NOVEL NEXT WORLD chapter 37
37 – Three Ducks (11)
“The barrier is broken? Did Vincent manage to escape?”
“No, it was broken from the outside.”
“What? So someone from above invaded the boundary…”
“Hey, look over there!”
“In the world…!”
The wizards standing on the platform looked up at the sky with a bewildered expression.
A massive dimensional board floating on the 44th floor.
As the mist surrounding it cleared, a vast universe started to appear beyond the barrier.
“This can’t be real.”
“Who is it? Who the hell…?”
“It’s definitely someone from the astrological faction. And with such overwhelming power….”
“Damn, no wonder the situation isn’t good.”
An overwhelming magic power that engulfed an entire floor.
Stars shining in the darkness flickered like the eyes of a monster searching for prey.
Amidst the trembling of the wizards who couldn’t leave their posts due to the difference in hierarchy.
Sien cautiously approached the girl who suddenly appeared in the research room.
The tilted scales and the red flower pot.
It was clear that she was the seventh sage of the astrological faction and the owner of the layer of nobility.
“Um, excuse me, are you Sage Libra? If it’s not too much trouble, may I ask why you have come to such a humble place…?”
“Do I need permission from the information department to come to the middle layer?”
“No!! There’s absolutely no problem, but currently, there is an ongoing interrogation of the suspect who caused a terrorist attack on the express train in the public area…”
“I’m not so free as to listen to the affairs of the living?”
“I-I apologize!”
With a mischievous smile, Libra approached Sien, who hurriedly bowed.
And lightly tapping her frozen back, he spoke.
“It’s a joke, I enjoyed the magic contest.”
“What?”
Her flowing black hair reminded him of a small lion, with emerald green eyes.
Throughout her well-balanced body, magic circuits were densely constructed.
She had an abundance of talent to the extent that she hadn’t seen in recent times, and it seemed like she was holding a dog made of light from the monument of the whole world.
If her hand didn’t tear apart in the middle, it would surely leave an impression in the history of the tower.
“I checked all the bait that was going around the gallery. You lost to the Haesoo faction in the quarterfinals, right?”
“The gallery? What do you mean?”
“Every time memories of losing come to mind, it feels like you’re being dismantled. But this time, you even gave magic to the same opponent? Haven’t even kissed yet, but your heart is so impulsive, isn’t it?”
“Uh, uh, uh…!?”
Siyeon didn’t know what to do with Libra’s actions that seemed to be uncovering her memories one by one.
It was clearly as if she had read her memories with Libra’s scales, and the level of it was so delicate and sharp, as if she had cut her head with a knife and seamlessly put it back together.
Extracting information from a mid-level mage of the astrology faction was never easy, as the faction always demanded an equal exchange.
It was impossible to estimate how high the magician in front of her was.
“Price? I didn’t offer much. Anyone can see that you like that opponent. Do you happen to have strange fantasies every time you lie down in bed at night?”
“N-No! I’ve never had such a thing!”
“Seeing how easy it is, your roommate must be more than just guessing, but rather convinced. Anyway… it’s a small consideration not to mention names.”
Honestly, she wasn’t particularly curious other than that.
Libra turned around and headed towards Vincent, who had fallen to the ground.
As soon as he looked out the window, unlike his subordinate who lost consciousness, he was still conscious.
“Tsk, Chihyeonja…! No, Libra-nim!”
“Oh, it’s you? Pretending to be Judak.”
“P-Pretending? No way! I’m here! I’m the owner of the gallery!”
Quick-witted as a magician, he presented an argument that was completely opposite to what he had said earlier.
For some reason, the Chihyeonja of the Astrology Faction, who had broken through the barrier, felt extreme discomfort at the fact that he had been pretending to be Judak.
Preserving his life at this very moment was more important than living under the surveillance of the Information Bureau for the rest of his life.
However, Libra picked up the fallen location note from the floor and asked him.
“Is that so? Then what’s the name of the toy Judak recently bought?”
“Uh…?”
“See? You don’t know. Isn’t it this? I brought your payment to be placed on the scale.”
Libra pointed to the bouquet of flowers placed on one side of the scale.
The flowers, piled up on the pure white silk, were the share of those who had sacrificed themselves for his family on the battlefield.
As the blood flowing from the flower buds stained the floor, the scale began to tilt slowly.
Vincent shouted urgently.
“T-There’s no need for you to do this, Your Highness! It was a dispute within the Hundred Families, after all…”
“You should have taken better care of the gallery that Judak cherishes so much. I’m refraining from putting up my share of the payment because I feel like it.”
Clang! Clang!…
Gold coins fell from the pure white sleeve.
Judging by their size and color, they seemed to be the coins used in Andalusia, different from the currency commonly used in Matap.
Contrary to Sian’s confusion, Vincent, upon seeing it, turned pale.
“The condition for obtaining ownership of the treasures in the Treasure Room is to dedicate the most time to nothingness among those who reach there.”
“G-Get away from me!”
“Wasn’t it 10 years per gold coin? This should be equivalent to the weight of the souls you’ve killed.”
Libra picked up gold coins stained with blood and placed them one by one on the scales.
As the number of gold coins on the opposite side of the scale increased, Vincent’s body became increasingly rigid.
Finally, when twenty gold coins left her hand, the balance of the scales was perfectly aligned.
“See you in two hundred years, you foolish child who underestimated the depth of the lake formed by the accumulated rain of grudges.”
“Ah, no….”
Unable to say anything more, Vincent placed the withered bouquet of flowers on the ground. Libra clasped her hands together and offered condolences and blessings.
“If the embers of the extinguished torch have not completely died out, you may open your eyes in a new era.”
*
About two weeks had passed since Vincent disembarked from the train that crossed the Milky Way.
The Information Department announced that Vincent admitted to the suspicion of train terrorism.
It was also revealed that he was not the owner of the gallery, but had actually impersonated himself within the gallery.
However, since his presence was not seen at the graduate school, people were curious, but there were no further announcements.
However, around the same time, speculations spread rapidly that he gave up climbing as a reward for exempting his brother.
This was because reports emerged that a statue of Vincent appeared in a secret villa owned by the Undra family.
Unlike the statues erected at the entrance of the dormitory, the magicians did not bother to honor those who were alive and climbing the tower.
A photo of a statue resembling him, located in the courtyard of the garden, was leaked, and the rumors became partially substantiated.
It was a beautiful garden where honey bees flew around when the flowers bloomed.
—–
Prinana
[In the end, it was the impatient Juttak who stepped up to solve this case.]
Even among the Hundred Families, they were a rather disgraceful clan.
In fact, there had been many victims, but until now, they had managed to keep it quiet.
But now they’ve blown the lid off, even going as far as posting provocative messages on the Bee Forum under their own impersonated accounts. How can they keep their composure if they’re sane?
Taking up the sword and preparing to wipe out an entire clan is undoubtedly the wrong move for the sake of justice.
— What should we do about poor Juttak? ㅠㅠㅠ
— Maybe their heart was too soft, so they couldn’t block it. Pooㅠㅠㅜ
— Isn’t it more like they just took off their usual mask of bullying and tried it once without it?
ㄴ Seriously, they even changed their profile and left the Bee Squad alone. Looks like they’re enjoying it themselves.
ㄴ Can’t you f*cking empathize?
ㄴ Our Juttak always suffers because of scumbags like these.
—–
—–
[Juttak, did you stab someone again?]
Now you don’t even have a sense of guilt or reflection.
— Well… I didn’t have it in the first place.
— Ah, so now you’re not even having fun with gall anymore. Are you playing in real life too? ㅋㅋㅋ
– Clark: I did take the shot, but can you believe he turned out to be a scumbag by chance?
– Finally caught the Galju guys who were excitedly blabbering, cut!
It’s unimaginable that I would lose to a rookie…
—–
—–
[A tribute to Vincent, the king of the remaining Honeybee Gang. We miss you.]
If we have to tremble on the outskirts of the bulletin board until a new queen bee appears, what a drag.
[Recommended 489 / Not recommended 731]
– Uiiiiing…
– Buuuing…
– I didn’t want to see that, but it feels refreshing inside.
– The criminals are not our king.
– I’m secretly hoping to inherit the baton from Clark.
I honestly have reasonable doubts since you still haven’t changed your Honeybee profile.
– Yeah, come out again~ I’ll create a Hornets gang and make you suffer~
– Seriously, as soon as the next point shop opens, I’m going to create a Hornets bulletin board.
– That’s too mean, uiiiiing…
– I’m scared, uiiiiing…
—–
“It’s been a while, Clark.”
“Oh, it’s gotten a little bigger than before?”
“I’m expanding the space by smashing the stairs. How about you? Are you making progress with the interference device practice?”
“I’m about to start in earnest now.”
The Hayjuhakpa Lounge, nestled between the 11th-floor stairs, was undergoing expansion work that was demolishing the nearby warehouse wall.
Though it was unclear whether they had obtained permission for the work, at least there was now space to stretch out and sit.
Rupert, who had come down to supervise the construction, smiled satisfactorily upon hearing that I had found an accomplice.
As he lifted a teacup sprinkled with falling dust like powdered sugar, he gave me some advice.
“Unlike other magic, it always requires a target. The deeper the relationship you form with the ones you choose, the faster you can grow.”
“What about Senior Prina?”
“Well, she… Some people in this world are more talented at cutting ties than forming human relationships.”
It meant that she, who had no friends, eventually chose the path of curses and climbing.
Well, either way, she was still my senior, so if the opportunity arose, I decided to seek help from her in the training floor.
Just as I was about to stand up after a moderately pleasant conversation.
I heard the thumping footsteps from below the stairs.
“Hey, didn’t I tell you not to leave your luggage here…? Huh? Who are you?”
“Who are you?”
“I saw you on the train! Back then, you were… Wait a minute, you’re from the Hayjuhakpa? Damn it…!”
“Do you two know each other?”
It was Toby, who had been imprisoned in graduate school as a train terrorist.
It seemed that he had been brought by the Hayjuhakpa to work on the construction.
On the other hand, he recognized me at a glance, while I couldn’t recall him right away.
I realized it was because I didn’t have my location note with me.
“Did you lose your note?”
“I can’t even climb, why would I need something like that? Besides, I’m sick and tired of galleries!”
“Hmm… anyway, now you’re a disciple of Haehu School, or rather a graduate student.”
“So what?”
I stood up from my chair and handed him the sword that was strapped to my waist.
He was startled when the sword was thrust at him, but when I spoke, he returned to his original rough attitude.
“It’s a small errand. I’ll occasionally leave my sword with you, so take care of it.”
“I’m not a blacksmith.”
“If you don’t like it, you can go down below.”
“Damn it, this is why I hate curse sorcerers…”
Toby grumbled, but he still accepted the sword obediently.
As soon as the elegant longsword touched his hand, he trembled and shivered in surprise.
“Hey, did this just move?”
“It’s your imagination. If you think you might poke someone, contact me.”
“Imagination!? Ugh, it’s some kind of sword, right?”
“It’s fine if you handle it gently. Oh, and my name is Salsali.”
The Franz family had completely collapsed, but at least the siblings had survived.
It would take more time for them to reach each other, but at least they wouldn’t have to part ways again.