<Episode 172>
Come to think of it, the day Dian initially collapsed was also the day of family supper.
‘Assasination. What could be the reason for threatening a child who hasn’t even become an adult yet?’
With five siblings, it could be a matter related to the fight of succession.
‘I’m at a loss. Should I skip the meal altogether?’
When I slowly arrived at the dining room, probably because I was lost in thought, there was only an empty chair left for me. Unwelcome gazes were directed at me, and I memorized each face that those eyes belonged to.
Could the culprit be among them?
“You’re late, Dian.”
“Sorry.”
Apologizing, I sat down, and a grilled clam dish with a red sauce was served. Quietly observing my brothers who had already started eating, I discreetly rang the bell.
“I have an upset stomach, so could you make a simple vegetable stew with some meat in it?”
“I’ll pass that on to the cook.”
The brother sitting next to me must have heard my whisper because he snorted softly.
“How odd.”
Coincidentally, I’d never seen how Dian treated his brothers. So I just ignored it as if I didn’t hear it.
“Why bother participating in the dinner when you can’t even eat properly?”
“….”
“Hey. Can’t you hear me?”
“….”
“Huh. I guess you think you’re too good to talk to me these days. Are you ignoring your big brother now?”
“….”
Why was this kid so noisy? He should just chew his food.
Due to the increasing voice of the guy next to me picking a fight, the attention of the head. who was quietly eating turned towards us.
“Dian, are you still not feeling well?”
Then should I take poison and fall down again?
“Trying to get better.”
“Well, it’s good to see you try.”
What’s so good about it? That lunatic. His ability to make my blood boil every time he talked was an ability.
But if I wasn’t mistaken, Dian’s brothers looked slightly envious even of that slightest praise.
About 10 minutes had passed in the cold atmosphere. The patriarch, who had been listening to the boastings of my brothers with a bored expression, spoke to me.
“It’s strange, Dian. You’re not leaving your seat early today.”
How perceptive.
‘It means Dian must’ve been just that reluctant to share his meals with them.’
I openly expressed my intention to stay in my seat.
“I have something I want to ask Father.”
“Is it about that slave?”
“Yes.”
I was slightly nervous about his refusal, but surprisingly, the head immediately accepted my request.
“All of you, go back to your rooms.”
But I didn’t expect him to kick out the brothers who hadn’t even finished eating.
‘Does this man possess no paternal love?’
One of the hesitant siblings spoke to the patriarch with a wry smile, fumbling through his words.
“Father, I’m also curious about that infamous ‘Tower Monster’….”
“Do you want me to repeat myself?”
The brother who spoke quickly lowered his head with a pale look on his face.
“I apologize, Father. I will see you tomorrow.”
What a tyrant, indeed, he’s a tyrant.
It was ridiculous behavior, but I didn’t show any reaction. I’d only known the head of Serenier for a few days now, but I had already fully realized how overbearing and selfish he was.
After the brothers went away, the head of Serenier, who took a sip of his drink, asked me.
“So, what are you curious about?”
“…I’m curious about why it has to be ‘that slave’ among so many slaves.”
Feeling a slight tremor at the patriarch’s fierce expression, I quickly added a follow-up.
“I intend to faithfully carry out Father’s orders. But it’s just that he doesn’t seem to have any special qualities in my eyes…”
“Dian, how old do you think that slave is?”
Recalling the conversation I had with Rue in my dream, I gave an approximate number.
“He seems to be a little over twenty.”
“That’s right. That bastard is barely over twenty and has surpassed three walls.”
What?
‘That’s ridiculous. Crossing three walls at the age of just over twenty?’
What did it mean to surpass three walls?
There was no need for a long explanation. Simply put, it meant being on the same level as Rogue’s three Calepas and the swordmaster. Even the swordmaster, who was renowned as a genius blessed by God, achieved it after crossing the age of 40. And to achieve it at less than half that age.
‘He’s even greater than I’d vaguely imagined.’
Do you have to be a genius of that level to reach the level of demigod? I couldn’t even dream of it.
“It’s unbelievable. How could someone with such amazing talent be trapped at the tower…”
“You’re talking stupid. Of course, it’s impressive. But what good is it to have crossed three walls if the opponent is Calepa?”
The patriarch’s mockery brought to mind the enraged Rue at the tower.
“Or is this also a ploy to turn me into an avatar of that disgusting god?”
‘Could it be that the disgusting God Rue mentioned is Calepa?’
I don’t have enough information to say for sure yet.
After agonizing for a while, I murmured softly, barely audible to the patriarch’s ears.
“Ah, that’s what it was.”
Not missing the brief moment, The Head sharply asked back.
“What do you mean?”
I fumbled my answer, pretending to be surprised that he’d heard me.
“Last night, when the slave saw me, he raged, talking about his grievances about a god’s avatar. If the god he mentioned is ‘he,’ I wondered if it was right to feed ‘his’ avatar Astrosa’s three deadly poisons…”
“Hmm. So, the reason you reluctantly attended tonight’s dinner was that. Yes, I know what you are concerned about. No matter how extraordinary his physique may be, it would be difficult to withstand the Astrosa’s Three Deadly Poisons.”
“…”
“That’s why I entrusted it to you, Dian. There is no one else more perfect than you who can refine the body to be offered to Calepa. If you successfully complete this mission, Calepa will reward you greatly.”
The short encouragement contained a great deal of information that couldn’t be ignored. Thinking back on the events I had experienced, it wasn’t too difficult to interpret it in my own way.
‘The God refers to Calepa, and the avatar signifies Calepa’s new body.’
It seemed that I, or rather, Dian, was entrusted with a part of that process.
“I won’t let you down.”
The head, who was stroking his chin, smiled with satisfaction.
“You’ve changed. Just a few days ago, you couldn’t hide your awkwardness. You’ve finally become a son that is useful to me.”
I had an inkling of what kind of child Lord Serenier was hoping for. Since I was praised, I decided to be a bit more explicit with my question.
“But how is the avatar completed? Depending on the situation, the recovery of some areas may take some time.”
“Once we put ‘his’ heart inside his body. It is a very honorable grace that no ordinary human can aspire to have.”
Heart crystal.
‘This is totally… the same case as Natasha, isn’t it?’
The swordmaster’s prediction was correct.
If you swallowed the heart of a demi-god, you could become a host for them and have your body taken over!
I thought that I needed to solve Natasha’s problem as soon as possible, but there was nothing I could do at the moment.
‘Come to think of it, what happens to my physical body in reality while I’m here? Is it just lying unconscious?’
Ah. When I came to my senses a beat late, I responded to the patriarch, pretending to be greatly astonished.
“Wow, what a great honor. I almost want to eat it myself.”
…I thought I went too far, but luckily the head didn’t react at all.
It was now certain.
Before Rue became Calepa’s host, I had to rescue him from that tower.
Having cleared my mind, I headed straight to the pharmacy.
* * *
A little close to midnight.
Just like the day before, I dressed in a furry coat and hat, ready for the tower.
‘Darn it. My legs are sore.’
I couldn’t remember the last time I felt such intense muscle pain.
Carrying a bag twice as heavy as usual, I climbed the stairs today as well. The only advantage of climbing the tower’s stairs was that, at least for the moment I was climbing, I could forget about the cold.
And the downside was everything else.
“Hello.”
After arriving at the top floor, I pushed open the bars and slowly entered.
The cold, hidden golden eyes slowly revealed themselves. The gaze that looked up at me was as cold as ever.
Rue had a new muzzle on his mouth.
I put down the bag I had been carrying on my back on the floor. The items I took out from it were only two tubes, each the size of my forearm, and some water, but thanks to that, I was soaked in sweat once again.
“I brought more ointment because it looks like you have a lot of wounds. Um, this is disinfectant, and this is burn ointment.”
“….”
“So, will you give me permission this time?”
From the dry edge of Rue’s thin, pale lips, a faint, welcoming breath rose.
“I told you.”
As if he was too tired to deal with me any longer, he closed his eyes once again and spoke in a voice rough like the surface of tree bark.
“I don’t need the sympathy of trash like you… Get lost.”
Today’s Rue was like a dying candle. I lifted the portable lantern a little higher to check his condition.
‘As expected… the wounds have increased.’
I couldn’t give up when he was in that state.
I approached Rue, leaving the lantern down. Just as his gaze became more fierce, as if to threaten me, I straightened my back.
I then took off my clothes.
“Ugh, it’s cold.”
First, the scarf, gloves, and hat. Then the coat, cardigan, winter dress… Especially when unbuttoning the last dress, my hands trembled. I didn’t have the luxury to observe Rue’s reaction, I wanted to gain his trust as soon as possible.
With that, wearing a long-sleeved nightgown, I crouched down and spoke to Rue.
“Well, I am practically bare now. Believe it or not, I have no weapons that can threaten you. Ah, it’s cold! Or do you want to check inside to confirm?”
The gleaming golden eyes focused on my face. His upper body was illuminated by the yellow light. I could see drops of red blood falling from heavily swollen skin.
“I mean it. At least for now, I have no intention of doing anything to you while you’re trapped here.”
I continued to talk, suppressing a momentary surge of emotions.
“…So let me treat your wounds.”
Rue wasn’t lying when he said he’s a genius omg
Thank you for the chapter!
Korean novels have tendency to make ML perfect superman, most handsome man in the world, rich as hell or blackened psychopath with obsession issues but present Rue is a mixture of all of it and he still somehow works as a character. Rue cliched so hard, he went past the stereotype.
BAHAHA I love that. Rue truly is a gem, he’s nothing like any other ml I’ve seen. he just does it better haha.
Earlier the Calepas mentioned that crossing the third wall requires giving up your current life. My theory on why the previous two were about knowing yourself and making connections is because it would be all too easy to give up shallow connections and a meaningless life. It’s only a struggle to give up the things that truly mean the most to you. It’s also similar to what the Emperor said earlier. You can only truly understand good after committing the greatest evils, ect, ect. If Rue loses his memory past the age of 22 I wonder if that’s when he crossed the Fourth Wall, by giving up his memories of Daisy/Ash(as Dian)