NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 357
Chapter 358: The Gathering
“You’ve arrived.”
“Yes, Your Excellency.”
“Both of you, take a seat.”
At Baek Joo-han’s words, Choi Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa settled down in their chairs. Finally having some time to glance around, Yeon-woo swung their head from side to side.
As expected of the Ice Palace, the interior was adorned with warm tones and decor. Unlike the frigid atmosphere of the main hall and audience chamber, which still haunted Yeon-woo’s memories.
The cold ambiance of those rooms was merely to instill fear in visitors. Since there wouldn’t be any unfamiliar guests in this tent, it was likely designed for comfort.
“You mentioned diving into the Sacred Grounds. Are you adequately prepared for that?”
Baek Joo-han asked, taking a sip of vodka. Worried, Yeon-woo sniffed the tea cup in front of them. Oh no, they suddenly recalled that high-quality vodka doesn’t really have a remarkable scent, and stared vacantly into the distance.
Seeing this, Baek In-hwa leaned in and whispered in Yeon-woo’s ear.
“That’s not vodka.”
“How do you know that…?”
Baek In-hwa nodded her head slightly. Indeed, a lifelong connoisseur of vodka can tell the difference just by the color!
As Yeon-woo sipped the liquid determined to be warm water, their body relaxed. Wow, having something as simple as warm water, after always gulping down sodas, isn’t half bad!
“…So, how do you feel?”
Baek Joo-han, contentedly watching Yeon-woo and Baek In-hwa, asked again. It was about diving into the Sacred Grounds, after all…
“If I didn’t feel ready, I wouldn’t even be talking about it. Do you think I’m suicidal?”
“Sometimes it certainly seems that way.”
“Can’t argue with that…”
What could be said when even the Ice Palace Lord thought that way? Here, the best strategy was to get on good terms and seek as much support as possible.
“Glad to hear that. You seem confident.”
“Really? I’m super tense right now.”
“That’s because you can do it. If you thought it was impossible, you’d just give up.”
That made a lot of sense. After all, who could be afraid of something they thought was utterly impossible?
“And what about In-hwa? Are you feeling anxious?”
“Your Excellency, I’m….”
“Now’s not the time for formalities; speak freely. Right now, I’m just a father worried about his daughter.”
Cutting off Baek In-hwa, Baek Joo-han said. Stunned, Baek In-hwa stuttered, “Um, uh…”
“What parent wouldn’t worry if their child was jumping into danger? Isn’t that right, son-in-law?”
“…That’s true, but I’m not a son-in-law. No, besides, I already promised my future to someone!”
“That’s fine. If In-hwa says she’s okay, then I won’t intervene. You can rest easy.”
As Baek Joo-han searched for agreement in Baek In-hwa’s gaze, she bowed her head and nodded. Is this supposed to happen? Am I okay with this?
“I’ll lend you the White Flower Bag. If there’s anything else you need, just ask. Though I wouldn’t term it as a sacrifice, if it means defeating Toyo’s Demon King, we’d rejoice even if we had to die.”
“…Thank you.”
“I’ll leave the command to the little princess. I know this conversation might be uncomfortable, but I sincerely hope you return safely.”
The White Flower Bag is the core unit of the Ice Palace military. While the Snow Wind Brigade had a more reconnaissance-oriented mission, the Ice Blossom Brigade was truly a combat-focused unit.
Considering the wide battlefield, the Snow Wind Brigade could still shine, but it seemed they were sending in the White Flower Brigade for the narrow corridors of the underground Sacred Grounds.
“If you have no more to say, you may leave. I need to have a talk with my daughter.”
“Understood. Once again, thank you for your support.”
“Don’t mention it. If it comes to hating Toyo, our feelings are just as strong, if not stronger, than yours.”
Leaving behind Baek Joo-han’s unusually relaxed demeanor, Yeon-woo stepped out of the tent. As soon as they emerged, they could faintly hear the careful conversation between father and daughter.
“See? Rumors can be misleading.”
Looking at them, how could anyone believe that the Ice Palace Lord treated their child like a tool? That’s just an ordinary parent worrying about their kid!
*
The Day of Deployment had arrived. Yeon-woo stepped out of the tent early in the morning, stretching their body as the group began to gather.
No one questioned sending just children to take down the Demon King. Everyone knew their skills were world-class.
“Did you all sleep well? It’s the day of the final battle.”
“Kind of felt pressured to sleep well.”
Going to catch the Demon King without any pressure would be a remarkable feat. Nodding at Kim Yoo-min’s grumbling, Yeon-woo chuckled as they stretched stiff muscles.
Soon, everyone had assembled. The Kim siblings, Baek In-hwa, Namgung Seong, and the Choi family. Eight people, including Yeon-woo, looked around before saying,
“Alright, you’ve heard the rumors, right? The necromancers are defecting.”
“Oh, I think I heard that. Is it true? The demons are betraying the Demon King?”
Kim Yoo-min looked at Yeon-woo in disbelief. It’s hard to believe, but it’s true. The ones who’ve already betrayed humanity wouldn’t bat an eye at betraying the Demon King.
“Yeah, it’s true. They’ve even created an internal map using countless cross-verifications. You all know how significant knowing a map is, right?”
“Knowing the map doesn’t mean we can kill the Demon King, though.”
“That’s not entirely wrong.”
While it would make the journey to the Demon King easier, the map wouldn’t take the Demon King down itself. Though, it’s quite a pessimistic way of thinking.
“Thanks to the Ice Palace Lord supporting the White Flower Brigade, we won’t have much to do until we meet the Demon King. We just need to strap on our seat belts and step in when it’s necessary.”
“Now with that, that’s some comforting news.”
Facing a major event like the showdown with the Demon King, nothing would feel worse than wasting energy on trivial matters. Even though Namgung Seong offered to help, he was instructed to focus entirely on scouting the external environment.
It’s certain that the Demon King was plotting something, hence leaving a reserve force.
“So, once everyone’s ready, let’s gather here. By 9 o’clock. We’ll leave as soon as everyone arrives.”
“Woo, that’s unfair! Trying to meet up closer by yourself is just sneaky!”
Namgung Seong jeered about something trivial. So what? If you think you can lead, be my guest. I thought about letting the professor take charge, but he refused!
After making their brief preparations, the group set out from base camp. As they approached the stairs to the underground, Kim Hyun-soo shot a displeased glance at the War Leader, but it was no big deal.
*
“The Demon King is plotting something, and I’m sure you know that.”
Deep within the human army’s base camp, in a makeshift underground prison, a necromancer was facing intense interrogation. Simply knowing the internal structure wouldn’t be sufficient. They needed to uncover the plans of the Demon King.
Right now, it was merely questioning, but if continued cooperation wasn’t forthcoming, it would surely escalate to torture. Some of the other necromancers who’d escaped together were already complaining of their suffering in the prison.
Even if one were an utterly clueless lackey, their mind would be shattered through torture. This way, the green-robed mages from the Magic Tower could delve into their psyche to extract information.
No one would condemn such harsh treatment of a captured defector. After all, they were traitors who had already betrayed humanity, and this was almost a humanitarian treatment.
Even demons had their restrictions. After betraying the Demon King and siding with humanity, a magical block prevented them from spilling all the information. And if they broke that block, in most cases, their brain would explode and they would die.
The delay in discovering the internal structure stemmed from that block.
Creating a basic layout of their designated room on paper wouldn’t trigger the block. So, they gathered all the defected necromancers to sketch it out, ultimately creating a map where only a few areas remained empty.
Despite the man’s probing questions, the necromancer remained unresponsive. Naturally, even a nod or shake could lead to death. The investigator’s inquiries were merely for show.
And then, the torture began anew. At least they’re not killing me, thought the necromancer as they surrendered to the pain. They screamed, writhed in agony. Even if they could never lead a normal life again, they wanted to cling to life, hence allowing themselves to mentally detach.
After some time, as the necromancer became a complete wreck, blood, spit, and snot dribbling down, a green-robed mage approached, dark blue mana emanating from their fingertips, pressing against the necromancer’s head like pads from a deep-tissue massage.
Reading. Continuously reading. Slowly extracting the hidden secrets in the deepest recesses, like pulling a cat out from under the bed.
The necromancer began to convulse. The clerics standing by moved closer and began casting divine arts.
If the necromancer died now, the mage whose consciousness was linked would die too. Losing such a crucial information agent was an unthinkable loss, so they desperately tried to keep them alive.
Not long after, the mage withdrew their hand from the demon’s head. Their face turned pale.
“What’s happening?”
“We… we must prepare. The Demon King is about to appear…!!”
“…A new Demon King is arising? Or is it…?”
At the mage’s frantic shout, the investigator calmly urged for an answer. Seeing someone else maintaining their composure helped the mage to gradually catch their breath and regain calm.
“Toyo is weaving a ritual. In other words, a summoning circle. The moment Yeon-woo and the others defeat the Demon King, the ‘true one’ will reveal itself on the surface.”
“…The true one.”
With that, the investigator fell silent and dashed out of the interrogation room. A few burly guards dragged the limp necromancer back to the prison.
Though it was unknown elsewhere, it was common knowledge in this base camp that the Demon King of Toyo was a fake. Yeon-woo had shared that information beforehand.
They proclaimed they would kill the High Priest and then deal with the Demon King lurking behind. And now, they entered the Sacred Grounds.
However, as it stood, the premise had shifted. Even if the High Priest was slain, the real Demon King would not appear in that very spot.
Rather, the true Demon King would be summoned somewhere they had set up, striking fear into humanity yet again, akin to the horrific ‘Sorrowful Saturday’ incident.
Could they stand in the way of the true Toyo’s Demon King? That remained uncertain. But if they made no attempt to stop it, countless lives would be lost.
(To be continued in the next chapter)