The Player Hides His Past

Chapter 615. Drowning (6)

Not even with the Evil Eye could he penetrate it.

“…What exactly is happening, Agares?”

Agares, the Demon King of the Second Throne.

The ruler of the Demon World, he was bombarded with questions. Yet, no answers came. Agares was too preoccupied, blaming himself for his own judgment.

“It was a clear mistake.”

It was my greed.

To claim the fear meant for Bael from the Ten Thrones for myself.

I had underestimated Lee Hoyeol, that enigmatic threat.

‘Looking back, it was strange.’

Why did a human possess such an “anomalous” power?

It wasn’t comparable to the anomalies reflected in the Evil Eye of ordinary players.

Like us, the Ten Thrones—

It was as if he had been born within the Realm of Anomalies.

Lee Hoyeol.

He wielded anomalies with absolute mastery.

And that wasn’t all.

The strangest aspect of all should have been evident.

The Ninth Throne’s Demon King, Paimon.

‘The King of the Western Demon World favored him.’

Paimon’s voice echoed in Agares’ mind.

“Truly audacious words, Agares.”
“But it’s too bothersome to argue, so I’ll go along with your decision.”
“Just don’t set foot in my territory. Understood?”

If Bael was the mad king and a successor who sought to fill the empty throne, Paimon was a prodigal son.

Like me, Paimon possessed the vessel of a king. Yet unlike me, he had no desire for the throne.

‘Why did I mock Paimon’s demise, Agares?’

Grip.

‘How ignorant of me, even compared to a prodigal son.’

Agares clenched his fist in frustration, causing his domain to vibrate in resonance. Suppressing his emotions, he addressed the disoriented Ten Thrones beyond the veil of his consciousness.

“Listen, all of you.”

As the ruler of the Demon World, Agares held onto reason.

And thanks to that, he could now clearly grasp why the Demon World was in turmoil at this very moment.

“Behemoth has been offered as a sacrifice to Bael.”

“…What?”

“With this, the Demon World has become a ‘Closed World.’”

Until now, the Demon World had been an “Open World.”

Relying on Behemoth’s abilities, it had endlessly expanded, consuming and digesting other worlds, turning them into part of the Demon World.

The disturbance among the Ten Thrones stemmed from this.

“A Closed World? Does that mean we can no longer acquire sacrifices for our complete manifestations? Why would such a decision be made? That idiot Bael…!”

The tone betrayed disrespect.

It was Valefor, the Demon King of the Sixth Throne.

Agares spoke firmly.

“Valefor.”

“…!”

“Words come with responsibility.”

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Gasp.

From beneath the veil, Valefor clasped his hands over his mouth.

It was the warning of the “Master of Language.”

As Valefor fell silent, Agares continued.

“However, anyone can make mistakes.”

“Th-Thank you, Lord Agares…!”

Slide.

‘One act of fault and one act of mercy.’

Thus, balance was restored, and his authority returned.

Agares, having made a foolish judgment, granted mercy to Valefor.

The condition for Agares’ “Word of Power” to activate—a secret unknown to the other Ten Thrones—was fulfilled once more.

Agares spoke slowly.

“Moreover, your words are not wrong. Due to Bael’s decision, we are forced to abandon complete manifestation. No matter how many worlds the Demon World has consumed— It’s impossible to predict how many worlds Bael will devour now. It could be dozens. Or it could be all worlds, offered as sacrifices for himself. We cannot know.”

“…!!!”

Despair filled the silence that followed.

But even this was part of Agares’ authority.

Agares’ words began to resonate.

“Furthermore, we do not know what is happening between Bael and the new Ten Thrones. The infinitely deep darkness has severed all connections.”

It was a demon’s sweet whisper.

“Bael and the new Ten Thrones, Lee Hoyeol Claudi. Does their victory or defeat even matter to us? You all know this, don’t you? That’s why you’re afraid—afraid because you know that whoever wins will truly dominate the Demon World.”

“…!!!”

The Demon World had once been an open world.

No one had ever completely ruled over its endless expansion.

The existence of the Ten Thrones and countless Demon Kings was proof of that.

Even if one proclaimed themselves king in the ever-expanding world, all they would receive were sneers from new rulers born in new lands.

But now that the Demon World had become a closed world—

‘Agares is right.’
‘The Demon World is already a dead world.’
‘…Am I, too, destined to be absorbed by those two?’

Agares’ whispers were enough to amplify the unease of the Ten Thrones.

From that moment, Agares’ authority began to take effect.

“Therefore, it’s time to decide, Ten Thrones. Will you remain in this dead world, the Demon World, only to have everything stolen by Bael or the new Ten Throne, Lee Hoyeol Claudi?”

It was an outcome no one desired.

“The heavy silence speaks your will. In that case, join me. You all already know of a world that can contain our vessels, don’t you?”

Did he mean the vast Arcana Continent?

“It’s not merely the Arcana Continent. A world where malice can run rampant. A world more vile and filled with negative emotions than any other—we already know of such a place.”

Agares’ lips curled into a smile.

“It’s the world of the adventurers. Even if complete manifestation is impossible, the negative emotions produced in their world is infinite. Their civilization is specialized in hating, envying, and trampling on one another.”

A single act of evil could spread to billions within hours and remain eternally recorded, generating endless negative emotions.

“Filled with anomalies unseen in any other timeline.”

It wasn’t just acts of evil.

Even the happiest news in their world could create negative emotions.

Emotions meant to remain internal could be devastatingly expressed with just a flick of a finger.

Agares concluded.

“So we will go to their world, even in our incomplete forms.”

He didn’t need to wait for the responses of the remaining Ten Thrones.

As the Master of Language, once his Word of Power was activated, no one among the Ten Thrones could resist.

The remaining Ten Thrones lacked the overwhelming strength of beings like Paimon or Amon.

Crack.

The veil began to shatter like a mirror.

It was simple.

With this, all the Ten Thrones, including himself, had abandoned the Demon World.

‘Living with three Ten Thrones as my subordinates….’

Even if that land wasn’t my homeland, it’s not a bad outcome.

‘Paimon, for once, I feel grateful for your absence.’

Finally, Agares took in the last sights of the Demon World.

He had no regrets.

As he had said, the Demon World had become a closed world, incapable of containing him any longer.

“Bael.”

With his Evil Eye, he looked upon Bael, buried in darkness.

To be unable to witness your fully manifested form—

It’s a pity.

“And yet, I feel no regret.”

Perhaps it was because he had glimpsed it before the darkness consumed all.

Agares.

His pupils turned completely black.

“To know that you, too, feel emotions.”

Bael, an incomprehensible existence—

In the sight of Bael being consumed by darkness, Agares sensed a familiar emotion.

Fear.

The new Ten Throne.

Lee Hoyeol Claudi had driven Bael into terror.

That was why Agares sought the adventurers’ world.

The world where they, who surpassed even Bael, resided—

It would surely bring him infinite authority as well.

Agares whispered.

“Struggle harder, our foolish king.”

“How have you been?”

“As you can see.”

“That’s good. You look fine.”

I set down the teacup as I spoke.

For someone with a childlike palate like me, green tea was still unpalatable. Or maybe, it was simply absurd to serve tea bag green tea as if it were a luxury offering. Surely, the fault lay with the person’s taste buds.

“This feels kind of awkward, doesn’t it?”

I scratched my head, feeling a bit awkward myself, and continued.

“Don’t you think so? This is our first time meeting face to face.”

If I had to describe my impression, it was like looking into a mirror.

Sure, upon closer inspection, there were differences.

Back when I first awakened and Grandfell’s persona was imposed on me, I’d been teased endlessly, asked whether I’d dyed my hair like some idol. Turns out, the jokes weren’t far off.

And of course, Grandfell’s reply was as quintessentially Grandfell as ever.

“Not at all.”

Ah, so this is what others feel when dealing with him.

“I’ve been waiting for this day.”

Hearing his response directly, his way of speaking hit like a cannonball.

‘This isn’t just straightforward; it’s like being shot point-blank.’

I took a sip of the green tea to soothe my dry throat.

And immediately grimaced.

“How do you keep drinking this without getting tired of it?”

For someone so precise in aesthetics, his taste seemed oddly tolerant.

I meant it as a passing remark.

But Grandfell lifted his teacup and replied.

“Because this too is your ‘tea.’”

…What does that even mean?

Of course, this was typical of Grandfell.

Even I, a self-proclaimed expert in decoding “Grandfell-speak,” had to pause and think it over for a moment.

Finally, I managed to grasp his meaning.

“Right, there was nothing but tea bag green tea in my place, was there?”

Every time, I can’t help but think—he’s so sophisticated when it comes to making people feel small.

I replied, half-defensive.

“Well, it’s not like I had a choice. Normally, the only thing I drank was Americano, and even then, it was for the caffeine during late-night work, not for the taste. Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever willingly spent money on tea.”

It was a decent attempt at an explanation, or so I thought, but he didn’t seem interested.

Clank.

Grandfell set down his teacup and responded.

“As I said, that reason is enough.”

Of course, I saw this coming.

No matter how I tried to steer the conversation in a different direction, as long as Grandfell’s way of speaking existed, I couldn’t avoid getting to the point.

Eventually, I opened my mouth.

“…No matter what, you’re not going to tell me the reason, are you? If you were the kind to explain, you wouldn’t have acted first. Words aren’t your thing; actions are how you express yourself. Isn’t that right?”

A denial, a shake of the head, even a sarcastic retort—any of these would’ve been welcome.

But Grandfell simply remained silent.

And silence from him was as good as confirmation.

That response only spurred me on.

“Let me tell you something, Grandfell. If you thought I’d let you off easy, you’re sorely mistaken. I’ve wondered if you were really the Grandfell I knew. I thought even if I pushed you, you wouldn’t so much as blink… but now that we’re here, you’re just the same as ever, aren’t you?”

I looked straight into Grandfell’s eyes.

“Even if you’re a demon, even if you’re Pride, one of the Seven Deadly Sins—”

“…?”

“To me, you’re still just Grandfell.”

And I laughed.

“Yes, Grandfell Claudi Arpheus Romeo.”

Because between us, there was nothing left to hide.

Even as I said his full name aloud, I couldn’t help but smile.

At my words, Grandfell remained silent for a moment.

Then he murmured quietly.

“You really haven’t changed.”

What?

What’s that supposed to mean?

That I’m still as childish as I was in middle school?

Before I could retort indignantly, Grandfell continued.

“Do you remember?”

“Remember? What? Are you trying to change the subject again…?”

“It’s time to fulfill our promise.”

A promise? Out of nowhere, what promise?

“The vow we made in the green tea fields.”

Wait, green tea fields?

“I will now make a wish.”

…?