At the crossroad that led to my holy ground and the ninetieth floor, the Primordial Staff greeted me.
“Welcome, Death King. You’re dressed well.”
“Yes,” I answered.
“But you don’t look so good. What’s wrong?”
After her defeat, the mage’s gloomy look had become her default look, but she was still asking me these things. I guessed my face was like an open book to her.
I wiped my forehead and said, “It’s nothing. I was just thinking about the past.”
“You speak like an old man, but you shouldn’t do that. You’re still young and even have a bright future ahead,” the Primordial Staff said, sucking on her staff. “Or should I say you only have days left to die? Which one do you think is right?”
“If possible, I’d rather hear that I only have happy days left.”
“That’s good, but I’m not the one who should be telling you that.”
That was true.
“Let’s go.”
With a snort, the Primordial Staff led the way. I climbed the spiral staircases. Around my neck was my fox god, like always, and I had my Snakey bracelet on my wrist. Beside me, the Sword Emperor was afloat, following me. Only my belt, where my holy sword used to be, felt empty.
Mr. Sword Emperor.
—What?
“What lies ahead?” I asked both out loud and in thought.
The Primordial Staff didn’t turn to look at me, nor did the Sword Emperor, but their replies reached my ears.
“The Tower master is an artist.”
—I’m a fighter.
“You’ve seen her past, so you would know that. She was a warlord, a politician, and an aristocrat, but she was also a gladiator, an actress, and an architect.”
—You’ve watched me all this time, so you would know that. Holding myself back and waiting for the right moment isn’t what I do. My taste sometimes clashes with the world’s, but my taste becomes the world’s in the end.
“She was also the kingdom’s best musician.”
—Anyone who tried to force their tastes on me ended up with a cracked skull.
With each step up the staircase, the sky drew closer.
“In a way, you could say she’s similar to you.”
—To be honest, didn’t you climb the Tower like me?
“The Tower master is free. No one can keep her under a leash, but her freedom has clear bounds.”
—The requiem was unexpected, but when you defeated the Demon King of Autumn Rain, I realized I’ve never seen an unstoppable wacko like you. But yes. If you have a problem with the given quest, defeat the one who gave it. When you don’t like the rules, then beat the one who made them until you like the guy.
Around me, things changed step by step, but it felt unreal. It was like walking on a treadmill as everything around me sank slowly. The stories went on, and I just listened.
“The Tower master especially loves fugues[3].”
—This Tower is the same, Gong-Ja.
“She likes connecting the start and the end while weaving notes and beats together to form a tune. Paths with different starting points having the same end are to her liking, too.”
—Some nasty people play with memories, but if they had done that while I was climbing the Tower, I would have crushed their heads and defeated them, just like you did. Don’t you think so too?
“So.”
—So.
They spoke simultaneously, as if they had planned it.
“Everything beyond this point is an extension of what you have witnessed so far.”
—Nothing new exists beyond this.
The world began to unravel. Like mixing many colors of rubber clay, the land far below melted first, followed by the sky. Crumbling, the sky soon turned into many grains of sand, falling like rain.
“Perhaps you can reach the hundredth floor.”
—I heard Gray only made it to the ninety-fourth floor.
No, it wasn’t rain.
“If someone made it from the first to the nintieth floor, there’s no reason they can’t climb higher.”
—She began from the fiftieth floor, so climbing higher would be hard.
It was a giant hourglass, which also looked like Mutia’s holy ground. A wide, endless waste lay ahead. What used to be the sky looked hazy under the bright sun because of a very thick layer of glass. From the center of the hourglass, sand fell like blood from a snake’s heart.
Within the hourglass, a familiar voice greeted me there.
“Welcome, Death King! Or should I call you Scream Sky now?”
All I could do was stare. “Princess?”
“Yes, it’s me! Long time no see!”
The Mirage-Walking Princess walked toward me, greeting me as she hopped over. She was as vibrant as ever.
It doesn’t really feel like a long time has passed… Are you here to guide me?”
“Yes, that’s right!” The princess smiled brightly, twirled once, and waved her hand toward the Primordial Staff. “Thank you for your hard work, Auntie. I’ll take over from here.”
“Very well. This has-been will get going.”
“Yes, if you have time, go help Mia.”
The Primordial Staff shrugged. “She doesn’t like help.”
“Auntie… that is why you should help her.”
“You’re really…”
The Primordial Staff left frowning yet wearing a small smile. It looked like she had just found a good way to relieve her stress.
I tilted my head. “Hmm, Advisor River Eternal really has it rough.”
“It’s a job that suffers by nature. Doesn’t your advisor suffer a lot, too?”
“Perhaps. But I technically suffered more because of her.”
“Yes. When Liu Bei used Zhuge Liang, he probably worked him to the bone with that mindset.”
After casually making a remark that would divide the Shu Han fandom, the princess pulled out a small stone tablet.
“That’s…”
The princess held the tablet with both hands and lifted it with all her strength. “Yes, Scream Sky. I’ll tell you what you have to do from now on.”
Nine small holes could be seen in the center of the tablet.
“Gather nine keys!” the Mirage-Walking Princess declared.
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1. The typical response to a bad joke in Korea is 썰렁하다 (It's cold/boring.) ☜
2. Gong-Ja is probably pouting because the director replied coldly to his joke. ☜
3. A music composition technique. ☜
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Translator's Thoughts