Chapter 147

Spring (2)

The Mage King, Kadir.

The story of his life was filled with tales that sounded as though they had come straight out of a children’s book.

He had single-handedly defeated a dragon, vanquished every renowned mage who challenged him, and accomplished countless other legendary feats.

But the most fairy-tale-like part of his story was undoubtedly his friendship with the Hero.

The Hero as the protagonist and a mage as his companion—it was a combination commonly found in fairy tales.

Even their achievement resembled one: together, they had defeated the Undying King.

The Undying King had appeared due to the atrocities of the Holy Kingdom, at a time when the demon race was gradually shedding its image as servants of a Demon King.

Whatever the Undying King’s past might have been, the previous Hero and Kadir had joined forces to subjugate him.

Although the previous Hero had tragically lost his life in the aftermath, his death was recorded as a noble sacrifice.

As the Hero’s closest friend, Kadir had also quietly mourned him while temporarily burying the regrettable truth.

However, after confronting the vile and dark secrets concealed by the Holy Kingdom, even that tragic truth began to feel meaningless.

’The ones who claim they have no desire for money are always the greediest.’

The same was true of justice. Those who went around proclaiming themselves righteous were never right in the head.

That was exactly what El Dorado was like now. Those who were supposed to distance themselves from greed had become consumed by it.

Outwardly, they pretended to be devout and respectable, but Kadir had noticed the truth long ago.

El Dorado’s image as a "Holy Kingdom" had already crumbled.

’I can hardly wait to hear what kind of nonsense they’ll spout.’

Thus, after making thorough preparations, Kadir headed for El Dorado.

He did not bother asking permission from the Kingdom of Iris, the nation in which the Magic Tower was located.

He was the Magic Tower itself, as well as a mage whose power rivaled that of an entire nation. Who could possibly stop him?

He was not called the Mage King for nothing. Even the king of Iris had to tread carefully around him.

And so, Kadir visited the Holy Kingdom of El Dorado alone.

El Dorado was greatly flustered by his sudden visit, but they immediately welcomed him as an honored guest.

He had given them some advance notice, and they also had ties dating back to the incident with the Undying King.

Before long, Kadir was allowed to enter the Holy See without any obstruction.

"...What did you just say?"

"We merely follow the will of God. What will of their own could servants such as us possibly possess?"

And within the Holy See—more precisely, during his meeting with the pope and the cardinals—Kadir could only stare at them in disbelief.

As the previous Hero’s friend, he knew perfectly well just how corrupt El Dorado’s upper echelons had once been.

However, those who held power back then were different from those who held it now. Humans had short lives, so generational changes occurred quickly.

He had assumed that things might have improved at least a little by now, but after only a brief conversation, he realized that they had become even more rotten than before.

’These bastards are genuinely beyond saving.’

Maintaining a calm expression, Kadir stared at Pope Louis II.

On the surface, he was an elderly man with a benevolent appearance, but a cunning serpent lurked within him.

A serpent ready to devour a person at any moment.

’Every rotten aspect of El Dorado is embodied in this one pope.’

Kadir clicked his tongue inwardly.

Judging by appearances, Kadir looked younger than the pope, but the two were actually around the same age.

He glanced around at the other cardinals. They said nothing, apparently having already become the pope’s obedient hands and feet.

"Servants of God... What an ambiguous phrase. Then are you saying that the merciless slaughter of the Undying King’s people was also God’s will?"

"Do you think we took pleasure in it? We merely followed the instructions given to us."

"Were they instructions from the previous pope, or from God?"

"The pope’s words are God’s message."

Their constant invocation of God truly was useful in every situation.

Simply claiming that something was God’s will allowed them both to attack and defend as they pleased.

In the distant past, Aris might personally have inflicted divine punishment upon them for their blasphemy.

However, as the ages passed and human civilization developed, the gods ceased interfering with the world.

’Perhaps they left because they were disappointed.’

That was highly likely. Even Kadir, who did not believe in any god, was feeling tremendously disappointed.

No—it had gone beyond disappointment. Hatred was rapidly swelling within him.

Especially because he knew just how noble the previous Hero had been.

"So God gave you that command... Is that truly what happened?"

"Are you suggesting that God failed to make the correct decision?"

"No. I’m asking whether you received a divine revelation or prophecy. The Hero told me that it was his homeland, not God, that pressured him into it."

"...."

That was your doing, wasn’t it? Don’t lie to my face.

I was the Hero’s friend. I even have recently uncovered evidence.

When Kadir asked with those implications behind his words, Louis II’s expression stiffened slightly.

The same was true of the other cardinals. They made no attempt to conceal their discomfort.

Kadir habitually stroked his thick beard and quietly continued.

"There is a saying in the Central Plains: ’You cannot hide the sky with the palm of your hand.’ Do you truly believe the world will never learn the truth? I would advise you to repent while you still can."

"My apologies, but...."

"Ah, of course, you probably weren’t the ones giving orders back then. You would have been the ones receiving them. It would have been wiser to emphasize that fact and apologize. What a shame."

"...."

If they had not been the ones who issued the orders at the time, Kadir could understand that much.

But if they still refused to apologize, they were irredeemable pieces of filth.

Either that, or their skulls were simply empty.

"See here. Your words are going too—"

Just as one of the cardinals could no longer contain his anger, Louis II raised a hand to stop him.

The cardinal had no choice but to swallow his fury.

Louis II then spoke while maintaining his same benevolent smile.

"I fully understand what you are trying to say, Lord Kadir. However, I hope you will understand that we merely follow the will of God."

"I wonder whether God would truly accept that interpretation of His will."

Kadir snorted.

His mocking words implied that people would no longer believe anything they said.

Kadir could ridicule them to their faces only because he was the previous Hero’s companion and possessed fame and power that no one could ignore.

Anyone else would already have been beheaded and had their head displayed on a pike.

However, even Kadir had failed to anticipate one thing.

There was always another level beneath rock bottom.

"O Mage King, do you know why we—and humanity as a whole—believe in God?"

"What do you mean?"

"Because we are ignorant and foolish. We constantly make the wrong choices, so God must guide us. Of course, even God does not always make the correct choice, but His choices are at least far better than ours."

To summarize it simply:

[Humanity is made up of mindless animals.]

Strictly speaking, the pope was referring to the people of El Dorado rather than humanity as a whole, but there was nothing wrong with interpreting it that way.

Everyone was supposedly equal before God, so what difference did it make?

Kadir ultimately had no choice but to laugh in disbelief.

He could not tell whether they were shameless or simply insane.

"I understand your views perfectly now. Thanks to you, I feel as though my eyes have finally been opened."

"I am pleased that we could be of assistance."

"That shameless façade of yours won’t last much longer."

Snap!

Kadir snapped his fingers as he spoke. Louis II immediately realized what that action meant.

Kadir had undoubtedly cast a spell.

The pope became visibly alarmed and hurriedly demanded,

"What have you done...?"

"Ah, nothing significant. Just as my eyes have been opened, I merely helped open the eyes of the people as well."

"Do you think you’ll emerge unscathed after doing this?"

"Do you even know what I’ve done before saying that?"

Kadir’s answer was to respond to shamelessness with shamelessness.

Ignoring Louis II’s fury, Kadir leisurely rose from his seat.

Realizing that something was wrong, one of the cardinals hurriedly attempted to summon the holy knights.

"Your Holiness! We have a disaster!"

"What happened?"

"A-a video of this meeting is currently being broadcast throughout El Dorado!"

"What do you mean?"

Louis II could not comprehend the messenger’s report.

This was not merely relay magic. A recording of their meeting was somehow being leaked throughout El Dorado.

Unable to understand what was happening, Louis II glared at Kadir.

"Ah, it’s nothing remarkable. I merely imitated the Gallery that you branded as evil."

"You imitated it?"

"The ability to record and replay everything one sees without the assistance of any device... Don’t you think it is a truly fascinating form of magic?"

Kadir chuckled. It was a thoroughly eccentric laugh.

By the time Louis II’s face had twisted like that of a demon, Kadir leisurely raised a hand.

"You will have a difficult time for a while. You brought all of this upon yourselves, so don’t resent me for it."

"Do you believe God does not know the truth?! Have you truly become a follower of that Gallery as well?"

I obtained a book from there and even deciphered it, you bastard.

Kadir firmly suppressed those words. It was not yet time to reveal that.

That was something he needed to disclose only after more time had passed and he was ready to advance to the next stage.

"The Gallery? I have no idea what you are talking about. It seems you have something weighing on your conscience."

"You...!"

"I’ll leave you to deal with this yourselves. I must be going."

He had started a fire and was now fleeing the scene. Kadir had tossed a bundle of firewood onto the dying embers.

El Dorado soon became so chaotic that it teetered on the brink of civil war, throwing the entire world into an uproar.

As Kadir leisurely returned to the Magic Tower, he thought,

’This is when we need the Hero... No. Perhaps it’s better that the Hero isn’t here right now.’

The Hero was currently on the run after being falsely branded a traitor.

No matter how violent the protesters became, they would inevitably scatter without a central figure around whom they could rally.

Would the Hero return, or would the Holy See make the first move?

’This is going to be a rather long battle.’

While chaos consumed El Dorado, Kadir quickly returned to the Magic Tower.

Teleportation was easy when one used magic—although that was only because he was Kadir.

The moment he returned to his beloved laboratory, he opened the refrigerator.

"The blue mushroom I received before... There it is."

[Kill them.]

"Later."

Kadir casually ignored the Undying King’s request and closed the refrigerator.

***

The Gallery was ablaze with discussion over the claim that humanity was made up of mindless animals.

To me, it was little more than watching a fire from across the river, so it did not matter all that much.

My reaction amounted to little more than, Huh, something strange is happening in the world.

Nothing I said would be of much help, and the Gallery probably would not help me either.

I merely found it fascinating that the small ball I had set rolling had transformed into a gigantic meteor plummeting toward the world.

’It’s gotten much warmer.’

I could physically feel that the end of winter was approaching.

My thick winter clothing was beginning to feel uncomfortably warm. Still, I would probably continue wearing it until tomorrow.

It was time to start maintaining my home again. The first problem was the ground, which had frozen solid and then thawed.

Rain had fallen, winter had suddenly arrived, and now the warmer weather had thawed the ground once more.

As a result, the earth had become somewhat muddy and difficult to manage.

Still, it was not so bad that my feet sank as though I were walking through a swamp or tidal flat. It was merely annoying.

’I should gather some gravel from the river later.’

When constructing a building, the most important thing was the ground.

Compacting and reinforcing the earth alone had taken more than half of the entire construction time.

Since I planned to build a furnace and an oven soon, I intended to compact the ground thoroughly.

I could gather gravel from the river, spread it over the ground, and press it down firmly.

"Wonmo, come here."

"Kkyu?"

"Uhehehe."

It was evening, and the sky was gradually growing dark.

I wrapped my arms around Wonmo and rolled around on the floor with him.

Winter was over and Wonmo had awakened, so we would finally be able to resume our activities in earnest.

Once I finished everything that needed to be done, I could explore the surrounding territory as well.

’As long as that damned yellow dust doesn’t come.’

It might even be a sandstorm rather than ordinary yellow dust.

Then again, unlike spring in Korea, this place might not get any at all.

I had finished laying all the groundwork necessary to prepare for spring.

’Still, I should put up the tent flap just in case.’

Once I covered the cave entrance with the tent flap, I was ready for bed.

I then tossed more firewood into the fireplace to keep the cave warm.

"Achoo!"

I sneezed while getting ready. My nose was incredibly itchy.

It was not a cold. My nose had quite literally begun itching all of a sudden.

’What is this? I have a bad feeling about it.’

Should I sleep while wearing my mask, just in case? It would be uncomfortable, but it would not prevent me from sleeping.

I told the speedy sloth staring blankly into the fire to take good care of things, then went to sleep.

Oh, and I did not forget to practice my internal energy cultivation method before falling asleep.

I had to train consistently if I wanted my abilities to improve even slightly.

And so, I spent the night in the cave while eagerly anticipating the arrival of spring.

The next morning—

Whoooooosh!

The moment I pulled aside the tent flap, a bright yellow world greeted me.

So the yellow dust really did come.

I had only just thought that when—

"Achoo! Achoo! Aaaaachoo!"

I began sneezing repeatedly. My nose was not merely itchy anymore; it was starting to sting.

I assumed it was because of the yellow dust, but it was strange that I was sneezing rather than coughing.

Even with my mask on, I felt as though something bright yellow was forcing its way through it.

Suspecting the worst, I barely managed to open my eyes.

’Wait. Don’t tell me this isn’t yellow dust, but...’

The pollen that had tormented me every spring.

"Aaaaaachoo!!!"

Pollen billowed through the air like yellow dust, dyeing the entire world yellow.