Chapter 197

Chapter 197 – Vestiare (2)

Someone was approaching at great speed . Sungchul stopped to look behind him .

“Wait, darling . Where are you going?”

Behind him was the red haired and eyed McRaed looking back and forth between him and the shimmering portal .

“I am going to leave Ixion . ”

Sungchul answered calmly . There was no reason to wait nor hide anything . McRaed was unable to respond for a while as if she was hit over the head with a blunt object . But Sungchul couldn’t just stand there and watch her . When he turned to leave through the portal again, he was stopped by a sharp voice .

“Wait!”

Frenzy was beginning to manifest in her eyes . Sungchul felt troubled . McRaed spoke next .

“Why are you trying to leave so suddenly? The day after witnessing the miracle of dispelling the Curse of Extinction no less . ”

McRaed soon noticed the tiny but dignified Marakia standing by Sungchul’s feet and her eyes grew wide .

“What’s this? Is it an Avian…?”

“I am the King of the final age, Marakia . ”

Marakia opened his wings wide and spoke in a needlessly arrogant attitude . Bertelgia hastily flew towards Marakia to shut him up, but Marakia’s behavior served to fan McRaed’s confusion even further .

“What’s going on? What’s this Avian and now that Living Book?”

There was a need to sort out the situation . Sungchul turned to face McRaed and spoke .

“A volcano in the far east is about to erupt . If the volcano erupts, then all life on the continent will perish . I am going to take this portal there to stop it . ”

It was far too little information and excessive concise for McRaed to absorb what she was told . She blinked a few times and fell into thought before spitting out her next words .

“But if you leave Ixion now, then it seriously screws up my position!”

She sounded desperate . Sungchul stopped to face McRaed again .

“Is it because of Vestiare?”

McRaed looked nervous when Sungchul asked, but she nodded .

“If you leave suddenly, that woman will not leave me alone . ”

“Do you mean that Vestiare is going to execute you, or somehow cause you injury?”

“That woma… I mean Vestiare nim is not someone like that . But if we were to get on her bad side and lose her favor, then we might not be able to perform miracles anymore through the Colossus . Then New Ixion and I are both finished . ”

McRaed revealed everything and then turned to look at the slouching Colossus standing in the darkness in the distance .

“…”

Sungchul felt that he understood the relationship between Vestiare and McRaed now .

‘So that’s how it was . ’

McRaed’s source of authority and power was not from political tradition and history but from the unlimited supplies that came from borrowing the power of the Colossus . There was almost no resident of the old Ixion left in the New Ixion so it was almost guaranteed that dependence on the Colossus was absolute . But this was wrong in Sungchul’s eyes .

“Why not just cut your ties with that woman at this point? The continuation of Ixion is happening through continuous sacrifice of others’ lives right?”

“As I said before, this is none of your business . Whether anyone from La Grange dies…”

“There are a great number of refugees from the Easter Regions, your people, mixed in the Settlements as well . ”

Sungchul cut McRaed off and glared at her sternly . McRaed was silenced for a moment but didn’t look that shocked . She frowned and muttered softly .

“They’re not from ixion . And Eastern Region encompasses more land . South eastern beaches, especially the rough peasants of Insbant can’t be considered one of the people of the Eastern Regions . ”

“You discriminate within different parts of the Eastern Regions?”

“The Empire discriminates people within the cities as well, right?”

Sungchul felt more exhausted than annoyed by McRaed’s obstinate answer . When Sungchul did not answer back, McRaed continued to speak .

“For the revival of the Eastern Regions, Ixion must continue to maintain its growth as it has . Once the Heroic Eastern Seven becomes consolidated and established, with New Ixion at its center, the refugees who traveled west will return to their lands of the Eastern Regions . Once that happens, we can finally obtain the strength necessary to rival the ruling elites of the world who abandoned us . ”

“Burning through countless people like firewood?”

Sungchul said with a sigh .

“I don’t care how many people die . There is nothing more important to us than the restoration of the Eastern Regions . Ixion is a city that will become the heart of the new Eastern Regions . And until that day arrives, I must maintain my relationship with Vestiare . ”

“…”

Sungchul no longer felt there was any reason to speak . Their perspective were too different . McRaed had a form of faith and even a strong sense of duty . No matter how misplaced the faith was, Sungchul knew that such a flag planted in others’ heart was difficult to cut down . He himself also once had such a flag within himself as well .

“There is nothing more to say . Restoration of the Eastern Regions is none of my business . ”

Sungchul moved towards the portal .

“All you have to do is shut her up with a hammer . You’re so vexing to watch sometimes . ”

Marakia waddled after Sungchul and Bertelgia followed hot on his tail as if she was supervising him . McRaed who was left alone didn’t know what to do . Her eyes trembled and her teeth clattered . Whether or not it was through anger or disappointment, a torrent of emotions violently clashed within herself as McRaed finally shouted .

“You!”

Sungchul did not stop .

McRaed gripped her fist and shouted again .

“Weren’t we going to go traveling together?”

Sungchul stopped . But he did not turn to look at her . Beyond his lonely shoulders, the wind carried his voice to McRaed’s ears .

“I will return here after I am done . ”

“…Really?”

A single tear welled up in McRaed’s red eyes . Sungchul nodded with his back turned to her .

“I will return quickly . And about that Colossus, I might be able to find a solution for it . Maybe find a way that doesn’t require sacrifices through the Settlements nor rely on Vestiare’s help . ”

Sungchul said that to her, and turned to Bertelgia who was following behind and asked her casually .

“Are you confident in being able to earn your meal, Bertelgia?”

“Of course! Don’t underestimate the skill of the one in rank 2!”

“Such a precarious rank you have . How long can you defend your position, Living Book?”

McRaed looked towards the strange group with surprise . The Enemy of the World, an arrogant Avian, and a talking book . It was an absolutely surreal combination, but McRaed somehow felt that this group might be able to accomplish something great . Because at the center was Sungchul . He was a dependable man .

He was a man who willingly subjected himself to leaving the position of the Commander in Chief of the Empire and becoming the Enemy of the World in order to keep a promise he had made in the past .

McRaed hid the running tear with her hand and gave an energetic nod .

It was at that moment .

“What a disappointing turn of events, in so many different ways . ”

A magic formation appeared right before the portal and a pale but beautiful woman appeared like a piece of art .

“McRaed . Do you remember my words from when we first met?”

Vestiare looked towards McRaed and asked with a profound yet dreamy tone of voice . McRaed’s expression froze up . She trembled like a small forest creature meeting its natural predator as she stared at her benefactor . Vestiare continued to speak .

“You said you’ll do anything, right? For the restoration of the royal family . ”

“Vestiare . ”

He couldn’t watch any longer . Sungchul walked towards McRaed and stood between them .

“This is a warning . Leave my sight . ”

Vestiare gave a faint smile and looked at Sungchul with a phantasmic expression . Although it was refined and elegant enough to shake a normal man to their deepest core, Sungchul was different from most men .

Without a hint of hesitation, he continued to speak .

“The reason why I did not kill you until now is because I had no reason to . ”

“Hmm . Is that so? Is that what Dragoman told you?”

Sharp . She seemed to be already aware of what had happened between Sungchul and Dragoman . No, it would be more accurate to say she predicted it .

“A man like Dragoman who is strong against the weak and weak against the strong, it wouldn’t be beneath him to spill all the secrets to you . But no matter what that sordid man does, it will not affect Desfort nim and my plans in the slightest . ”

Vestiare said before giving a sorrowful laughter .

“Leave Ixion immediately . If you do so, then you will be allowed to keep your life . ”

Divine weapon Fal Garaz appeared in Sungchul’s infamous hands . Vestiare who saw the legendary weapon which saw blood of the Seven Heroes, but she neither showed fear nor caution .

“So it comes to this . ”

“You have no hope of victory . ”

“If it’s just me, then yes . ”

A frightening malice colored her eyes .

“Nothing is going to change even if you were to call all your remaining friends . ”

“If Sajators was still around, then it might have been doable . But even if that man is gone, you cannot leave here . ”

Vestiare’s words were said with absolute certainty . Sungchul could sense that it wasn’t simply a bluff nor foolhardiness . The Echo Mage he knew wasn’t that kind of person . But Sungchul had no way to know where she was getting such confidence from . Sungchul saw the statues of Sidmia surrounding him and were overcome with bad premonition .

‘I’ll have to take care of it quickly . ’

Sungchul resolved to kill Vestiare before she can speak and charged towards her . Before Sungchul’s Fal Garaz could crush her, Vestiare disappeared from his vision . She did not dodge reactively . It appears as though she had already been secretly casting the teleportation spell in silence before Sungchul even resolved to attack her .

Vestiare reappeared on top of the Verdure Greenhouse .

“I will say this again . You cannot leave here alive . ”

Vestiare reasserted herself . Sungchul measured the distance with his eyes . It was a distance that Vestiare could react in time . Sungchul held Fal Garaz over his shoulders as he looked up towards Vestiare and asked .

“On what basis do you say this?”

There is not a single mortal capable of defeating Sungchul in the entire world . There are no factions that could overcome him either . He had the power to destroy the Empire by himself, as well as destroy any coalitions and allied nations and burn them to the ground .

“Do you know why I created this city?”

Vestiare looked towards McRaed who stood absentmindedly under the Verdure Greenhouse . Reflected in her dreamy blue eyes were hidden merciless malice of a viper .

“Revival of Ixion? Restoration of the Eastern Regions? Those worthless things have nothing to do with me . ”

McRaed raised her head to look at Vestiare with trembling eyes upon hearing Vestiare’s ice cold voice . Vestiare gave McRaed a sadistic smile before looking towards Sungchul once more .

“You must have seen it . Her harvesting the souls of other human beings through the Settlements to duplicate goods . I taught her . That dense woman . ”

“…”

“But there’s one thing I didn’t tell her . ”

A viscous smile that is difficult to believe belongs to a human appeared on Vestaire’s lips .

“That Mage’s souls have a higher worth . ”

Ssk .

Oom Bruuk became embedded in Vestiare’s stomach . Vestiare let out a cry as she furrowed her soft brows as she staggered .

“Those who speak too much die quickly . ”

Sungchul was waiting for the moment Vestiare lets down her guard while speaking . Vestiare seemed surprised and gave a pitiful smile .

“E…Excellent . But… Haa… nothing… changes!”

Vestiare breathed in deeply and raised up her hands . Magic formation appeared and a large number of small Vestiares appeared to bring a giant scroll before her .

Sungchul shook the bell of Calamity .

“Ah…ahhh!”

Vestiare grimaced as if she was going mad from the terrible pain as she bent her body like a shrimp, but her will was unbroken . Vestiare grimaced as she screeched out .

“As I promised… This altar… I offer to you . Harvest your offerings… and advent onto these lands . ”

Vestiare ripped up the scroll as she collapsed .

She couldn’t withstand the sound of Oom Bruuk’s bell and passed out . But once the fragments of the ripped scroll reached the grounds of the city, almost all sounds of the city disappeared all at once .

Within the sudden silence that followed, Sungchul was able to hear Vestiare’s final muttering .

“Lesser God… Sidmia…!”