Chapter 43
CHAPTER 43
Wintering (7)
Ju-Heon tapped his arm lightly with a finger.
"Transfer the Majesty authority to me."
"...What?"
Cynthia doubted her ears.
Ju-Heon had said it as casually as if he were asking to borrow a pen.
What the hell did this bastard just say?
But Ju-Heon merely grinned viciously.
"I'm only being blocked because I'm classified as an Invader."
He casually rolled one shoulder, looking exactly like someone who had spent his life dodging taxes.
"Didn't you hear me? Hand over ownership of this world."
"...Have you completely lost your mind?"
Cynthia shouted, too dumbfounded even to laugh.
"Then I just won't be an invader. Simple."
What the hell is this lunatic trying to do?
"What do you think this world is? You can't just hand it over that easily!"
"Why not? Seems pretty simple."
"You should transfer it to me, not him."
"...What?"
Ju-Heon smiled without the slightest hesitation.
"If I summon my own relics on my own land, that's not an invasion.
"It's just me taking my belongings out of a drawer in my own house."
"...Do you honestly think that makes sense?"
Yu Jae-ha folded his arms and slowly surveyed the entire city.
A mocking smile hung on his face.
"How's a brat supposed to run a city this big? Hand it over. It's mine."
At that moment, Majesty Yu Jae-ha cut into the conversation.
Cynthia screamed.
"Exactly. That doesn't make any sense."
Seeing another Majesty step in, Cynthia was just about to sigh in relief—
"Are you insane?! Why the hell would it be yours?!"
"Then whose side do you think is right?"
"Have you considered that both of you are wrong?!"
Ju-Heon, however, looked completely indifferent.
"Fine. Then just lend it to me for a while."
"...That... could be negotiated. Yeah... to some extent..."
"One thousand years."
"...AAAAAAAHHHHH!!"
"Here. The world's authority."
"...You're really... actually going to do this...?"
"Yeah. I need it to summon Hades."
"Damn it! Just for a moment!"
Cynthia let out a desperate scream as she grabbed his hand.
It sounded as though Cynthia's mind had literally exploded.
In the end, she collapsed to the ground, clutching her head.
[Majesty Authority Transfer Request Detected]
[Authority Transfer: Dionysus → Yu Jae-ha]
"Ahhh... You're both insane... Completely insane..."
The city's system echoed through the air.
Ju-Heon narrowed his eyes.
As if he'd already been expecting this, he extended his hand.
"Why are you getting it?"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha answered with an incredulous look.
"You thought you were the one receiving it? Legally, I'm the invader. I told you I was the one who exercised the invasion rights.
"Don't worry. I'll register you as my subordinate. Then you should be able to summon your relics."
[Impossible.]
"...What?"
Majesty Yu Jae-ha shouted.
The veins on Ju-Heon's forehead bulged.
"Why?!"
At that moment, glowing golden letters flashed across the air.
[Authority Transfer Request Detected]
[Evaluating...]
Just before Ju-Heon could reach out, the system coldly delivered its verdict.
[Transfer Conditions Not Met]
[Required Value: Madness 80 or Higher]
[Current Candidate: Yu Jae-ha (Madness: 12)]
[Rejected.]
"...So it's based on Madness."
Ju-Heon muttered.
Cynthia shrugged and finally managed a relaxed smile.
Though it trembled slightly.
"Yeah. It wasn't going to be that easy."
"If I go even a single day without drinking..."
"...I start hearing screams inside my head."
She folded her arms and narrowed her eyes.
Yet strangely, there was pride in her expression.
"Do you know why I've managed to hold onto this city all this time?
"Do you have any idea how hard it is... to keep your Madness above eighty?"
"I still endured it.
"Lonely... exhausted... unable to sleep...
"And yet I still maintained Madness at eighty."
Ju-Heon and Yu Jae-ha stared at her silently.
With a sigh, Cynthia spoke again, her emotions oddly conflicted.
She sounded as if she were bragging, even though it wasn't really something to boast about.
"It wasn't an easy life.
"This was my own way... of protecting the city."
"So what if it's only eighty."
"...?"
Yu Jae-ha muttered flatly.
"...You're actually proud of that?"
"Of course I am! Who else could possibly endure a city like this besides me?!"
Just then, the city itself trembled.
BOOM!
The emblem of Dionysus appeared in the sky, while a dark crimson aura erupted from the center of the city.
Still caught between pride and bitter resignation, Cynthia continued speaking.
"Who else could have endured this city besides me...
"All this Madness...
"All this mental strain...
"All these sacrifices...
"I was the one who—"
[Seo Ju-Heon: Madness 99]
[City Management Compatibility: Highest Rank]
[Qualified Individual Detected]
[Authority Transfer Target Automatically Changed]
At that moment, Ju-Heon smiled faintly.
Cynthia's expression froze.
"...Huh?"
"Wait... this is way too much of a stretch...!"
Ju-Heon let out a short snort.
Even Majesty Yu Jae-ha looked utterly speechless.
"So I'm the only one who can actually pull this off."
The city's system delivered its verdict without emotion.
"I've never seen a world where being completely insane actually gives someone an advantage..."
<World of Majesty Seo Ju-Heon>
[Majesty Authority Transfer Complete: Cynthia → Seo Ju-Heon]
[Madness Compatibility: Maximum]
['City of Dionysus' is registering a new owner.]
The ground itself shook as the world's rules were rewritten.
The city's neon lights slowly faded into hues of black and gold.
Cynthia's eyes widened in horror.
[Authority Transfer Complete.]
[The owner of this world is now 'Seo Ju-Heon.']
She stared blankly at the notification.
"...No... that's impossible!!"
Ju-Heon answered with a blank expression.
Before he had even finished speaking, the Rulebook's face suddenly appeared in the sky.
[W-W-WHAT?!]
[The city's authority was transferred... like this?!]
[There has never been a precedent for exploiting the rules this way!!]
"Hm. Guess I can summon him now."
Cynthia collapsed onto the ground, clutching her head with both hands.
Ju-Heon frowned.
"My city...
"My hard work...
"Everything...
"...Gone in an instant...
"...Why does this feel so empty...?"
...What's with all the drama?
The Rulebook continued shouting without even pausing for breath.
Ju-Heon looked over the city and shrugged.
"Looks like the city recognizes its rightful owner."
[The rules do allow ownership to change if someone satisfies the city's Madness requirement!!]
[But... that rule was NOT intended to be used like this!!]
[If Lord Bitrain and Lady Delreira were watching, they would be deeply disappointed!!]
Ju-Heon chuckled.
"Funny. You just called her 'Lady Delreira,' didn't you?"
[U-Uh... T-That was...!]
[Basic courtesy! Courtesy!]
"Courtesy, my ass."
"You're obviously biased."
"Aren't you making it a little too obvious whose side you're on?"
The Rulebook's eyes widened fiercely.
It immediately protested.
[I am a fair and impartial system!]
[It's just that this case is far too unsportsmanlike!!]
[A transfer of authority like this is truly unpleasant to witness!!]
[Rulebook Operating Principle, Article 3: 'Avoid abusing the rules!']
[You're practically exploiting them!!]
Ju-Heon simply shrugged again.
"Fair?"
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"But I didn't break any rules."
[...]
[Correct.]
[Everything falls within the rules.]
"Then we're done here."
"Or is it just because this puts Delreira at a disadvantage?"
The Rulebook practically screamed.
Ju-Heon raised his hand.
"Summoning Authority."
"Hades."
[Y-You can't say things like that!!]
[I am the honest mediator of the sacred Majesty War!!]
"I didn't break the rules."
The Rulebook let out a despairing cry.
[Aaaah! Please!!]
[This is clearly an invasion!!]
Ju-Heon activated the Summoning Authority.
As he lowered his hand, darkness spread across the plaza.
"Then shut up and process the summon."
Ju-Heon sneered.
The Rulebook gritted its teeth.
"Why is calling my own relic in my own city considered an invasion? Unless..."
[Summoning Authority Approved.]
[This is not the outcome I desired...]
The plaza began transforming.
The corners of Ju-Heon's mouth slowly curled upward.
BOOM!
The engraved pattern changed into the crest of the Underworld as the earth split apart.
Cynthia's face turned pale.
[Summoning Authority Activated.]
[Warning: Hades-class relics are classified as High Risk.]
[Powerful Dominance and physical endurance are required.]
[If your mind wavers, even the user may be driven to death.]
[Do you still wish to proceed?]
"W-Wait...
"...My city's not going to be destroyed, right?
"...Right?!"
"You think that would scare me?"
Instead of answering, the widening fissure slowly opened.
An icy darkness rose from the depths beneath the earth.
Like the breathing of a colossal beast, the aura of death spread throughout the city.
Then—
Something began rising from the abyss.
Ju-Heon slammed his hand down once more.
At the center of the plaza, the engraved seal on the ground began turning over.
The circular emblem symbolizing Dionysus was overwritten.
Clank.
Click.
The sound of heavy chains dragging echoed across the plaza.
Majesty Yu Jae-ha, still standing with his arms crossed, instinctively took a step back in disgust.
"...Ah...
"...That's definitely the sound of something that should never come out."
Thud.
Thud.
A shadow crawled out.
No—
The shadow itself took form, growing and rising like twisting vines as it emerged from the darkness.