Salvation Through Delusion C13

Chapter 13

 

“I’m a field agent.”

“A field agent? Were you part of the institute’s security division?”

“No,” I shook my head again.

“I fought monsters on the front lines. I lead a support unit formed mainly from volunteer soldiers.”

I hesitated briefly, then added,

“You can just call me Team Leader Kim, if that’s easier.”

Fortunately, since the surname Kim was so common, she didn’t faint from surprise at the coincidence.

“So why did someone fighting in the field suddenly end up in Tuvine? Were you trained for this?”

“No. I was deployed in a hurry—came here completely blind.”

I worried she might ask for more details, but she only reacted the same way she had a few days ago.

“…Things must really be that bad.”

Instead of pressing for more information, she fell silent. But from the way her lips were tightly sealed and her hands clenched together atop the desk, I could tell what she was feeling—an almost painful sense of guilt, as if our world’s descent into hell was somehow her fault.

I pretended not to notice and kept my tone professional.

“But even if it’s for money, will the Divine Beast clans really agree to close the Eye of Hell? They were the ones who made the monsters in the first place.”

“They’ve lost too much.”

I frowned, not following. She gave a twisted smile.

“The black stones extracted from monsters are an incredible energy source in this world. But no one in their right mind would risk their life to harvest them. So if someone can both eliminate dangerous monsters and supply that energy? They become heroes. And heroes get rich.”

“You’re saying that’s the Divine Beast clans?”

“Right. The only ones who can properly destroy monsters here are Divine Beast contractors and Swordmasters. People worship them for keeping them safe—and naturally, those people rule the continent. But if the Eye of Hell closes and the monsters disappear, so does their fame. Their power fades with it.”

…So they need just enough monsters to stay relevant.

I couldn’t even laugh—it was too bitter to be funny.

“And besides,” she continued, “to ascend as Emperor, one must prove they possess the power of a Divine Beast. Closing the Eye of Hell would be the perfect pretext.”

“Even so, won’t the temple interfere?”

“Oh, the temple? They’re fine with it. They’re the ones who want more monsters than anyone.”

“Excuse me?”

She smirked faintly.

“People turn to gods in times of crisis, not peace. The more monsters, the more faith. The temple thrives on fear.”

“That’s disgusting.”

“Yes,” she said with a crooked grin, “but fortunately, for us—that’s useful.”

Her expression turned dark again.

“But their vile greed alone isn’t enough. Even if I push my chosen clan to take the throne, I’m still missing something—the Emperor’s mark, the Sword of Silence.”

The Sword of Silence?

“When the Eye of Hell was first created ten years ago, the Divine Beast that opened it was extinguished. The sword vanished along with it, and no one’s found it since. If I could get my hands on it, I’d start the operation right away, but…”

“That sword will appear one year from now.”

“Yes, if it appears next year, then— wait, one year from now?”

“One year from now, a certain clan will obtain that sword and prove their Divine Beast’s strength. They’ll rise to the throne. It was in the scroll you sent through the Eye of Hell.”

“I never wrote—”

Dr. Kim stopped mid-sentence, eyes widening. She didn’t need me to explain—she already understood. Her mind was sharp, quick as ever.

“Did you… time-skip while passing through the Eye?”

“Yes. I set the coordinates to a point in time, not just space. That’s how I succeeded—because I had an exact timestamp.”

I took out the small pocket watch Rue had once owned and handed it to her. The watch had stopped the moment he’d fallen into the water.

“You recorded the exact time Adeye Rue died.”

She stared down at the watch, murmuring quietly,

“It was his parents’ keepsake. I would’ve made sure to retrieve it no matter what. Rue… did he drown?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“If the watch stopped at the moment of death, water damage is the most likely cause. Besides—jumping into water was one of his drunken habits.”

Her tone was calm, analytical—until her expression changed again.

“Wait. If you know what happens a year from now, that means you’ve seen Tuvine’s future?”

Her voice rose suddenly.

“If an Emperor has already risen, then what about the Eye of Hell? Was it closed?”

“…”

“Tell me. I won’t faint this time.”

…You sure about that? Doesn’t seem like your body got the memo.

Before I could respond, she snatched a vial from the desk and swallowed it down.

“There. Now talk.”

I hesitated a moment, then spoke quietly.

“No. You failed.”

For a second I thought I should start ringing emergency bells again, but miraculously, she didn’t collapse—she just stared at me with fierce eyes.

“Why? Did the clan I supported lose? Or did they take the throne and betray me?”

“As I said, most of the scroll was damaged, so I don’t know the full details. But one name was clear—‘Koon.’”

“Koon!”

Her fist slammed down on the desk with a loud crack. She was so agitated she had to grab her breathing device again. I waited silently until she’d caught her breath.

“Do you know who Koon is?”

“Only the name. I haven’t learned much about this world yet.”

“Koon is the damned family that created the Eye of Hell. They used to be the Imperial House.”

Her voice shook with fury.

“They claimed to save Tuvine and ended up turning it into hell instead! They made that accursed thing, burned the Divine Beast away, and doomed us all!”

“What— it was extinguished?”

“Yes! And because of that, they lost their divine power and were overthrown. The throne goes to whichever clan wields the strongest Divine Beast, and those bastards held it for over three hundred years before they lost it. Serves them right!”

Her gray eyes flared with righteous anger.

“But that wasn’t enough. You think I’d ever forgive the bastards who destroyed our world? Not a chance. The past ten years of my life—every ounce of strength I’ve built—was for one purpose: to crush Koon.”

“Wait, you… crushed them?”

“Oh yes,” she said proudly, chin lifting.

“When their finances tanked from other clans’ attacks, I lent them money—and squeezed them dry with interest. Hahaha!”

She laughed like a villain from an opera.

“And that’s not all! When rival clans started aiming for the throne, I whispered in their ears, fed them gold, told them to step harder. I made sure Koon was trampled into the dirt. Utterly ruined!”

Her laughter grew wild, almost manic, before shifting abruptly back into rage.

“But then! That damn young Grand Duke had to show up—some prodigy who learned to swing a sword and became a Swordmaster! The only person in Koon to bear the Divine Beast’s mark! He’s infuriating—arrogant, smug, a complete brat!”

“Um…”

“Do you know how obnoxious he is? He smirks when he talks! I’ve never seen such insolence in my life. It’s like he was born just to piss me off!”

I hesitated, trying to interject, but she was on a roll.

“Koon was supposed to rot! And yet that insufferable brat becomes Grand Duke and singlehandedly revives his house! After all my careful work to strangle it, he brings it back to life like some stubborn weed! Ugh!”

“You—you tried to kill him?”

“Of course! But I failed every time, damn it. Still, it’s not all bad—rumor has it everyone in Koon except that brat is cursed, trapped in their estate, barely human anymore. Hahaha! Cursed to rot! …Cough, cough!”

She choked from laughing too hard, face flushed red with excitement, while the blood drained completely from mine.

“Dr. Kim…”

“Oh, don’t worry. I’m fine. Crushing Koon has been my daily motivation for years—it keeps me alive. Why do you look so horrified? I’m fine.”

No, you’re really not.

I swallowed hard and forced out the words.

“Don’t tell me… Koon already knows what you did to them?”