Chapter 87 – The horror…

Buckingham Palace, Rachel's room.

After making calls and arranging a private Portal back to England, Rachel took Evandel and Droon to her room to unwind for the day.

Due to the timezone difference, it was still early in the morning, which made Rachel feel a bit disoriented.

But for Evandel...

"More pamcakes! Wow!"

...She was just happy to get the chance to eat breakfast a second time.

Rachel let out a soft smile as she watched Evandel eat.

'She really does look like I used to.'

Although Evandel's hair was a bit darker... at least when she wasn't using her magic.

But other than that... and her eyes, which were a bit more rounded than hers... as well as her cheekbones which were slightly softer too...

Evandel was unmistakably Rachel's.

'I wonder if this was what Mother felt?'

Rachel's mother, the Queen of England...

When Rachel was still around Evandel's age... No, a bit older. Around four or five.

Rachel's mother had been assassinated.

Some people said it was Djinn. Others said it was Villains. Others still said it was just people who were dissatisfied with the fact that there was still a royal family in the first place despite the age of Heroes and Villains.

But either way, around that time, Rachel was made to understand the weight of the world and the throne.

Her father had remarried, and nominally there was a ruler sitting upon the throne of England.

But none of them had a proper claim to it.

Just Rachel.

And if Rachel died, then the Kingdom of Britain would finally end and fall apart.

That was what she intuitively understood at a young age.

That was why she worked so hard. Especially when she saw her country slowly but surely wane in power on the world stage.

Part of it was because her father had distanced himself from her completely and consequently abstained from using any power to direct the circumstances of the country.

But most of it was because they wrote Rachel off.

At a time when other countries were finding mythical weapons that proved their heritage, the most famous proof of Britain had remained elusive.

Although there were glimpses of it, and although countless Heroes had found traces of Excalibur in other dungeons, the sword itself had never been found.

That led to the world thinking that Britain's fate was to fade into obscurity.

Rachel resented that 'fact.' So she worked. Grinding herself to the bone to train, to study, to be the peerless Queen that would put the Kingdom of Britain back on the map...

'And now all of it doesn't matter at all.'

Rachel couldn't help but let out a wistful sigh as she watched Evandel happily nibble on her pancakes with a happy face.

It was unthinkable.

The thought of having a child was a nebulous notion in her mind, yes. After all, the throne required an heir. And Rachel had already resolved herself to make one if necessary when the time came.

Then she met Lee.

Evandel tilted her head and looked up. "Mommy thinking?"

Rachel smiled. "Yes, Eva. Mommy is thinking."

"Kay~!" After that, Evandel happily went back to eating, ignoring Rachel again. No, not ignoring. Just enjoying being nearby.

And that reminded Rachel of how she felt towards Lee.

'Ease... is it?'

When she was with Lee, life just became simple. The concerns of her nation, the people looking to her as a beacon of hope, the pressure of the crown...

From the moment he barged into her life, the icy veneer she had put up to focus and make the sacrifices necessary for her people had shattered.

And it would never return at this rate. The reason for that...

'There is always another way.'

If there was anything Rachel had learned from being around Lee and loving him, it was that a path would open up if you continued. Until it was absolutely barred from your path, you should not assume that it will fail.

Nayun had joked about Rachel marrying Lee just for him to solve her country's problems...

But there was some truth to that.

Rachel did not know how to rule.

She knew how to reign, yes. To preside over ceremony, hold the throne, declare what must and must not be done as the ruler of Britain.

But she did not know how to rule over a country, to lead it into the future and prosper.

Rachel had tried learning how all her life, but the path always eluded her.

But she had a sense that Lee knew how.

He had the charisma, the intellect, and most of all the daring.

Before meeting Lee, Rachel had lived a life of fear.

Fearing loss. Fearing despair. Fearing everything around her would crumble away like her mother had vanished...

But Lee was the complete opposite.

He had lost his parents. He had lacked magic power, forcing him to compensate with pure skill just to be average at Cube. And he had so much to lose still...

But he didn't fear.

Instead, he moved with daring. As if he dared the world itself to try and take what he had, since he'd fight tooth and nail against it.

At that time, Droon spoke up. "Wow. You must really be lost in thought, Auntie Rachel."

Rachel blinked and then realized that Droon had been there the entire time and had also finished eating his own breakfast right next to Evandel. After that realization, Rachel laughed and said, "I suppose so. Just feeling a bit wistful."

Evandel's eyes sparkled. "Wishful? Gwail?"

Rachel panicked and quickly said, "N-No, Eva. Wistful. WIST-FUL. Like... thinking lots."

"Oh. Kay~" Evandel nodded and started cleaning up her plate, meticulously picking up the crumbs and folding her napkins.

As she did that, Droon looked over at Rachel and said, "So are we going to just stay here all day, Auntie Rachel?"

Rachel nodded. "I had planned to. Do you mind?"

"Nope! But then should I take out the presents that Cheok Jungyeong sent?"

Evandel's eyes sparkled. "Presents?!"

Rachel paused. "...Just what sorts of presents exactly did this Cheok Jungyeong send?"

"Mostly monster parts! But they're all properly processed. I think there's a Flood Dragon heart in there too!"

Evandel gasped. "Dragon Heart?! Wow!"

Rachel's eyes sparkled, just like Evandel's had. "...A Dragon Heart, you say? And a Flood Dragon as well..."

"...Yes?"

Rachel remembered the activation criteria for Gae Bulg. "...Would you say that a Flood Dragon comes from the depths?"

"Um. Cheok Jungyeong said that he fought it deep underwater, so yes?"

Rachel smiled.

===

Back in America, roughly 2 AM Sunday morning.

Washington D.C. was on red alert with police sirens, military personnel, and more converging on the Smithsonian.

The president had been evacuated, and key personnel had been moved away from the government offices.

Meanwhile, Heroes were on the way.

Just like Lee wanted.

It was hard for him to get a gist of everything going on outside, but it didn't matter too much.

Boss had mentioned it to him personally that the Seat of Black for the Chameleon Troupe belonged to the strongest member of them all.

While Boss hadn't officially announced that Lee was taking the seat just yet to the other members, it was implied and set in stone. Especially since Lee had been given that pitch-black necklace.

It was said to belong to the previous Seat of Black, so wearing it was tantamount to proof of right.

All of that to say...

'Well. Rachel said I should stop being so humble. And since the Seat of Black is supposed to be the strongest...'

...This was the perfect chance to do proper training.

"Halt!"

A group of Heroes arrived on scene. Wearing sleek silver armor and futuristic energy swords, they quickly surrounded Lee and said, "Declare your identity and surrender peacefully or we will use force!"

...Of course. While it looked futuristic, it was all mana. And so...

Lee smiled and held up his hands. The moment he did...

> Mana Manipulation activates!

> You have dominated the mana in the surroundings!

> Sword Control Art activates!

> You utilize Mana Manipulation to control your surroundings!

...All of the Heroes had their equipment sputter and die while ominous black mana roiled around Lee.

It was all just for show, of course.

Lee didn't have any darkness mana. But since Evandel liked playing with mana and changing its colors, Lee had picked up a few tricks.

So right now, Lee made it look like he was wreathed in pure darkness from the stolen mana.

"W-What?!"

"A Djinn?"

"No, that's not darkness magic power or demonic energy!"

"What is that?!"

For good measure, Lee started using the invisible mana that belonged to just him as a makeshift sandpaper grinder to erode all the infrastructure around him, making it look like his very presence was erasing the surroundings.

And obviously, that made the Heroes panic.

"S-Stay back!"

"We need ranged backup! Stat!"

"Magicians, fire! Go! NOW!"

Panicked orders. Desperate shouts.

Magical spells shot towards Lee from outside. Gunfire and arrows wreathed in mana shot towards him. Sword Ki and more attacks flew towards him as well.

But they all dissolved.

...Well, he made it look like it all dissolved.

And all the while, Lee slowly advanced with measured steps, arms still held up wide.

But as he did, he started twisting the black mana to look like tendrils.

And he also slowly generated some white noise by using his mana to resonate with the nearby speakers.

In short...

"OH MY GOD HE'S SLENDERMAN!"

"RUN RUN RUN!"

"HOLY SHIT CRYPTIDS ARE REAL WHAT THE FUCK NOOOOOOO!"

...He was going full creepypasta and nobody could stop him.

===

Boss calmly emptied out another vault in the basement of the Smithsonian Institute. And as she did, she heard bloodcurdling screams of people in genuine fear for their lives echo from above.

"NO!"

"STAY BACK!"

"I DON'T WANT TO BE HENTAI!"

Boss paused at that last comment. Then she wondered if she should go see what Lee was doing.

But her rational mind took over.

'...Whatever he is doing, he has it under control.'

The strong ones were always a bit eccentric.

If this was Lee's way of relieving stress after returning from a ruined future, Boss was absolutely not going to get in the way of it.

Also...

Boss picked up the Darksaber prop that had been prototyped for use in a Star Wars movie but was relegated to memorabilia and gathering dust in a warehouse like this.

"Hm." Boss turned it on and watched the white blade turn black with fancy LED lighting. "...Interesting."

She wasn't quite sure what Lee planned to do with everything they were taking.

But she was definitely curious.

"SINCE WHEN DID THE CHAMELEON TROUPE HAVE CRYPTIDS AMONG ITS MEMBERS?!"

"OH MY GOD THEY HAVE BATMAN!"

"RUN YOU FOOL! BEFORE THEY GET US ALL!"

Faint screams continued to echo from above.

The sirens had long stopped... probably because of Lee.

But surprisingly, no one was coming to check on the vaults.

...Probably because they were terrified of what other things they might find waiting.

"Hm." Boss stopped for a moment to consider if this would be bad. Then she decided it was fine. "...Better to be feared than not. This should help with Pandemonium as well."

That Djinn-infested region in Russia had always been an eyesore for them.

If it became known that the Chameleon Troupe counted paranormal beings among their number, those Djinn should be more cautious.

Which meant it would be easier to corral them and eliminate them all later.

And so...

"...I remember seeing the Smithsonian had a few limited edition books like Shakespeare's works..."

...She might as well go do some collecting-

Footsteps.

Boss paused and slowly turned towards the source of it.

A group of Heroes rounded the corner, armed to the teeth and clearly already on edge.

And then they saw Boss.

Boss didn't say a word. Instead, she just tilted her head, gathering the shadows around her. As she did, the tattered bedsheet that she had tossed over her body like a makeshift dress fluttered in the shadows.

Silence.

And then the Heroes threw their weapons on the ground.

"Fuck this!"

"I am NOT gonna be the black guy who dies first in a horror movie!"

"It's just trinkets! Fuck it! Run!"

After that, the Heroes immediately sprinted away.

Boss slowly blinked. And when she realized they weren't coming back, she hummed. "...Effective. Maybe I should utilize this disguise more often..."