Side Story Chapter 19. The Way These Men Play (2)

After the meeting ended, the three angels departed to finish their individually a.s.signed tasks. Gabriel departed with Laguel, and Michael moved separately. They did this because although the three men they were seeking out lived in the same place, the Golden Constellation had moved to another location for the purpose of training. Arriving at the destination, Gabriel looked intently at the high-rise building.

“Laguel.” After having quietly stood in the back, Laguel raised her head at the sudden call. “Thank you…for everything you had done until now.”

Laguel looked surprised to hear this.

“We will soon have to go inside. n.o.body knows whether only one of us or both of us will be able to come out.“ Gabriel stopped for a moment before she continued. “Other people complain that we talk a lot for those who give out orders from the safety of the backlines. But I want to tell them this…“

“…“

“Right now, we are working with our lives on the line.“

“Gabriel…“

“Raise your head and puff out your chest. If this is our last, we should at least go confidently. It’s not like we committed a sin concerning this matter.“

Laguel didn’t say anything for a while. Despite what Gabriel was saying, her voice was trembling.

“Let’s go save the universe from a disastrous crisis.“ Gabriel moved her feet. And as they separated, Laguel tried to capture Gabriel’s last moments as long as possible. Gabriel was walking with her wings heavily slouched, and Laguel did the same, as it could be the last time they were seeing each other.

***

The morning sunlight shone over his eyelids, and Chi-Woo opened his eyes. He saw the empty bed and sighed in relief. Then he glanced at the ring on his finger and smacked his lips. It was the gift that the owner of the ramen store had given him as repayment, and true to his words, it was a very good ring for men. More specifically, it was a ring that was specially designed to help men keep their pride during the night.

Truthfully, Chi-Woo had thought he could show Evelyn a thing or two with this ring. Since he was always on the losing side, he could beat her this time. Yet that wish didn’t come to reality—more exactly, only half of it came true. Evelyn seemed surprised as soon as he used the powers of the ring, but her surprise was short-lived.

[Oh my, you brought an interesting artifact.]

Then, as if the form she had shown until now was the weakest among the Four Heavenly Kings, she immediately transformed. It was like she had flipped past the second page and immediately dived into the last page of a book. The might she had been holding and keeping deep in secret until now was truly fearsome and frightening. Even a queen succubus, who was considered the top among succubuses, would’ve bowed in respect and called her older sister.

This was even more so because Evelyn was getting into horse riding these days, and every time she rode Chi-Woo—no, the horse, she would shake her hips maddeningly. She got so excited that she would scream until her throat became hoa.r.s.e. If Chi-Woo didn’t have his ring, he would’ve fallen off a long time ago, unable to endure any longer. Thus, in the end, he had to break his personal rule of not using his infinite loops. Regardless, he did enjoy the full effect of the ring.

Honestly, it was foolish to go on about who won or lost in a relations.h.i.+p between a woman and a man, but ultimately, Chi-Woo won that battle. Before, Chi-Woo would often open his eyes wide and fall unconscious in the middle. Then, he would wake up to Evelyn stroking his back, telling him that she would go easier on him next time, and he would feel humiliated as a man. But that wasn’t the case this time. With the help of the ring, Chi-Woo managed to get Evelyn to a point where her eyes flipped over, and her body trembled for the first time. As she fell asleep just like that, she looked more satisfied than at any other time. He had never seen her face filled with such content and happiness.

‘Sigh. I’m glad I moved.’ Their house really lived up to its value. Ten people could each have a room of their own, and above all, the soundproofing was superb. Even people staying in the next room couldn’t hear any noise. Otherwise, they would have to try very hard to keep their mouths closed and not make any sound.

‘But I’m really amazed by Evelyn. How could she wake up so early every day after using so much stamina every night…?’ Chi-Woo stroked the bedsheets where her warmth could still be felt.

Knock, knock. He heard a knock on the door, and a sweet voice said, “Breakfast is ready~’

Drawn by that voice, Chi-Woo got up from his bed and headed outside. When he went to the kitchen, he saw a feast and enough dishes to fill up the table. The table legs were actually trembling from the weight of the food and were barely managing to hold together.

“Wow, unnie. Did something good happen recently?” Eshnunna exclaimed, seeing the great feast.

“Fufu, I guess you can say that.” Evelyn made a mysterious smile and didn’t answer. She stirred the pot with a ladle while humming through her nose.

“Eel, oyster, fig, magnolia berry, kelp, eggs, steak, shrimp, onion, celery, abalone, asparagus, pepper, ginger, octopus, garlic, and Korean blackberry…?” After inspecting each of the dishes laid on the table, Hawa cast a reasonably suspicious glance at Chi-Woo.

“Anyway, what have you been eating these days, unnie?”

“Hm? Why?”

“You are becoming prettier day by day. Your skin is glistening, and even your charm seems to be growing stronger. What’s the secret?”

“Hm. Who knows~”

“Ah, don’t be like that and share the secret.” Though Eshnunna kept pestering her to tell the secret, Evelyn simply smiled mysteriously. It was around then that the doorbell suddenly rang.

“I’ll go get it.” Chi-Woo immediately got up from his seat, but he looked taken aback when he opened the door. Though a part of him was glad to see a familiar face after so long, he felt conflicted because the visitor was one of those who had promised not to show their faces to him again if they could help it.

“You…”

“h.e.l.llo…sir…” Laguel spoke. Then, she fell into silence as if she was broken. Truthfully, there were a lot of things she wanted to say. As Gabriel told her, she planned to get on her knees and clutch onto his pants to ask for a favor. However, for some reason, her head seemed to stop working as soon as she saw Chi-Woo. Her mind became blank while her body didn’t listen to her. ‘It’s over. This is the end,’ such thoughts pa.s.sed her head as she clenched her eyes shut.

“It’s been a while,” Chi-Woo said after looking intently at Laguel. “How have you been?”

Laguel’s eyes burst open again.

“Anyway, it’s cold outside. Why don’t you come in? Have you eaten already?”

“No, not yet…”

“Then, let’s go first. We haven’t had our meals yet either. Why don’t we talk after eating first? You look like you need it.” Then, Chi-Woo pulled Laguel to the dining table. Though many looked at her warily, when Chi-Woo personally handed her a spoon, those gazes eventually turned into one of curiosity, wondering the reason for her visit.

“It’s nice to see you after so long. Do you want to see Chi-Hyun while you are here? He’s getting ready to work.”

“Ah…n-no…” Laguel stammered in surprise. It felt as if she was in a dream. With this visit, she had crossed the third line that Chi-Woo had sternly warned her against. She knew the meaning behind the warnings: the next time she visited, he wouldn’t deal with her like a human but as the Heavenly King.

Chi-Woo was a being who could bring the Celestial Realm to doom if he wished for it. Thus, she thought that would definitely happen with this visit. Yet Chi-Woo was now greeting her like the human Chi-Woo. At that moment, Laguel felt a deep desire to return without saying anything; and she found it greatly difficult to bring up the reason for her visit when he was clearly being considerate of her. However, she knew she couldn’t do that. After all, she had come here with her life on the line—to save the universe.

“To tell you the truth, I need to ask—!” Ignoring her personal feelings, Laguel was about to close her eyes and give him the spiel, but she stopped herself when Chi-Woo raised his hand.

“You came to request something from me, right?” Chi-Woo said all-knowingly. “Don’t worry about it too much.”

Laguel thought she was doubting her ears. She came here fearing death, but what did he just say…?

“That crisis will no longer threaten any part of the universe.”

Laguel’s mouth gaped slightly open while staring at Chi-Woo.

“I promise you with my name on the line. So, please stop talking about that matter and dig in.”

It was a truly surprising and mystical experience. Laguel’s heart, which had been pounding madly with fear and anxiety, eased in an instant hearing Chi-Woo’s words. This was a declaration coming from not anyone, but the Heavenly King. With just a couple sentences from him, all her worries disappeared like magic, and she regained her calm. He was so trustworthy. What more could Laguel say after receiving an answer she could only hope for while fearing death?

“Thank you—” Thus, she collapsed onto her chair and continued to shed tears while murmuring, “Thank you…thank you so much…”

***

After Laguel left, Chi-Hyun heard about the situation belatedly once he was ready to go to work, and he said, “How unlike you. Did you have a change of heart or something?”

“No. That’s not it.”

“Then why?”

“I guess…I could say that I felt a sense of responsibility.”

Chi-Hyun furrowed his eyebrows.

“Of course, I’m not saying that I’m responsible for everything that happened,” Chi-Woo continued, “But in technical terms, perhaps one would call it involuntary manslaughter.”

“What do you mean? What responsibility are you saying you have?”

“You know how you told me that after I awakened my powers as the Heavenly King, the universe would change?” And this was what was continuously happening. The Chaos Constellation came into being with the awakening of the Heavenly King, and the Golden Constellation was birthed to counter the Chaos Constellation.

“Then, what do you think comes next?” Chi-Woo asked, and Chi-Hyun"s eyes gradually widened at his question.

“No way.”

“Not yet,” Chi-Woo said firmly. “But I still think…this is just a premonition.”

It was then Chi-Hyun understood a bit why Chi-Woo had decided to step forward this time. Chi-Hyun’s face darkened. If this was the case, this was really a stage that he couldn’t intrude upon—even if he recovered his full power. In the end, the only thing he could say was, “Be careful.”

***

Laguel ran. She had been running crazily ever since she left Chi-Woo’s home to the location she and Gabriel had promised to meet up at if they returned alive. The Heavenly King had told her that he would personally come forth to save her, and Laguel was filled with a sense of accomplishment. It was the first time she had such a feeling, but as she got closer to the entrance, she slowed down. It was because although she gained a miraculous result, she still didn’t know what had happened to the other two. Besides Michael, Gabriel’s situation was a bit different. Since the Martial G.o.d extremely detested angels, it was better for her not to get her hopes up that Gabriel would be fine.

Thus, she was shocked when she arrived at the entrance, and one angel was waiting for her.

“Laguel!” Gabriel was jumping up and down like a child as she greeted her. “You also came back alive!” Furthermore, she didn’t appear to be injured anywhere.

“I’m also alive! Alive! And—!” Laguel couldn’t believe what she was hearing. But she also ran while shouting.

“I succeeded! The Heavenly King promised to intervene!”

“I did it! The Martial G.o.d said he would help! Waaaaah!”

The two shouted simultaneously and flinched.

“…Sorry?”

“…Huh?”

They looked at each other and blinked hard. But it wasn’t over yet. Michael also returned and shouted.

—I did it, you all! the Golden Constellation! I received the Golden Constellation’s permission! This crisis is over!

Even the usually solemn Michael said cheerfully like a child who had received a gift. When her two fellow angels didn’t respond at all, though, Michael gave them a look of confusion.

—Um, did you two hear me?

“…”

—Everyone?

***

Gabriel almost died from her attempt.

“You must’ve really lost your mind.” As expected, the Martial G.o.d summoned his sword as soon as he saw her. “You should’ve just gone off and lived quietly after I let you go.” Then, the Martial G.o.d swung his sword. “How dare you come back then—!”

Gabriel got on her knees and bowed low on the ground.

“Soo-Hyun!” a voice shouted.

If another angel hadn’t suddenly appeared and stopped him, he would’ve just struck the sword down.

“Move aside, Seraph.”

“Let’s hear her out first—no, why don’t you just chase her away without listening to her. Please, in consideration for me!”

“Ha. I suppose you still feel affection for a superior you used to serve once. I told you to move aside.”

“Soo-Hyun! Please!”

“I won’t repeat myself.” The man pushed the angel away and tried to swing his sword again.

—What a nice sight.

A calm and deep voice rang out then.

—Quickly swing your sword. It’s been a while since I saw blood.

“You…!” The man quickly flicked his head around. He glared at the bluish orb floating in the air.

—Ah, don’t take it the wrong way. I am simply watching.

A voice flowed out of the s.h.i.+ning blue orb.

—But…it is quite interesting to see an existence who had once said that he wanted to cry as a human tread into chaos of his own will.

The man’s eyes narrowed at the remark dripping with mockery.

—I clearly warned you. The chaos inside you will never disappear. Thus, it is up to you what you’ll do from now on. And the decision you make now will have a significant influence on what will happen from now on.

The man laughed humorlessly at the orb’s words.

“…How unusual,” he snorted and said snidely, “I am surprised to see someone who always watches on the sidelines intervene and enforce his opinions for the first time.”

—It can’t be helped in this situation.

The orb continued calmly.

—But let me tell you this one thing. The situation surrounding you is very volatile right now. You were able to maintain peace until now because everyone worked hard on their own and refrained themselves.

—But if even one of those people can’t endure it anymore and do something beyond their stations…the other two remaining will have to make a decision in the end.

—Thus, one thing is certain. Your chaos will be the starting point to ignite the explosion that could blow up the universe.

After saying this, the orb asked one more time.

—So, make a decision now. What are you going to do?

The man was no fool. The orb that had always looked on the sidelines was intervening for the first time. That signified how important this decision was. In other words, this was a pivotal point of some sort. The man didn’t say anything for a while. Before, he would’ve already flipped out. It wasn’t so different now, and even when he was actively suppressing it, anger rose inside him like lava inside a volcano. Nonetheless, he was clearly different from before.

The little candle maintaining his calm flickered like it was going to blow out any moment; it was the little candle that he had been able to maintain thanks to everyone’s dire efforts until now, and it was still burning and emitting a faint light. Despite how weak it was, it succeeded in creating a change in the chaos inside him—just like the time he decided on the return of the fallen angels after enjoying some good ramen.

He gradually lowered his sword and closed his eyes. Soon, he let out a deep sigh and said, “…I didn’t think there would be a day where I would say something like this to you.”

After the man opened his eyes, he said in a more composed voice, “Fine. I will hear you out. Why don’t you blabber what you need to say?

***

Michael’s situation was similar. Although Michael’s life hadn’t been endangered, the Golden Constellation appeared conflicted as the angels had expected him to be.

“Hm. You came at a bad time. I have been busy training these days. Why the sudden visit…?”

“But!”

“I admit that you all worked hard with me at one point. But by helping with your return, I should’ve paid back everything I owed by many times more, right?”

Michael’s mouth opened and closed. She was about to back away, thinking nothing more could be done.

“Still…it does pique my interest a bit.”

“Sorry?”

“A customer who came to my store not so long ago inspired me. But I can’t really grasp what this inspiration is, and there’s nothing better than on-site experiences in situations like this.”

“Y-Yes, certainly, sir!”

“I’m sure this is no easy opponent to deal with if you are coming to me like this. They will give me at least a bit of a challenge…” The young man came to a decision after thinking about this matter. “Okay. I will serve you. But you must pay me for it later.”

Michael’s eyes opened wide. “Of course, sir! We will pay back everything with interest included!”

***

“…Wait.” After hearing about Michael’s story, Gabriel spoke up blankly. They had all left the Celestial Realm, hoping that one of the three men would listen to their plea.

“But…all three agreed to come forth?” Gabriel looked astonished, and Laguel was speechless. As the greatest crisis they had ever witnessed erupted, not just one but three great beings were set to gather in one place.

“Hey, what are you doing?” Gabriel asked Laguel. It was because Laguel was on her knees, drawing the sign of the cross and praying.

“I am asking for blessings.”

“For who?”

“For the crisis they are going to deal with.”

“Why are you asking for blessings for the crisis?”

“Though it is a crisis…” Laguel continued, looking genuinely pitying, “Don’t you feel sorry for them?”