Chapter 35

CHAPTER 35

The City of Dionysus (5)

Majesty Yu Jae-ha stared blankly at the ceiling.

"...Haah. You might actually be more creative than I am, the ."

He paused.

"In the worst possible way."

Ju-Heon grinned and waved the storybook around.

"What? Why that reaction? I remodeled it into a much classier children's book. You should be thanking me."

Shrugging as if he had just done someone a favor, Ju-Heon looked at Bitrain.

Bitrain's masked face slowly turned toward him.

"You were the one who treated someone else's world like garbage in the first place. So I turned your son into garbage too. Fair's fair, right?"

"...You turned my Book of Laws into... a machine that produces excrement?"

"Yep. Since everyone in this city has regressed into drugged-up relic addicts, this suits them better. The Book of Laws was way too sophisticated."

At that instant, a sharp glint flashed from behind Bitrain's mask.

Ju-Heon chuckled.

"Come on, don't get so angry."

"Though I guess leaving it like this lacks a bit of elegance..."

Then—

The book transformed again.

As Ju-Heon shook it, its appearance changed into something resembling one of Aesop's Fables.

That wasn't all.

When he opened the book, fairy-tale sentences began glowing one after another, displaying passages that looked as though they belonged in a children's storybook.

[The judgment function of the has been altered.]
[A is assigned to the target.]

[What role does a bad person play in a fairy tale?]

The very words radiated the relic's power.

Sentence after sentence wrapped themselves around Bitrain's body.

Seeing this, Bitrain narrowed his eyes ever so slightly.

As if he had already figured it out.

"...An attribute-transformation type."

Once a role was assigned, there was no escaping it.

If someone was designated as the villain, they would be forced to act like one.

If the assigned role came with restrictions, they could not defy them until they reached the role's destined ending.

And breaking the role meant suffering the consequences.

The storybook spoke in a cute, innocent tone—

But in reality, it imprisoned its target within the rigid framework of a children's fable.

A low sigh escaped from beneath Bitrain's mask.

Julian had originally been the Book of Judgment—

A relic that defined crimes and carried out sentences.

But after becoming a storybook, its rules had changed completely.

"...You turned my proud masterpiece into this?"

Is this his Majesty ability...?

Stealing an opponent's original powers... and even messing with their mind.

The moment Ju-Heon spoke, a sticker suddenly appeared on Bitrain's face.

Bitrain instantly reached up to remove it.

It wouldn't come off.

"Greedy people always trip because they try to keep everything for themselves."

Ju-Heon smirked and snapped his fingers.

Another page turned by itself.

The storybook continued.

"Greedy people in fairy tales are always punished for trying to possess everything alone."

The wording was adorable.

Completely innocent.

Yet the instant those words appeared—

The ground beneath Bitrain suddenly tilted.

And though no one had touched him—

Boom!

This time, the sentence itself transformed into a sticker.

It looked like one of those cute cartoon stickers children would use.

Ridiculous.

Harmless-looking.

[Applied.]

Bitrain lost his balance.

One knee slammed into the ground.

Everyone gasped.

Bitrain.

The masked man.

The exalted Majesty.

The Designer who toyed with life itself.

The terrifying Collector.

Then another sentence appeared.

"The greedy man cries or gets angry... and everyone ends up hating him."

"...That man... actually knelt?"

It had been a mistake lasting less than a second.

But no one had ever seen Bitrain kneel before.

Even Yu Jae-ha, who knew Bitrain well, muttered inwardly,

"...He's completely insane."

The storybook's glowing text turned crimson.

At the same moment, Bitrain's fingertips trembled.

His body was forcibly pulled upright.

As though invisible strings were compelling him to explode with emotion.

Then—

For the first time—

Emotion seeped into the voice beneath the mask.

"...How irritating."

Even Cynthia, the Dionysus Majesty, was speechless.

Ju-Heon immediately followed up.

"Then I guess it's time for the punishment."

That single sentence froze the entire plaza.

Yu Jae-ha froze.

Cynthia froze as well.

He actually forced an emotion like that out of someone so utterly arrogant...

Bitrain slowly rose to his feet.

A chilling aura leaked from behind the mask.

Ju-Heon merely laughed.

"...Good."

"That suits you a lot better than pretending to be some noble king."

Without saying a word, Yu Jae-ha let out a whistle.

Only then did Cynthia realize what Ju-Heon had actually attacked.

It wasn't the relic.

It wasn't even Bitrain's body.

It was—

His pride.

Bitrain's voice remained calm.

But it carried a clear message.

He would never make the same mistake again.

Just as expected—

"You've crossed the line."

Bitrain silently took out the contract scroll.

He remained motionless for a long time.

Still kneeling.

Then, after taking a slow, controlled breath—

"...From this moment onward."

[Settlement Mode]
[Forcefully Activated]

At the same instant, crimson light erupted around the ankles of both Ju-Heon and Majesty Yu Jae-ha.

Bitrain intended to seize both of them as settlement assets.

Ju-Heon.

Yu Jae-ha.

Even Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha.

Then—

"I'll include every one of you in the settlement."

"No!!!"

[Settlement Authority Activated]
[Selecting Targets]

Cynthia screamed as she threw herself forward.

The moment she reached out her hand, something astonishing happened.

Flash!

A crimson glow emerged from the scroll.

Three slots lit up.

Craaack!

"...The three of you should make excellent materials."

The entire city shook violently.

The power extending from her fingertips—

No, more precisely, her own power—

Resonated with the city's core, causing it to tremble.

The entire city pulsed as though it were alive.

Finally, that pulse reached the crimson light wrapped around Ju-Heon and Yu Jae-ha.

A short, heavy silence followed.

Behind his mask, Bitrain slowly tilted his head.

"...So this is the choice you're making."

Crash!!

The crimson light shattered into countless fragments.

Bitrain silently watched it for a moment.

Then his masked face slowly turned toward Cynthia.

At his gaze, Cynthia's hand trembled slightly.

A low laugh escaped from beneath the mask.

"...You're interfering?"

"Very well."

"Now this is an interesting negotiation."

Clenching both fists tightly, Cynthia shouted,

"If you take those three now, this month's settlement is complete! Weren't you planning to hand the next harvest over to Delreira anyway? If they're not citizens of this city, Delreira will be furious! Are you really okay with that?!"

The crimson settlement light disappeared.

The scroll quietly dissolved into thin air.

Yet Bitrain showed no intention of leaving.

His slowly turning mask was proof enough.

"But before that..."

"I have one question."

Cynthia stopped breathing.

"So there won't be any problems with the settlement?"

Ju-Heon frowned.

The Relic of Lethe...

Well, they hadn't broken it.

Cup Ramen Yu Jae-ha had.

Unexpectedly, however, Cynthia met Bitrain's gaze without flinching.

After a brief silence, she nodded.

"It was an error."

"A durability issue."

"...There won't be any problem."

Bitrain narrowed his eyes.

But his next question was far sharper.

She had deliberately chosen an excuse that was believable enough to deceive him.

Whenever something went wrong with a relic, blaming its durability was the safest explanation.

Bitrain quietly mulled over her answer.

Then—

"...I see."

"Then what exactly caused the abnormal response from the Relic of Lethe I personally installed?"

He left it at that.

Whether his suspicion had vanished—

Or merely been postponed—

No one could tell.

He slowly extended one hand.

Three fingers unfolded.

"Three days."

"I don't know why you're so determined to protect those three..."

"But go ahead."

"Try."

Cynthia's face stiffened.

"Prepare the settlement quota within three days."

"If you fail..."

The voice beneath the mask became a whisper.

Then his body dissolved into black ink-like fragments.

And vanished.

Ju-Heon tried to chase after him—

But Bitrain disappeared first.

Once he was gone, only the sound of the wind echoed through the building.

Ju-Heon stared at the place where he had disappeared for quite some time.

"...I'll forcibly collect substitutes instead."

"Next time..."

"You won't be able to stop me."

"...!"

His authority was overwhelming.

By "substitutes"...

He meant living people.

Children.

Cynthia swallowed hard.

Bitrain had smiled the entire time.

He's on a completely different level than Mars.

Female Seo Ju-Heon was powerful too... but this is a different kind of strength.

If we'd fought him head-on... I would've lost.

And that bastard is the one who took my daughter.

Ju-Heon slowly clenched and unclenched his fist.

...Should I have chased after him after all?

"Now then."

Ju-Heon's voice growled low.

No.

If I get captured too, I'll never find my daughter.

He already knew Bitrain held the advantage.

Not now.

Not yet.

Still...

"What exactly were you thinking when you saved us?"

Ju-Heon's eyes were terrifying.

"The same person who even put a bounty on us."

I'll catch him.

No matter what it takes.

No matter how.

Ju-Heon slowly turned his gaze toward Cynthia.

She instinctively flinched.

Yu Jae-ha silently watched the exchange.

Normally, this would have been the perfect moment for one of his sarcastic smiles.

But not now.

Cynthia remained silent for a long while.

Her lips trembled.

Yet she wasn't trying to invent a lie.

"...Because I thought..."

The moment those words left her mouth, Ju-Heon's gaze sharpened ever so slightly.

"You thought what?"

After swallowing once, Cynthia answered honestly.

"I thought..."

"...that if it were you..."

"...you might actually be able to make the Majesties above us panic."