Chapter 960 – 960. Yggdrasil (7)
The coat that Seong Su-ho covered was clearly a thin coat.
A coat that doesn’t seem to be helpful at all in reducing the chill level.
But in the middle of winter wearing such a coat…
Hehe.”
He walked down the hallway with a lively look, as if his coat had driven away all the chill.
Midwinter, who was heading towards Min Ha-yeon and her group with such light steps, was only able to realize something strange after some time had passed.
“Now that I think about it… “It’s a bit unusual.”
I had already heard the circumstances and knew roughly what the relationship between Seong Su-ho and his successor was.
Seong Su-ho, who lifted the king’s curse that no one could lift.
It was true that the successor received tremendous help from that fact alone.
But even so…
“I thought I had become a king.”
It was amazing to see the successor honoring Seong Su-ho with the utmost respect.
When taking Seong Su-ho with him, he even bowed politely as if he was taking a real king.
And at that moment, Midwinter was next to Seong Su-ho…
“… “Does this feel good?”
He shrugged his shoulders too.
Clearly, the treatment Seong Su-ho received was entirely his responsibility.
Even though Midwinter’s relationship with Seongsuho only got better, they were not rationally close.
But despite this, he was able to taste power indirectly through Seong Su-ho.
“Don’t you know that you feel this way every day?”
It was an expression that could seem snobbish, but Midwinter did not necessarily want to deceive his true feelings.
Rather, it was only more enjoyable to know Seong Su-ho’s strengths.
But that feeling didn’t last long…
“… “You said you were going to the Mountain of Darkness, right?”
Even in the middle of winter, I didn’t know exactly what the mountain of darkness was.
The sisters didn’t even explain exactly why they were going there.
“Every time I asked, it seemed like he was changing the subject…”
Actually, I was able to guess the reason why the sisters changed their words.
Danger.
There was a strong feeling that he was deliberately hiding his younger brother from being involved in something dangerous.
I was worried when I saw the sisters like that, but…
“My sisters are strong, so there won’t be any problem.”
Midwinter already had no doubts about the skills of Seongsuho’s party.
The reason why Midwinter suddenly thought of the Mountain of Darkness was simple.
“If you ask me to go with you, I’m sure you’ll say no…”
It was because he wanted to join Seong Su-ho and his group.
Midwinter, who was worrying so much, chuckled.
Then, she held onto Seongsu-ho’s coat tightly and made a serious expression.
“I’ll try telling my sisters first, and if that doesn’t work, I’ll have to ask them when we’re alone.”
Midwinter said so and quickly ran to the throne room.
***
The heir guided me to the room, and as soon as I entered the room, he started talking in earnest.
“As I said earlier, you can enter the Mountain of Darkness tomorrow. Would you like to schedule an appointment for tomorrow?”
“No. “I will decide after talking with my colleagues.”
Even if I have the right to decide, it doesn’t mean I can make my own decisions.
Before going, I planned to check what the inside of the Mountain of Darkness was like and prepare to respond.
The heir smiled and said, as if he was satisfied with my answer.
“We will give you a room in the castle until you decide. Please don’t feel burdened and use it comfortably.”
First of all, I was satisfied with the treatment.
Even if the castle is collapsed and corroded here and there, they wouldn’t offer a ruined place as a guest room.
Above all, the king’s bedroom and the successor’s room were equipped with hotel-level facilities.
Even if it was just this much, I thought it was a blessing and I should have said thank you.
“Thank you for your concern.”
“You’re welcome. Then… Now, let me explain why I brought you here.”
I guess I didn’t call you in the first place just because I said I’d give you a room.
I took a listening stance with a firm expression.
‘I’m sure this isn’t a strange request again, is it?’
I am willing to at least grant a request.
But now my successor and I are maintaining a thorough business relationship.
In addition, if we were to consider the relationship between A and A, it was a relationship so clear that I could say with my own mouth that I was A.
If the successor misunderstands the Gap-eul relationship…
‘I guess I should turn it over once.’
I thought I had no choice but to adopt the method of building relationships through force.
However, contrary to my concerns, the successor asked a question rather than a request.
“If you don’t mind, may I ask how many people will enter the Mountain of Darkness?”
It was an unexpected question.
I thought it wasn’t something to hide, so I answered honestly.
“There will be five people including me.”
Me, Min Ha-yeon, One Spring, One Autumn, Namgung Yuha.
This is the plan, but there will be no significant changes to the members.
“Are you going with the party members you were with earlier?”
“You can say that.”
“Phew…”
“… ?”
After hearing my answer, the successor sighed and was relieved.
What? Will there be any trouble if the number of people entering the mountain increases?
When I made a puzzled expression, the heir came to his senses with a sigh.
“I’m sorry for showing you such a pathetic expression.”
“There’s no need to apologize… “May I ask why you asked?”
The heir answered without any hesitation.
“It’s because of the absence of troops.”
“Absence of troops?”
“I heard that you are close to the leader of Ardia and the leader of the Izanka branch.”
“Yes.”
To be honest, it was an ambiguous relationship to describe as close, but I decided that it was not unreasonable to say that we were close friends at that level.
In particular, Ardia and Lena were in a priestly relationship, and like Min Ha-yeon and Han Bom, they were like biological sisters who were not related by blood.
Since I was acquainted with Lena, of course she was also acquainted with me.
Although we left behind bad memories in the past…
“But why Ardia and Izanka?”
Entering the mountain, being hospitalized, and getting to know the two people.
There didn’t seem to be any particular connection.
However, the successor’s thoughts were different.
“Leader Ardia and Izanka Detached Commander are the core of our current strength.”
As the successor said, these two people were people with overwhelming power among summoners.
Even Midwinter, who was known to be one of the most talented soldiers in the current army, was just a child in front of the two.
“In particular, Leader Ardia’s tactics are truly genius. Without her, Umbra would have been filled with cries every day mourning the deaths of soldiers.”
Even after that, the successor continued to praise Ardia.
This was a passage that showed how important Ardia and Izanka are to Umbra.
After finishing praising Ardia and Izanka, the heir suddenly looked at me and started talking.
“Actually, I would like to ask Seong Su-ho and his colleagues for help, but…”
The heir looked at me, smiled bitterly, and bowed his head.
“I already know the consequences of not being able to control my greed, so I will give up.”
The ending of not being able to control his greed seemed to mean the end of King Baron.
‘I’m lucky.’
In fact, as the successor said, controlling his greed was a godsend for him.
‘I don’t need to use the Death Side.’
The Death Side I had was not just a weapon for slaughter.
=====
[Power of Darkness]: You can use Thanatos’ limbs (jobs related to Thanatos, Umbra people) at will.
=====
He also had the ability to control the people of Umbra.
Of course, the successor is also a citizen of Umbra, so that ability will definitely work.
‘If you clear the boss dungeon, the war will end anyway.’
The heir continued the story with a bitter smile, not knowing that his future had been decided by his choice.
“We will provide as much support as possible. “If there is anything you want, just tell me.”
It’s a good thing. I wanted to ask about the inside of the Mountain of Darkness and the boss dungeon.
I thought so and asked.
“Tell me about the inside of the Mountain of Darkness.”
“Hmm… Sorry. “I don’t know that either.”
“I don’t know… ?”
“That is…”
The successor’s explanation was simple.
It is said that when you enter the Mountain of Darkness, a warning window appears.
And that warning window…
“Once you enter the Mountain of Darkness, it is impossible to descend until it is cleared.”
There is a message that once you enter, you cannot descend the mountain until it is cleared.
“Currently, no one has entered the mountain separately, but there are records of past successors dispatching troops several times.”
They sent troops, and there was even a record of 200 people entering the mountain at once last season.
And although there was a clear record of entering the mountain…
“… “No one came back.”
There was no record of return.
In other words, the Mountain of Darkness itself was a boss dungeon.
‘It won’t be easy.’
Just because it wasn’t easy didn’t mean it was a reason to give up.
‘No matter how difficult it is, clearing it itself is possible.’
In the worst situation, you can just use warp.
As I was making the plan, I recited one person’s name to myself.
‘Summer… I miss you.’
[Why suddenly?]
‘… If he was there, I could just kill him and return in a dangerous situation.’
[…]
I always think, regression is a fraud.
It’s unfortunate that it’s not my ability and there are a lot of limitations, but…
“I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.”
“It’s okay.”
“If you need any other help, please let me know.”
“Yes.”
That’s how the story between me and my successor came to an end.
.
.
As soon as the heir finished talking, he immediately guided us to the guest room.
The room that the successor showed me was a single room per person, and I really liked the interior.
Not only me…
“Oooh! It’s like a hotel!”
“I can sleep comfortably for the first time in a long time.”
The members also liked it.
No, in fact, the members liked it much more.
Hanbom and Han Gaeul started chatting and giggling as soon as they entered the room.
“Kyaaa! It’s fluffy!”
“Your room looks better than mine. Do you want to trade with me?”
“Ugh, I won’t waste it~”
“Rejected without even seeing what my room was like? Well, do whatever you want~”
“… Let’s take a look first.”
Unlike men, who just need a place to sleep, women seemed to recover emotionally just by changing where they sleep.
And Namgung Yuha was no different.
“Suho did all the hard work, so I wonder if I should be treated like this…” .
“Of course it’s okay. Please rest comfortably.”
“Hehe… “I will stay with a grateful heart.”
Namgung Yuha also smiled and started looking around her room.
As soon as Namgung Yuha entered her room, Min Ha-yeon came next to me and whispered with a worried expression.
“Suho, are you okay?”
He seemed worried because of his gloomy appearance earlier.
I smiled brightly and answered.
“I felt better after taking a walk.”
“… If you are having a hard time, please tell me. “Don’t suffer alone.”
“Haha… Thank you for your concern.”
After Min Ha-yeon comforted me like that, she crossed my arms and brought up another topic.
“Now that I think about it. Didn’t Winter bring up the story of the Mountain of Darkness earlier?”
“The Mountain of Darkness… ?”
“Huh. “I said I wanted to go with you.”
I never thought he would suddenly want to accompany me…
But the midwinter that was said was not actually here.
“Where is Midwinter?”
“He just said that and left right away. I heard you came while you were at work…”
… They just took my clothes and left.
It wasn’t a particularly important piece of clothing, but I never thought I’d take it with me.
“For now, let’s talk about it slowly later.”
“Yes.”
We ended the story like that…
“Let’s take a nap and then talk.”
After resting in each room, we decided to discuss the future.
.
.
“It’s comfortable.”
As I lay down on the soft bed for the first time in a long time, a smile spread across my face.
But that joy is short-lived…
“…”
Thoughts about the gravedigger began to spread like fog again.
As I was lying in bed, staring blankly at the ceiling, Gekkosu’s chatter happened to interrupt my vision.
└Guardian of the gay dick: Don’t worry too much. That gentleman must have been happy thanks to you.
“Haha… “Is it obvious like that?”
└Guardian of the gay dick: Of course.
Seeing a woman who cried out for a jerk off every day say something like that, I guess she really has a good expression.
I nodded in reflection.
“Thank you for your concern.”
└Guardian of the gay dick: Well… Because time will tell. I won’t say any more either.
It was a moment when I received comfort from Gekkosu and gained peace of mind.
〈Again… I reached it.〉
At the same time, the girl’s voice I heard before echoed in my head…
Shoot!
“Wha!?”
A strong blue-green light covered me.
I couldn’t open my eyes because of the strong blue-green light, and my sense of smell and hearing became sensitive.
The smell of grass is strong enough to wash your hair thoroughly.
The sound of the wind that makes your eardrums happy.
I felt two sensations and slowly began to open my eyes.
The blue-green color disappears and what I see is…
“… “Where am I?”
It was a dark plain.
At least I was able to tell that it was a plain thanks to the light coming in little by little from the sky.
I spoke directly over the phone.
‘Armonia.’
But there was no response from communications.
‘The channel was also blocked…’
The chat of Gekkosu, who should have been making a fuss by now, didn’t even come up.
‘… Dream? Or where were you taken?’
The moment I was so worried, I heard a voice again.
〈This way… Please come.〉
“…”
Without answering, I started walking towards the direction where the voice was heard.
Originally, I would not have followed the unidentified voice directly.
But…
‘Let’s check who it is.’
The opponent is the being who led the gravedigger to rest.
I’m sure he sang it to convey an important message to me.
‘I think I already know who it is…’
Actually, I had a rough guess as to who the voice was.
Guided by the voice, I arrived at the place…
“… Tree?”
A huge old tree the size of a large building was planted.
However, the condition of the old tree was too miserable to be described as grand.
The tree trunk, as big as a large building, had its bark peeling here and there, exposing the inside, and the bark was pouring down like ash.
Furthermore, there were no dry leaves on the bare branches, let alone leaves.
From the outside, it was just an old tree that had already rotted and died.
But in that old tree…
〈More… Please come closer.〉
“…”
A voice was heard.
As I got closer to the old tree, I could see that the tree trunk had a different shape from other trees.
‘… A gap?’
There was a huge gap in the center of a tree trunk the size of a building.
And between those cracks…
〈Finally… We got to meet each other.〉
A girl was sitting on her stump with her eyes closed.
I looked at the girl and asked.
“Who are you?”
The girl was as quiet as dead and her voice spread through my head.
〈My name is… Yggdrasil. I have something to say to you, so I came to you despite being rude.〉
NANI!?