Chapter 34
CHAPTER 34
The City of Dionysus (4)
The emotions between the two collided.
But at that moment—
The fountain's memory shut off.
Ju-Heon looked at Cynthia.
"So someone like you thinks you're qualified to rule this city?"
[Warning]
[Abnormality detected in the Relic of Lethe]
['Bitrain' summon conditions satisfied]
[Settlement Mode — Emergency Activation]
His anger surged like a tidal wave, sharpening every word.
At Ju-Heon's outburst, Cynthia's eyes trembled.
But she clenched her teeth.
As if she knew exactly what that warning meant, her face turned deathly pale as she muttered,
"The one who protects... sometimes has to make the dirtiest decisions!"
"What the hell are you talking about...?!"
"...No. Not yet... it hasn't even been a month!"
"...?"
For once, there was no drunken laziness in her voice.
Only desperate urgency.
But the system remained merciless.
[Contractor: 'Dionysus' Majesty Cynthia]
[Due to an error in the Relic of Lethe's counter, an early settlement has been requested.]
[Majesty 'Bitrain' will personally take over the collection process.]
Tap.
A pair of black dress shoes stepped onto the edge of the fountain.
A man stood there, his eyes hidden behind a black masquerade mask.
Wearing a pristine white coat that fluttered lightly behind him, he walked forward with effortless elegance.
The moment Cynthia recognized the impeccably dressed figure, her voice stiffened.
"...Designer, Bitrain."
Apparently, it had something to do with Ju-Heon destroying the Relic of Lethe.
At the same time, a gate to the abyss opened in midair, and the man stepped through.
" Cynthia."
The contractor of the Relic.
A being who believed that the life he designed had no right to fail.
And the one who visited every Majesty to collect their assigned quota.
Keeping her composure with great effort, Cynthia spoke.
"The date... there are still ten days left."
Without replying, Bitrain simply smiled smoothly behind his mask.
His voice followed.
Polite.
Refined.
Perfectly courteous.
Yet every word carried the absolute logic of someone standing above everyone else.
"Seems the counter ran into a little problem. Besides, circumstances have changed on our end."
"...Circumstances?"
"Didn't we mention that this quarter's settlement would be moved up a bit? Delreira has been pushing for it."
At the name Delreira, Cynthia's eyes shook slightly.
"You signed a contract with the Majesties, didn't you? In exchange for maintaining this city, you'd periodically supply humans. All you have to do is fulfill that promise."
"...Can't you cut me some slack? I've never broken the contract before..."
"Isn't keeping a contract simply the obvious thing to do?"
"...!"
"So don't look so anxious."
"But... I still haven't met my quota. That's—"
"That's not just your problem."
Bitrain casually raised a hand, and a relic in the form of a scroll-like contract appeared in the air.
[If supply cannot be fulfilled within the designated period, the Settler reserves the right to forcibly collect a 'substitute.']
"Your city?"
"...Just make up the difference with something else. A few of those smiling citizens out on the streets should do."
His cold voice settled beneath the mask.
Cynthia's face turned completely white.
She clenched her fists so tightly that blood seeped from the backs of her hands.
"...No!"
The single word sounded pitifully powerless.
Tilting his head, Bitrain said,
"That's a new one. So the owner of this city wasn't us... but a woman named you?"
"...!"
"Then I suppose every relic produced on this land belongs to you as well? That's a breach of contract. Naturally, all profits are settled by those above. Or were you planning to pocket everything yourself?"
"That's not—"
Smiling, Bitrain applauded lightly.
"'No?'"
"Don't touch... the living people in my city!"
"My, my. What grand ambitions you have, Lord Dionysus."
His final words were unmistakably mocking.
"If you don't like that, I can just grab a few useful ones from the orphanage instead. Children usually fetch higher grades."
An unfamiliar voice.
Bitrain turned his head.
A man had somehow approached without anyone noticing.
His arms were crossed.
His expression was indifferent.
Only his eyes gleamed with open disgust.
Cynthia stumbled backward in alarm.
Seo Ju-Heon.
"W-Wait... there's no need to go that far...!"
"You've been spouting stomach-turning crap this whole time."
And with those words—
Seo Ju-Heon's patience finally snapped.
Bitrain slowly tilted his head.
"...The more I listen..."
"And who are you? Judging by that handsome face, are you Dionysus's new husband?"
"What kind of bullshit is that?"
"Oh? You're not?"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha.
Bitrain spotted him and let out a chuckle.
Then he laughed leisurely.
"So then... a subordinate? A friend? Don't tell me... a relic?"
"You've got a death wish?"
"Haha, my mistake. I thought you might be one of this city's relics. If you were human, you wouldn't be barging in this confidently. So then... who could you be... hmm."
"Oh, the is here too. I heard you played dead and fled to the Dead Point."
"The Creator" was probably referring to Majesty Yu Jae-ha's title—
"...Dead Point?"
Just then, Bitrain, who had been smiling with a hand over his mouth, noticed Yu Jae-ha.
As Ju-Heon tilted his head in confusion, Yu Jae-ha whispered quietly,
"...Hm?"
"Your world. The disposal zone... the Divine Relics are trying to erase."
The veins bulged on Ju-Heon's forehead as he let out a disbelieving laugh.
"So... they're treating someone else's world like a garbage dump?"
As Ju-Heon stepped forward, Yu Jae-ha hurriedly grabbed him.
"Calm down. He's not someone you can fight!"
Only then did Bitrain's expression change.
His gaze sharpened and locked onto Ju-Heon.
He seemed extremely interested to see Ju-Heon standing together with Yu Jae-ha.
"So then... could that be Seo Ju-Heon?"
"Took you long enough to figure it out. Are you the bastard who took my daughter?"
Bitrain smiled lightly.
"Your daughter would make excellent material."
"So you're Seo Ju-Heon? Do you even know who that man beside you is?"
"What?"
"He's one of the higher-ranked Majesties. Are you really staying by his side knowing that? Countless Majesties have been stabbed in the back and invaded by him."
"Hah. I could tell that just from looking at the bastard's personality."
"No, I don't think you understand."
"What?"
A sneer spread across Bitrain's face.
"I cut ties with them, idiot. If I were really on the relics' side, the Divine Relics wouldn't be hunting me."
"That man is your enemy—one of the Twelve Executors."
"...!"
Ju-Heon drew in a short breath.
He hurriedly turned to Yu Jae-ha.
I knew there was something suspicious about him... So he used to be on the same side as those bastards?
His gaze froze for a moment.
"Hah. Well, then I know exactly what to watch out for."
"...?"
"The perfect timing for when you'll stab me in the back."
Yu Jae-ha looked at Ju-Heon for a brief moment.
"...You."
As if telling him not to lump him together with the others, Majesty Yu Jae-ha frowned.
But he said nothing.
He neither denied it nor admitted it.
Then Ju-Heon broke the silence.
"...Be careful. That might've been a mistake this time, but next time could be different."
"Doesn't matter. Right now, he's mine."
Bitrain let out a quiet scoff.
There was no trust in his eyes—
Only interest.
Frowning, Bitrain took a step back toward the crack in space.
It almost seemed playful, yet it was an unmistakable warning.
He glanced down at the rift before slowly raising his head again.
His gaze swept across the three of them in turn, including Yu Jae-ha.
"...What an entertaining group. One Majesty from the Dead Point, one deceptive Creator. Though I doubt this combination will last long. Even if he was high-ranking, he was still among the lowest of our upper ranks."
"Very well. As the Designer, I'll personally assign your grades."
Bitrain pointed into the air with his finger.
One.
Two.
Three.
Yu Jae-ha flicked his fingers.
Instantly, the ground twisted, and a small crack opened beneath Bitrain's feet.
"Dionysus—Grade B. Failed city management."
"Yu Jae-ha—Grade A. Talented, but untrustworthy."
Then the corners of his lips curled upward.
"Seo Ju-Heon—Grade S. High risk of destruction, but well worth collecting."
He pointed directly at Ju-Heon.
At that moment, a light burst from inside Ju-Heon's coat.
The book Julian had transformed into began glowing.
Bitrain's smile was slow.
Sharp enough to make one's skin crawl.
"I am that child's creator—its father. No matter where it is, I can use it whenever I please."
"Heh. How interesting. Should I hand it over to the Divine Relics... or keep it for myself?"
Slowly, he raised a hand to stroke his chin.
Just as Ju-Heon was about to charge at him—
The veins stood out across Ju-Heon's face.
The fact that a piece of trash like him called himself its father was revolting.
Energy began gathering at Bitrain's fingertips.
It looked as though he intended to activate the Book of Laws and seize Ju-Heon.
"Come to think of it... you're carrying the child I created, aren't you?"
"...!"
"You're going to regret carrying my masterpiece around like an idiot."
Ju-Heon, who had been thinking for a moment, suddenly smirked.
[Warning: The restored relic's mental state is extremely unstable.]
"Go ahead and try. It's so screwed up now that it can't even use its abilities."
"...Hm?"
An old fairy tale book with a worn brown cover.
Decorated in an oddly unsettling children's style.
Screwed up?
Ju-Heon reached into his coat and pulled the book out.
What he held up was a children's storybook.
The book that was supposed to be the Book of Laws had become something completely bizarre after Ju-Heon's Restoration.
And what it had become was—
"Your precious Book of Laws? It's a potty-training book now."
Bitrain fell silent.
"...The Book of Laws?"
"Yep. Uh-huh. A poop book."
<Children's Everyday Manners Storybook>
Silence filled the air.
The smile beneath the mask froze.
"...?"
"..."
"..."
Seo Ju-Heon grinned viciously.
"Hah! Your masterpiece's a toilet-training manual now."
...This bastard?