MTLNOVEL Chapter 304
Chapter 305. The Observer of All Things (1)
Why is Apophis, which should be with the Grand Duke, in Kilian’s hands?
For Keter, this was not something he could just let slide.
‘Did he steal it from the Grand Duke?’
Today, he truly felt how formidable the Syndicate was.
But the same goes for the Grand Duke. The White Lotus Society he belongs to is an organization that controls all of Ruquer.
‘Stealing or fighting to take something from the Grand Duke is nearly impossible. Even if it were possible, things wouldn’t be this peaceful.’
In the end, it means Kilian officially received ‘Apophis’ from the Grand Duke.
Even with its seal released.
‘The White Lotus Society and the Syndicate made a deal.’
Of course, he doesn’t know what that deal was. But the important thing is that the White Lotus Society and the Syndicate are in contact.
The secret organizations that can shake the world, the White Lotus Society and the Syndicate, have formed an alliance.
This was crucial information that Keter, being both a Ruquerian and a regressor who doesn’t miss even the smallest detail, could uncover.
The alliance between the White Lotus Society and the Syndicate made Keter wary.
‘Since the Grand Duke is targeting me, the Syndicate could easily become my enemy too.’
However, judging from their reactions so far, it seems they haven’t gone that far yet.
Though his thoughts were lengthy, only 0.2 seconds had passed in reality. If he showed any sign of agitation upon seeing Apophis, Kilian would surely use it as a clue to deduce something, so he activated Mandala.
He split one second into thirty. To Kilian, it just looked like Keter casually picked up Apophis.
“What’s this thing’s name?”
He asked the obvious question.
Kilian smiled and said,
“The Demon Sword Apophis. It moves on its own and wields swordsmanship. It even has the authority to cut through anything. Its performance… think of it as having two 7-star swordsmen fighting alongside you.”
Kilian didn’t mention that the cost of using Apophis is one’s lifespan. Keter didn’t bother to ask either.
Then, Ivan intervened between the two.
“Kilian. You’ve got it wrong. Keter hasn’t completed my request yet.”
“I know. But isn’t it in a reserved state?”
Kilian asked Keter.
Keter nodded.
“You know your stuff.”
“As you heard, I trust Keter and gave him an advance, so there shouldn’t be any issues.”
“Kilian, whose side are you on?”
“Didn’t I tell you last time? You made a mistake. You attacked Keter regardless of the Syndicate’s will. Not punishing you is already taking your side.”
“Tch……”
Leaving the fuming Ivan behind, Kilian looked at Keter. His gaze was overwhelmingly friendly.
“Keter. Regardless of the request, I’d like to make a proposal. Why don’t you join our Syndicate?”
Ivan made a face like this was absurd, but Kilian ignored him and continued.
“You must feel it too. You’ve become too great and grand a being to play the rogue in the human world.”
“I’m a bit tired. I’ll listen to one more sentence.”
He had just been nagged by Kron. Hearing more nonsense in succession was not appealing.
“Humans can hold their breath underwater for a while. But they can’t breathe there. It’s the same for you, Keter. If a being transcending humans lives among them, problems will inevitably arise. And frankly, Sephira is a burden to you. It’s of no help. But if you join our Syndicate, all your problems will be solved.”
“You’re really packing a lot into that one sentence.”
“It’s because I find your existence so regrettable and desirable, Keter.”
Keter bent down. On the ground were the shattered remains of a vase that had fallen off the table earlier, and a single rose that had been inside it.
Keter picked up the rose and showed it to Kilian.
“What do you think when you see this rose?”
“It’s beautiful, red, soft, fleeting… is what comes to mind.”
“I wonder what it tastes like.”
Keter suddenly put the rose in his mouth and chewed.
“…….”
Without spitting it out or making a face, Keter chewed and swallowed it whole, then licked his lips.
“Disgustingly bitter. Sour and astringent. Strawberries are red too, but they taste good.”
“…Are you saying you’re staying to devour the House of Sephira?”
Kilian tried to assign meaning to Keter’s actions.
But Keter scoffed.
“If I catch and eat a duck right now, it’ll be enough for one meal. But what if I raise it to lay eggs? I can eat the eggs, and if I’m lucky, I might even get ducklings.”
“Are you seeking wealth and glory?”
“Wouldn’t it be fun to raise a duck? Playing with its fluffy, round body. Flying through the sky with a duck would be fun too.”
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say.”
“Our perspectives are different. You judge by usefulness, but I judge by fun. ‘What benefit will I get from raising Sephira?’ isn’t the goal. Of course, there’s no reason to refuse. Plus, I can’t stand not knowing. I think archery is superior to swordsmanship, so why isn’t archery mainstream? So I want to prove it. I want to create a world where bows, not swords, are mainstream, and show that my thoughts aren’t wrong.”
“A world where bows, not swords, are mainstream. Is that the dream you want? And Sephira is the pillar for that?”
“No? It’s just one of the things I want to do.”
“…….”
Kilian’s hand rose. It seemed he wanted to refute something.
But his hand fell back down, and Kilian spoke calmly.
“Keter, you’re very greedy. Excessively, overwhelmingly greedy.”
“That’s why I’m strong.”
“…I understand.”
Ziiik.
Kilian tore through the air. He had given up on recruiting Keter. Before leaving, Kilian turned back and said,
“Keter. If you walk that path, someday we’ll meet again.”
“When that time comes, let’s not stand around chatting nonsense. Let’s have a drink.”
“I’d like that……”
Kilian exited like that. For some reason, he left behind a bitter smile.
Keter held out his palm to Ivan.
Ivan took his hand and said,
“Finally my turn? I thought my neck would break from waiting.”
“What are you talking about? Pay the request fee first. You’re prepaid.”
Thwack!
Keter slapped Ivan’s hand away and gestured for him to hand it over.
“Why me… Fine. I’ll pay upfront.”
Ivan realized that logic doesn’t work on an angry Keter; only bribes do.
“This should be more than enough for the request reward.”
What Ivan pulled out from the opened space was an incredibly long scythe.
“The Scythe of Judgment. It can attack souls, not bodies. It ignores any defense and can harm even beings immune to physical attacks. Souls cut by the Scythe of Judgment become bound to it and can be controlled. It’s an artifact so great it’s almost too much for you.”
“Wow, just from the description, it sounds like one of the Five Great Treasures. Why isn’t it one of the Six Great Treasures? Oh, right, because no one can properly wield a scythe that looks like this.”
Scythes are already tricky weapons to handle, and the Scythe of Judgment was even larger and longer, making it seem even more difficult to use.
“If it were the Sword of Judgment, maybe. But who would use a scythe like this? Stop messing around and hand over Shade’s tools too.”
Keter remembered Ivan mentioning he had Shade’s tools before.
Ivan’s brow furrowed. Shade’s tools weren’t artifact-level, but they were still valuable items.
‘I worked hard to get these too…….’
Given his personality, he didn’t want to make the trade. But in this world, the only person who could heal him was Keter right in front of him.
And with Keter’s already terrible personality, negotiation was out of the question.
“Fine…….”
Ivan handed over Shade’s Mask, the least valuable of Shade’s tools he had.
“Wait, what about the ‘Orpheus’ Mask’ you borrowed?”
“I’m still borrowing it.”
“What?”
“I never said when I’d return it.”
“What… I need it back now.”
“Ah, you must have some leeway. You must have found a way to heal yourself without me. That’s good. I didn’t want to heal you anyway. Let’s just forget about it.”
Keter turned his back without hesitation.
Ivan gritted his teeth. This was a subspace only accessible to Syndicate members. Entering or leaving at will was impossible.
But Keter had escaped from the Three Thousand Worlds, where escape was impossible. That meant it was highly likely he could escape from this subspace too.
“Fine… Just return it to me later.”
Since Ivan was the one at a disadvantage, he ended up handing over Shade’s Mask without getting Orpheus’ Mask back.
Shade’s Mask. At first glance, it looked like just a piece of cloth, but when worn, it allowed the wearer to perfectly transform into any face they remembered.
However, it was limited to ‘faces the wearer remembers,’ so the details could be lacking, and it couldn’t mimic voices or body shapes, so it wasn’t artifact-level.
After taking the Scythe of Judgment and Shade’s Mask from Ivan, Keter made another demand.
“Now open the gate to the outside.”
Ivan opened the gate without suspicion.
Keter passed through the gate and exited the Syndicate’s subspace.
“Whew, I thought I’d suffocate.”
Keter spread his arms and embraced the blue sky and the sharp wind.
Ivan, who had followed, grumbled.
“I waited four days for my turn. It’d be nice if you healed me now.”
“Ah, that. Here.”
Keter suddenly threw a glass bead at Ivan.
Ivan held the bead and frowned.
“A communicator. What’s this for?”
“What else? So you can come when I call.”
“……?”
“Well then, see you.”
Keter disappeared without a sound or trace.
Using his newly acquired divine power, Keter had escaped. Even Ivan, a Great Sorcerer, couldn’t tell where Keter had gone.
“…….”
Ivan stood there, dazed for a moment, then looked down at the glass bead Keter had left and muttered.
“Damn it……”
Eastern Lilian Kingdom, an abandoned lighthouse.
Built hundreds of years ago, now only the shape of the lighthouse remained. Keter was brushing off the dust from the wall.
“As expected, it’s still here.”
A mark hidden by the dust was revealed.
An isosceles triangle with an eye in the center.
Keter pressed his thumb to the eye and chanted.
“I, Keter, request a deal. Respond, Observer of All Things, Nipur.”
Ding.
With a faint bell sound, the world suddenly darkened.
Whoosh.
Flames rose on either side of Keter.
[Show me the offering.]
Keter had gathered artifacts and treasures for this moment. The artifacts and treasures floated into the air on their own as offerings.
The flames seemed to appraise the offerings, then swayed as if dancing.
[It’s been hundreds of years since I’ve received a proper offering. Welcome, Keter.]
The Observer of All Things, Nipur.
Rumors abound in the underworld that Nipur will tell you anything in this world if you offer something worthy.
Of course, few have benefited from dealing with Nipur. Nipur is picky and won’t meet with just anyone unless the offering is exceptional.
Keter had prepared generously in both quantity and quality to satisfy Nipur.
Three treasures from Ruquer.
Tuska’s [Demon Sword of Heaven], [Reverse Heavenly Technique].
Ayrus’ ‘Skull Staff’.
Ivan’s ‘Scythe of Judgment’ and ‘Shade’s Mask’.
The [Book of Creation] from the vanished Evil God Turan.
And two artifacts he had picked up along the way.
‘Solving the mystery is fun, but you started this, Grand Duke.’
If it were just the princes and Queen Lilian, Keter wouldn’t have thought to meet Nipur. He and Maknun would have been enough.
But since the Grand Duke had stepped in, Keter didn’t overestimate his ability to solve this without risk.
‘Plus, the identity of my mother, Akra, is becoming more ambiguous.’
He thought he’d figure it out as he lived, but instead, the more he learned, the deeper the maze became.
So Keter planned to get answers from Nipur. A way to stop the Grand Duke, and the identity and whereabouts of Akra.
[Speak. What do you wish to know? The creation of the universe, the providence of the gods, the god who devours gods, the reason the Mage Empire fell… I know everything.]
“I won’t use the offering for one question, but separately.”
[That is possible.]
Keter spoke carefully. If he phrased it as a question, Nipur would consider it a ‘question’ and consume the offering.
“The identity of my mother, Akra. And where she is now. Please tell me these two things.”
With the offering plentiful, Keter decided to start by uncovering information about his mother, Akra.
[Your mother, Akra. Understood.]
The flame presumed to be Nipur flickered and reignited repeatedly.
Keter nodded.
‘Gods are gods. To get information so easily.’
About a minute passed. Keter’s head tilted slightly.
‘Why is this taking so long?’
[Visitor Keter.]
As if reading Keter’s thoughts, Nipur spoke. Thinking the information had finally been found, Keter picked at his ears and said,
“I’ve been ready to listen.”
[The offering is insufficient.]
“……?”
[Hand over the dragon’s heart and dragon scales you possess, and Toban as well. Then I can tell you where Akra is now.]