## Chapter 390 – 390. God’S Atlantis
390. God’s Atlantis
The trial proceeded swiftly.
I took on the role of the judge myself, and Baron Hartung’s lawyer initially argued that the death penalty was too harsh, then remained silent.
As some might know, this trial was merely a formality.
The witnesses and evidence were flawless, and none of the nobles in the city council tried to save Baron Hartung. He was both their partner and their rival. In exchange for me turning a blind eye to the nobles’ crimes by accepting their bribes, Baron Hartung would be executed.
Baroness Hartung, sitting with a weary expression, avoided her husband’s gaze. She had been rolling around in bed with me until this morning. Her vagina would still be full of my semen.
Baroness Hartung was to receive a title and 40% of the assets. 60% was mine. Originally, I was going to leave her 20%, but my time in bed with Baroness Hartung was quite satisfying.
“…Therefore, I sentence Baron Hartung to death. Any objections?”
I looked at the five nobles who had attended the trial as participants.
Since this was a trial to execute a noble, the consent of the participants was required. If even one person objected, the trial would be postponed. However, I wouldn’t be able to hold the trial, and it would be up to the judges to do so.
“…”
The nobles remained silent, and it was Baron Hartung who became anxious. Without arms or legs, he was tied to a chair and shouted at the top of his lungs.
“You people! Anyone! Please raise an objection! I will certainly reward you! Hurry! Quickly!”
“…”
“Is this all our loyalty was worth?! We’ve been doing well together! We can do well in the future! Please! An objection! Raise an objection!”
“…”
The nobles remained silent.
“Bridget!”
He called out to his wife.
“What have you been doing while I was locked up! You should have tried to save me somehow!”
“Hic… hic…”
“Don’t just cry, do something! Uwaaaaaaah!”
I watched Baron Hartung’s desperate struggle and struck the wooden gavel three times.
Bang, bang, bang!
“Aaaaaaah! Inspector! Just once! Please, just once, have mercy! I’ll do anything!”
“Soldiers. The verdict has been given. Are you just going to stand there?”
The soldiers moved and took Baron Hartung to the plaza.
He was hanged to death on the gallows prepared in the plaza.
***
After the trial, I had to deal with the nobles who swarmed around me. Their faces were stiff. Since there were no nobles with a title higher than a count in this district, I could wield my power as I pleased.
They would curse me as a madman in their hearts, but having seen Baron Hartung executed, they would try their best to be cautious.
“Inspector. I know a good restaurant, would you like to have lunch with me?”
“I heard that the Inspector likes dancers, so I’m looking for one.”
“I have a gift I would like to give to the Inspector. Could you spare some time for me?”
I brushed off the nobles and called for Romreng.
“I’m sorry. I have a prior engagement with Romreng here. I’ll visit you next time.”
I headed to the Pishian family with Romreng.
Romreng’s sister-in-law was indeed as beautiful as Baroness Hartung. Soft brown hair and slightly drooping eyes. She exuded a kind and gentle aura.
‘Hehe… Let’s start the operation.’
It wasn’t a difficult task. I would find a pretext to target the Pishian family and use my authority to remove Romreng’s brother from the position of head of the family. In the case of Romreng’s sister-in-law, I would demand her body on the condition that I wouldn’t kill the head of the family.
‘Perfect!’
***
By evening, I went to see Lizette. Once again, I became a special guest and listened to her words of blessing.
“You’ve had good results again. Everything you do will go well.”
After the dance, I headed to the restaurant with her. Rumors were spreading throughout the city that Lizette and I were dating.
While cutting into her steak, she asked me.
“Tomorrow, you’re going to the Labyrinth of Fate?”
The labyrinth located beneath the city. A labyrinth where one could glimpse their fate. The reason I came to this city was to enter the Labyrinth of Fate.
“I was originally planning to go today, but I had some things to do, so it was postponed until tomorrow.”
“Do you believe in fate, Inspector?”
“Yeah.”
If this were reality, I would have firmly shaken my head, but this world was a world within a creation. There was a grand plot in the novel, and that was no different from fate.
“That’s unexpected. I heard that just because you enter the Labyrinth of Fate doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily see your fate… I hope you see your fate in the labyrinth, Inspector.”
“Thank you.”
Clink.
The glasses filled with wine clinked.
After escorting her to her luxurious inn, I rubbed the back of my neck and fell into thought.
I had gathered information about Lizette. She had suddenly appeared two years ago. She was a continental, not an exile.
Exiles appear in the ‘First District, the Church of Beginning’ when they first enter Atlantis. Naturally, exiles are recorded as soon as they start. But there was no record of Lizette. That was proof that she was a continental.
‘Even if she changed her name, she wouldn’t go unnoticed with that beauty. Lizette suddenly appeared in District 4,407 two years ago.
District 4,407, the Meadow of Early Spring.
It’s a peaceful and quiet district. There are no monsters. There’s a large lake in the district, making it ideal for fishing. People who visit this district usually have two reasons. To spend a healing vacation or to spend the rest of their lives peacefully.
‘I have information that Lizette travels all over Atlantis. And she never did anything noticeable like being a dancer.’
Why would she suddenly work as a dancer in this city? Was she short on money? That’s unlikely. There’s no way she, who has been traveling well so far, would suddenly be short on money.
‘I asked Okjeong about Lizette, but Okjeong doesn’t know who Lizette is.’
I told Okjeong to try talking to the Divine Throne, the blue bird that calls the dark clouds. But the Divine Throne seemed to have ignored Okjeong, remaining silent no matter how many times she called.
‘……Speculation is not good. But if it’s true…’
The corners of my mouth lifted into a smile.
***
I entered the Labyrinth of Fate and moved without hesitation.
There were a few rules in the Labyrinth of Fate.
One was that you should not move according to someone else’s will. When choosing a path, it should always be your own will.
That was a plausible load of bull.
According to the setting book I knew, the Labyrinth of Fate had an effect just by walking through it. If you were lucky and had the opportunity, you could glimpse your fate.
The other was that even if you were scared, you shouldn’t panic and keep moving forward. There were several exits in the Labyrinth of Fate, so if you wandered around for about 4-5 hours, you would eventually be able to get out.
‘First, follow the left side…’
I kept moving along the left wall. When a fork in the road appeared, I naturally chose the left. I encountered a few people along the way, but I didn’t acknowledge them. There was no need to.
‘I’m out. A five-way intersection.’
I entered the fourth path from the left. This time, I moved along the right side.
‘Enter the second path out of the three paths…’
My steps, which had been moving without stopping, faltered. It was as if noise had entered my vision, and I saw something unfamiliar.
It was a red scene. It seemed like there was something there, but the noise was so bad that I couldn’t tell what it was.
My vision returned to normal.
‘……Is this my fate? What does it mean?’
I kept staring at the empty space, but I couldn’t see anything like what I had seen before. I gave up and started walking again.
It was about two hours later.
Three paths appeared.
The first was a pitch-black path. A path so dark that you couldn’t see an inch ahead. It was so dark that you might worry that it was a path leading to the abyss.
‘It looks like some kind of monster will pop out, but in reality, there’s nothing there. At some point, you’ll be teleported to somewhere in the labyrinth.’
The second was a path with crystals embedded in the walls. If you walked this path, you would vividly recall old memories that you had forgotten. It was to the point where you could even know the memories of when you were born.
‘It’s good when you want to know a secret about your birth. If I go in… will I remember my memories from reality? Or the avatar’s memories?’
It was a little interesting, but I had no intention of trying it out. That wasn’t my goal.
The third was a path covered in frost. Just standing at the entrance, I could feel a coldness that seemed to freeze my whole body. Normally, you would go inside and come right back out. If you went in without any preparation, you would surely freeze to death.
‘I’ve prepared for this.’
I took out a red cloak from my inventory.
「Ermita’s Cloak
A cloak made by changing the properties of ironwood into fibers.
It has excellent durability and does not get dirty easily.
It has high cold resistance.
Rank: A」
I had asked the Iron Root Dwarves to make this cloak for this moment.
As soon as I put the cloak over my shoulders, the cold immediately disappeared.
‘As expected of A rank. The performance is good.’
I stepped into the frosty cave.
According to the setting book, this path was a place where the dregs of fate gathered.
A place where the thoughts and dregs of fate of those who tried to resist fate but eventually failed and succumbed to it gathered.
「Unfinished justice strikes you.」
A cold wind blew. I pulled the cloak over my head and endured the cold.
「A fragment of fate permeates you.」
「Agility increases by 1.」
The further I went inside, the colder it became.
‘Is A-rank cold resistance not enough… I thought it would be close.’
My breath immediately froze.
「Shattered ambition pierces your heart.」
I felt nothing.
‘It seems like it was a mental attack.’
It was nothing to me, who had a mental resistance trait.
「A fragment of fate permeates you.」
「Stamina increases by 1.」
「An incurable disease consumes your body.」
I felt like my body temperature had dropped sharply. I pondered for a moment and then created lightning.
Zzzzt.
As a temporary measure, I used the heat of the lightning to raise the temperature. It was effective, but my mana was being consumed quickly.
「A fragment of fate permeates you.」
「Mana increases by 1.」
「Luck increases by 1.」
After that, the dregs of fate continued to attack me. I struggled a bit when my mana ran out, but I didn’t die.
「A flower blooming in filth pierces your ankle.」
「An unpayable atonement snatches your neck.」
「The 58th scream lingers in your ear.」
If you overcame these, you would receive a reward. My stats had increased by more than 10, so I was satisfied.
And finally, I reached a dead end.
‘Damn it. My fingers are frostbitten.’
At the dead end, there was a brilliantly shining ball of light. I reached out my blue, frostbitten hand towards the light floating in the air. I couldn’t feel anything in my hand.
‘This… if I went to the hospital, the doctor would have yelled that I needed to have it amputated immediately.’
My hand touched the ball of light. Then, the ball of light seeped into my hand and disappeared.
「The Fate Destroyer has permeated your body.」
「Fate Destroyer
You can destroy fate only once.
Rank: EX」
「The title ‘Fate Destroyer’ is given.」
「All stats increase by 1.」
‘I got it!’
The surrounding space changed.
The frozen walls and floor melted in an instant, and the cold that seemed to freeze my heart disappeared without a trace.
My frostbitten hand returned to normal, and I could feel the mana filling my body.
「The Lord of the Heavens is impressed.」
「The King of the Sky congratulates you.」
The Fate Destroyer was no ordinary power. It was a one-time use, but it was a power that could end any Divine Throne.
‘It won’t work at all against top-tier gods like Zeus, but this is something.’
I happily moved to find the exit.
‘I’ll go back and take down a baron… and take down the bastards who didn’t bribe me… huh?’
Water was flowing on the floor. The water, which I didn’t know where it was coming from, kept flowing, and the water level was gradually rising.
I frowned and walked through the labyrinth. The water had already reached the point where my toes were submerged.
‘What is it? Is it because I got the Fate Destroyer? No, that wasn’t written in the setting book.’
The water had already risen to my calves.
And seven men stood in my way. They were men holding crude weapons like daggers, kitchen knives, and hammers.
“Ahi… heehee… if we kill you… heehee…”
The men were all out of their minds.
