Chapter 205: The Easter Egg (1)

I had one very important task. It was completely unrelated to clearing the Tower’s stages, but it had to be resolved before I moved on.

Immediately after clearing the thirty-fifth floor, the Hunters and I were summoned to the familiar white space. As my colleagues were chatting away, I walked up to the Mirage-Walking Princess.

“I would like to introduce Uburka to Raviel. I

really

have to do that and can’t delay it any longer.”

The princess stroked her chin. “

Hmm...

Is that so?”

“Yes. He’s not my biological son, but I still think of all Terras as my children. Raviel and I are married, which means this matter involves her too. I need to tell her.”

“I understand your reasoning, but your expedition isn’t over until you clear the fortieth floor. A Hunter who is mid-expedition can’t just go to other floors.”

“Can’t you bring Raviel here for a moment?”

The princess crossed her arms to make an X. “No, no! Silvey isn’t part of the expedition. Besides, she hasn’t officially become part of your Tower yet. Summoning her here is out of the question.”

Silvey seemed to be short for Silver-Plated Heart. The Constellation really seemed to have a habit of calling others by nicknames.

“Why? Raviel’s floor is already cleared.”

“How should I explain it... Yes, you can think of Silvey as a foreigner without a visa. There are countries in the outside world where you can travel without a visa, but that doesn’t work everywhere, right? It’s the same here. It would have been different if we were talking about the floors below the thirtieth, but I can’t bring her here. This is one of the Tower’s rules. Even if you don’t like it, I can’t help you,” the princess said with a shrug.

I contemplated for a moment. “Then, can Uburka and I briefly stop by Raviel’s world?”

“

Ugh

, that’s difficult too. The Broken-Hearted Piggy is a Constellation, so he does have the right to visit the other floors...”

Uburka was the Broken-Hearted Piggy. I shut my eyes for a moment.

I’m sorry I couldn’t support your first love, my son.

“It’s possible according to the rules, but I’m not sure if it’s allowed or not. You’re still in the middle of an expedition. You can’t just come and go unless you’re eliminated.”

I smiled. “Okay, then let’s do it like this. Please give Uburka and me a visitation ticket as a reward for clearing the thirty-fifth floor. At the very least, please allow Uburka to stay here.”

My request intrigued the princess.

“

Huh

? Why?”

“I wouldn’t have asked this if Uburka had died as expected of his lifespan, but he’s now a Constellation. Once we go to the thirty-sixth floor, hundreds of years will have passed. I don’t want to leave Uburka alone for that long.”

“Are you taking responsibility for him as his parent?”

“You could say that.”

The princess nodded. “Okay. If that’s the case, then I have a justification to persuade the higher-ups. The Tower master highly values maternal love, parental duties, and stuff! Hold on.”

The princess closed her eyes. Some of her bangs rose as if they were antennas, swaying from side to side. Was she... communicating using her bangs?

“Communication completed.” The princess opened her eyes. “I have received permission to accept your request.”

“

Oh.

”

“But! You guys can’t meet her in the world where she was born. The only place where you—Death King, Uburka, Raviel—are allowed to meet is the twenty-ninth floor. ”

I couldn’t help but tilt my head in confusion. “Thanks but,

uh

, why the twenty-ninth floor specifically?”

The twenty-ninth floor was special. It was the stage created for Kim Yul, the floor where Shinseo Middle and High Schools and the surrounding commercial district were located.

“It’s not even a real world.”

Yes, in Hamustra’s terms, it was

The Story of the City of Ascension: Side Story.

The city couldn’t be incorporated into my Tower’s official history, so it merely existed as an illusion. There were no special resources and no unique tourist attractions, so I didn’t really see the reason the twenty-ninth floor was being treated in a special way.

The princess suddenly became serious. “I’m sorry. I can’t tell you why.”

She sounded resolute.

“I am very indebted to you, Death King. So, if possible, I want to grant all your requests. But I just can’t negotiate on this one. I admit that the Broken-Hearted Piggy has the right to come here as a Constellation, so I’ll allow him to visit the twenty-ninth floor if you become his guardian. That’s good enough of a reward, right?”

I nodded.

The twenty-ninth floor has some sort of secret.

I couldn’t force her to answer my questions if she reacted like that. The princess was my ally. There was no need to get on the bad side of a Pillar who thought well of me.

I already got what I wanted anyway.

I got to free Uburka from waiting for hundreds of years. I would also get to introduce him to Raviel. Since both objectives had been achieved, there was no need to rush.

But...

This secret made even a Pillar act very serious. What could it be? Suppressing my curiosity deep in my heart, I replied, “Yes, it is.”

“Good! I’m sorry to the kids who are currently on the twenty-ninth floor, but they’ll have to leave for now~”

[The Mirage-Waking Princess has temporarily taken over the management of the twenty-ninth floor.]

[The Mirage-Walking Constellation has evicted all the Hunters on the twenty-ninth floor.]

The princess waved her hand. “While I’m at it, I’ll also adjust the local time.”

[The Administrator Authority: Floor Isolation Protocol has been activated.]

[The twenty-ninth floor has been sealed off from Ascension City.]

[The entry authorization level to the twenty-ninth floor has been increased.]

[You have been granted access to the twenty-ninth floor!]

The princess smiled. “Good. Now, no one can enter the twenty-ninth floor until you come out. Even Constellations won’t be able to intervene. The place has been prepared only for you. Please feel free to have your private conversations with your family in there for as long as you want!”

“

Uh...

T-Thank you?”

“No problem.”

I wasn’t sure what measures had been taken, but I bowed. Anyway, I had a feeling that the princess exceeded her authority a lot because of me.

“Go to the twenty-ninth floor first. I’ll send Silvey and the Broken-Hearted Piggy there soon. This is a bonus reward, so feel free to take it. Don’t feel burdened.”

The princess flicked her fingers. “If you want to come back, just think of my face and say ‘Send me back.’ I’ll stay away from the twenty-ninth floor too, so please be careful. Have a nice trip!”

The princess smiled brightly. A pitch-black shadow struck me.

[Death King’s access has been confirmed.]

[Entering

The Story of the City of Ascension: Side Story.

]

***

When I opened my eyes, I found myself standing in the middle of a crosswalk.

Hoooooonk!

A car horn blared throughout the intersection very loudly, ridding me of the dizziness caused by teleporting here. I turned my head and saw the car driver pointing his finger at me.

“Hey! Do you have a death wish? Get out of the street, you punk!”

Even though this was our first encounter, he was quite rude. Still, he had a reason to curse at me. The crossing light was red, telling pedestrians they weren’t allowed to cross the street.

I bowed. “I’m sorry.”

“Just get going already! Seriously, young people nowadays are out of their minds...”

I strode across the crosswalk. Only when I made it to the other side did the cars that had stopped because of me start moving. Some drivers glared at me, but that was all they did before moving on with their lives. The cars sped away in two lines, and soon the people of this “city” became completely indifferent to my existence and proceeded with their own schedules.

I also lost interest in them because the person I had been missing so much was waiting on the other side of the crosswalk.

“Raviel!”

The red crossing light illuminated her. She was wearing a simple dress, but it made her look like an outsider in this modern city. Still, it served as her sanctuary.

Raviel pressed her palm on her forehead. Perhaps she was still dizzy from being teleported here. “Gong-Ja? Is this some form of illusion magic? Or another Constellation invasion? My consort is wagging his tail in front of me, but I can’t pet him because I’m worried he’s not real. How tragic...”

“Are you dizzy? Shall we sit down? No, it’s too hot here. Let’s go somewhere quieter and rest. Let me carry you.”

Raviel relaxed her furrowed brow and smiled. “

Hmm

, yes, this flood of love is familiar. You really are my love. I’m sorry for doubting you even for a moment, Gong-Ja.”

“It’s okay. We’re each other’s biggest weakness, so we always need to be careful. When I was on the thirty-fifth floor, I ran into a concubus that mimicked you.”

“That’s interesting. How many seconds did it take for you to see through the monster and know it wasn’t me?”

I beamed. “One. I noticed it before I even took a breath. The concubus was stupid enough to show up without the wedding ring.”

Raviel chuckled. “That was indeed a critical mistake.”

I grabbed her hand before her laughter died down and stroked the wedding ring on her finger. Then, I pulled her close and kissed her. “I missed you.”

“I’m happy to see you again.”

“Is everything okay in Ivansia?”

“

Ah

, the consort of the house was away, and Maid Goldencup suddenly disappeared. It caused a serious issue in running the family. If the duke of the house was a little less competent, the family’s reputation would have declined.”

“Well, I don’t know who he is, but the person who married such a capable person must have saved the country three times in his past life.”

“From what I heard, he saved the world several times.”

Raviel initiated the kiss this time. After that, we gazed into each other’s eyes for a while.

“Anyway, what happened, Gong-Ja? I was doing my morning tasks when a blond child suddenly emerged from the floor, telling me ‘Hi, I’m sorry, but I need you on the twenty-ninth floor because the Death King requested you there!’”

“

Ah,

she’s... a Pillar.”

“A Pillar?”

“Yes, she’s superior to Constellations and one of the people who manages the Tower. I asked her to let me meet you briefly as a reward for clearing the thirty-fifth floor, and she agreed.

Uhm

, I never thought she would send you here without explaining why, though.”

“

Aha.

”

Raviel stroked my cheek. We were still at the intersection. Cars and pedestrians passed us by.

“Oh my god. Kids these days... ”

“Do these kids learn nothing at school?”

“The teachers’ authority is collapsing for a reason...”

The people walking down the street stopped and looked in our direction, muttering under their breath. Well, with a beautiful woman like Raviel showing off her affection in broad daylight, any sane human being would end up captivated.

Of course, we paid them no mind. It had been months since I had last met Raviel, so why should I spare any of my time considering anyone else? I was already busy storing the mental images of Raviel’s smiles.

The Story of the City of Ascension: Side Story

was a world I had created, so I hoped people would give me this much at least.

“You asked for a cute reward. Did you miss me that much?”

“Actually, Raviel, I have something I need to tell you...”

“Daddy?”

It felt as if time stopped in place.

“Daddy? It’s you, right? Yeah, it’s you.”

Raviel and I slowly turned around. Behind us, Uburka was glaring at me with his arms crossed.

Raviel tilted her head. “Daddy?”

My heart sank.

“W-W-Wait a minute. Raviel, here’s what happened—”

“I can’t believe it!” Uburka frowned. “How disappointing! Not long ago, you were flirting with your colleague, but now you want to lock lips and confess love to someone else? My hope for you is fading by the day!”

Raviel’s face dropped alarmingly fast. She glared at me.

“Colleague? Flirting? Gong-Ja, that stranger is saying some interesting things. Unless I’ve been negligent in my linguistics study, it’s difficult to stop myself from having some doubts and reaching a certain conclusion.”

“No, no, no! Raviel! That’s

not

what happened!”

“You’re truly shameless, Daddy. You proudly stated in front of me that you share a special bond with the Black Dragon Master. I can’t even imagine how shameless you have to be to proclaim your love to someone else so soon.”

Raviel’s lips curled into a smile. “Black Dragon Master is the person who was at the family meeting if I remember correctly.”

She reached out and grabbed my neck. Her grip wasn’t harsh by any means, but a demon king’s grip would have been less terrifying than this.

“Of course, I believe in your love. You would never indulge in the concept of infidelity, but I somehow feel like asking you for an explanation. Gong-Ja, I’ll give you sixty seconds. Speak for the sake of your life and my peace.”

I was being framed!