And if we don’t? Are you suggesting that we just sit back and watch until the critical moment?”

“No, an easy solution like that won’t work at all. Maybe if we had an information network… but we can’t even gauge when the crucial moment will arrive.”

“…Then what?”

“There’s a saying among back-alley gambling dens: if you can’t read the game… just flip the board.”

With that, Yeomyeong rummaged through his bag.

As he pulled out a small pouch he always carried, Seti looked at it, puzzled.

“…Flip it? How exactly?”

“As long as we have the right hand to play, it’s doable.”

Saying that, Yeomyeong opened the pouch, revealing its contents.

A Royal Seal glinting like gold, an ivory handle, and… a key stained red as blood.

“That’s…?”

“The Blood Tear Key—the Arcane Relic given to me by the Blue Rat.”

As he picked up the key, the relic exuded a weighty, ominous energy, as if to prove its potency.

He had received it a long time ago in Manchuria but had never had the opportunity to use it. And he never imagined that he would need to use it like this.

“An Arcane Relic? Are you really…?”

Seti’s eyes opened wide as she realized what he was suggesting.

The World Tree’s crystal and the Arcane Relics.

Both items were being used as bait by the Count Palatines to lure outsiders to the city.

A mere rumor had already drawn numerous people in; what if the actual Arcane Relics were to be displayed?

This wouldn’t just shake the board—it would throw the entire city into even greater chaos—Utter, unimaginable chaos.

The only issue was…

“…Are you sure about this? You could end up losing this item.”

“It won’t matter once I’ve mastered the skills within it.”

“…And how long do you think it will take to master the Arcane Relic’s abilities?”

“I won’t know until I try, but… I think I can do it within a week.”

Such arrogant words might have made any other Superhuman frown, but Seti didn’t refute him.

Maybe if it were anyone else, but no one knew Yeomyeong’s talent better than she did.

Seti gazed at Yeomyeong for a moment, tapping the windowsill as if contemplating something.

A quiet silence settled between them, and as the faint light of dawn began to break over the horizon, she finally spoke again.

“Yeomyeong, while you’re working on the relic… I’ll work on spreading the rumor about the Arcane Relic around the city. Or should I perhaps say it’ll be put up for auction?”

“That’s not a bad idea.”

Yeomyeong smiled slightly and handed her the Invisibility Cloak.

“Whatever plan you’re cooking up, this will come in handy.”

Seti looked down at the cloak with a conflicted expression, as if it reminded her of someone else—perhaps the Saintess. But she eventually accepted it without resistance.

Folding the cloak, she asked.

“So, when are you going to use the relic? Right now? Or maybe after breakfast?”

“…Let’s have breakfast together, just the two of us, once all this ends. I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

With that, Yeomyeong took the Bloody Tear Key and positioned himself in the center of the room. Seti silently stepped aside, and the two stood there, exchanging a quiet gaze.

A subtle tension rose between them, filling the air.

Just then, a strained voice cut through the moment.

“Um, Unnie, sorry to interrupt, but….”

It was Neti’s voice, coming from the doorway as she raised her arms awkwardly.

Both of them turned to look at her, having completely forgotten about her presence.

Whether it was from holding her arms up without any magic or due to some other reason, Neti’s face was flushed bright red.

“Can I put my arms down now and leave…?”

Footnotes

1. 1. A kōan is a story, dialogue, question, or statement from Chinese Chan Buddhist lore, supplemented with commentaries, that is used in Zen Buddhist practice in different ways. The main goal of kōan practice in Zen is to achieve kenshō, to see or observe one's buddha-nature.
2. 2. The korean word here is 도화살 (Do-hwa sal). It is a fate that causes a woman to be unable to live as the wife of one man, either due to bereavement or entanglements with multiple men. It is somewhat an outdated view. In modern society, women with do-hwa sal usually considered as femme-fatale.

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