STM 13

“I’m a field agent.”

“Field agent? Were you part of the institute’s security division?”

“No.” I shook my head again. “I faced monsters on the field. I lead a support unit formed by volunteer soldiers.”

I hesitated briefly, then added, “You can call me Captain Kim, if it’s easier.”

Fortunately, since Kim was a common surname, she didn’t faint again from shock over us sharing it.

“So why did you suddenly come to Tubain while fighting on the field? Did you receive any training?”

“No. I was deployed urgently, so I arrived without any prior information.”

I wondered if she would ask for more details, but she reacted much like she had a few days ago.

“……The situation must really be bad.”

Instead of asking further questions, she fell into silence. But I could read her emotions from her pressed lips and the way her hands clenched together on the desk. It was desperation, the same desperation to close the Eye of Hell even one day sooner.

“I already told you. I’ve been investing effort into two divine beast houses, so I can persuade them.”

“Aren’t there four divine beast houses ruling over Tubain?”

“Only two still possess usable divine beast power.”

Then she began explaining the houses in detail.

I wanted to tell her she didn’t need to go into detail since I could ask Mo later, but the look on her face stopped me.

Her eyes couldn’t focus on me, and her hands remained clasped as if she was trying to excuse herself, as if she still believed the world’s descent into hell was her fault.

I deliberately ignored it and asked in a businesslike tone, “But even if money’s the reason, would the divine beast houses really agree to close the Eye of Hell? They’re the ones who created it to get rid of monsters in the first place.”

“There are too few monsters left.”

I didn’t understand. Why would that be a problem? She twisted her lips slightly.

“Here, the black stones that come from monsters are an excellent energy source. But no matter how useful they are, no one would risk their life to obtain them. Now, imagine there are people who both get rid of dangerous monsters and provide that energy source. Wouldn’t they become heroes to the people and earn enormous wealth?”

“And those people are the divine beast houses?”

“Yes. Only the divine beast contractors and swordmasters here can properly eliminate monsters. People adore those who protect their lives, even when those same people dominate the continent. But if the number of monsters decreases drastically because of the Eye of Hell, that adoration will fade. And along with it, the heroes’ power.”

So they needed just enough monsters to keep the balance. The reason was so bitter I couldn’t even laugh.

“And besides, to become emperor, one must prove possession of divine beast power. Closing the Eye of Hell fits that justification perfectly.”

“Even with that justification, would the temple just let it happen?”

“Ah, they’re not a problem. The temple wants monsters more than anyone. People turn to the gods not in peace but in crisis.”

“That’s garbage.”

“Yes. Fortunately for us.”

Doctor Kim smiled like a villain, but then her brow creased again.

“But their filthy greed alone isn’t enough. Even if I want to raise my ally to the throne, my strength isn’t enough. The problem is the Sword of Silence, the so-called imperial mark.”

The Sword of Silence?

“When the Eye of Hell was created ten years ago, it vanished as the divine beast was extinguished, and no one’s been able to find it since. If I could just locate that sword, I could move immediately…”

“That sword will appear a year from now.”

“Yes, it would be fortunate if it…wait, what?”

“A year from now, one family will obtain that sword, prove strong divine beast power, and ascend the throne. That was written in the scroll you sent.”

“I never wrote anything like that…”

Doctor Kim denied it but then her eyes widened instantly. She understood without needing more explanation. Maybe her survival in this world without nano-robots really came from her brilliant mind.

“Did you cross the Eye of Hell and transcend time as well?”

“Yes. So I set the coordinates by time before the transfer. Especially because I had precise coordinates, I succeeded.”

I took out a small pocket watch that Lu had owned and handed it to her. The watch had stopped when Lu had drowned.

“You recorded the exact time of Lu Adeye’s death.”

She murmured while staring at the watch.

“It was Lu’s parents’ keepsake. I must have made sure to retrieve it. Lu… did he drown?”

“Yes. How did you know?”

“If the watch stopped at his time of death, submersion is the likeliest cause. Jumping into water was one of his drunken habits.”

Her face suddenly changed.

“Wait. That means Captain Kim, you know the future of Tubain?”

She had ‎a sudden realization and quickly asked again.

“If there’s already a new emperor, then what about the Eye of Hell? Was it closed?”

“……”

“Tell me. I won’t faint.”

That didn’t sound like a body that could resist fainting, though.

When I stayed silent, she grabbed one of the bottles on her desk and drank it one gulp.

“There. Say it.”

I looked at her for a moment, then spoke quietly.

“No. You failed.”

I almost thought I’d need to ring the emergency bell again, but she somehow endured it and met my eyes.

“Why? Did the divine beast house I supported fail to seize the throne? Or did they take it and betray me?”

“As I mentioned, most of the scroll was damaged, so I don’t know the full content. But one important family name appeared. Kun…”

“Kun!”

She shouted and slammed her fist on the desk. Her excitement made her reach for the respirator again, and I quietly waited for her to recover.

“Do you know who Kun is?”

“Only the name. I still don’t know much about Tubain’s situation…”

“Kun is the damned family that created the Eye of Hell. They were the former imperial family.”

Doctor Kim’s tone carried heavy hatred.

“They made that filthy thing, claiming it would save Tubain, and turned our world into hell! Because of that cursed invention, the divine beast vanished completely!”

“What? It vanished?”

“Yes. Because of that, they lost the throne. The imperial authority always went to the family with the strongest power of the time, and those damned Kun held it for over three hundred years. Then they lost the divine beast and got thrown out. Ha! Serves them right!”

Flames of fury lit in her eyes.

“But that alone doesn’t satisfy me. Do you think I could ever forgive the bastards who destroyed our world? Not a chance. The one thing I’ve worked on through these ten years of building my power was crushing Kun.”

“Uh… Kun?”

“Yes, I made sure they’d collapse completely.”

Doctor Kim raised her chin proudly.

“It wasn’t even hard. When their finances worsened from the other divine beast houses attacking them, I lent them money and tormented them mercilessly. Hahaha!”

She laughed like the worst villain in the world.

“And that’s not all. When other houses that aimed for the throne started trampling on Kun, I encouraged and supported them from behind. I cheered and funded them so Kun would be crushed to rags!”

She threw her head back and laughed again, then quickly shifted back to anger.

“But! That damned young duke brat turned out to have skill with a sword and became a swordmaster! He already annoyed me since he was the only one in Kun who bore the mark of the divine beast, but then he had to be good with a sword too. Ugh, infuriating! Do you even know how insolent he is? I’ve never seen such arrogance in my entire life. That brat smirked and mocked me every time we met. I swear, insane!”

“Uh, excuse me…”

“Anyway, Kun was supposed to fall completely, but that insolent brat rose to the rank of duke and hooked up life support for Kun. I tried so hard to kill that brat, but he wouldn’t die. He actually revived the family! Ugh!”

“Y-you tried to kill him?”

“Of course. But it all failed, damn it. But the Kun family is cursed, so everyone except that brat is stuck inside their castle. Rumor says the rest of the Kuns can’t even function like humans because of the curse! Hahaha! …Cough, cough!”

She laughed so hard she choked. Her face red with excitement, while mine lost all color.

“Doctor Kim…”

“I’m fine. No matter how weak I am, trampling those Kun bastards gives me joy. Don’t look so shocked. I’m telling you, I’m fine.”

No, she was absolutely not fine. I swallowed my saliva and said with ‎ a trembling voice.

“The Kun family doesn’t… know what you did to them, right?”