Chapter 240: We Are Sitting In The Daecheongmaru Of An Old City (1)

Dawn arrived, its light seeping into Kim Yul’s silver hair. Since he was kneeling before me, I could have the luxury of looking down at dawn. Theoretically, it was at my feet.

[Your presence has become stronger.]

[Death King’s level has increased.]

As the dawn brightly colored the sky, the Tower once again proved my right.

It was only natural. Estelle and the Heavenly Demon Cult followers now had actual physical bodies. I allowed Sylvia Evanail to have a life of her own, and I even embraced Kim Yul’s life. Their greed, desires, hopes, and wishes expanded my existence, making me more distinct and stronger.

[Your Skill Slots have increased.]

[Your Hunter Class is A.]

[May luck be with you.]

Yes, Goddess. You want to be a mother to everyone in the universe. Even if those you consider your children claw you, you will only feel sad and think that this is all your fault. Amethyst, I think that’s pretty sad.

“You won’t have to do that with me!”

I smoothed the hilt of my sword and looked up at the sky.

In the past, I was worried that the Tower wouldn’t listen to someone like me, but not anymore. My every word would reach the Tower and Amethyst because that was the person I had become.

“Just wait until I get there! I don’t care about your Golden Rule, kingdom, or anything else! I’ll destroy it all and make myself happy by having delightful people around. I’ll show you how wrong you are!”

My declaration of war definitely reached the Tower.

[May luck be with you.]

***

“From now on, we’re a clan.”

I sat on the

daecheongmaru.

The only one sitting alongside me was Raviel, so it was clear who was qualified to sit on the throne.

“Our clan’s name will be the Death King Clan.”

In the yard, hundreds of humans knelt. They were all my vassals. Since there wasn’t enough space for all of them, some climbed on the fence. If the fence was too narrow, they climbed an old tree and knelt on one of its branches. There were definitely enough people to form a clan.

“I’m the patriarch of this clan. My spouse, Raviel Ivansia—”

Raviel tapped the floor of the

daecheongmaru

with the side of her fan. “I’m also the matriarch of one major clan of my own. The patriarch of the Death King Clan is the Duke Consort of the Ivansia family. It would also make sense for the Duke of Ivansia to be the consort of the Death King Clan. The vassals gathered here are all the lives you took in, Gong-Ja. It’s unseemly to intervene just because I’m your spouse.”

She smiled. “In the language of this world, Ivansia is translated to silver heart, so it would be appropriate to call the Ivansia family the Silver Heart Clan. One day, the Death King Clan and the Silver Heart Clan will merge. When that day comes, we’ll become the Death Heart Clan and conquer the Tower.”

Correct. By that time, Raviel and I would become joint leaders of the clan.

“Sylvia Evanail,” I called.

One of the vassals in the yard twitched. She was a noble young lady with cloud-like blond hair and a former powerful apostle of a certain Constellation.

“Y-Yes, Patriarch!”

“From now on, you are the head steward of the Death King Clan; I’ll leave the clan’s housekeeping to you. Take care of the food, sleep, and clothing of the clan members. Use the units of the Four Demon Kings that are free on that respective day.”

Sweat dripped down her forehead. “It sounds as if you’re putting me in charge of chores.”

“I’m sure you haven’t forgotten what you said earlier.”

Sylvia’s expression hardened.

“A servant serves the clan patriarch from closer than anyone else. If you want to be like me and become accepting of others, you have to watch me from up close. I’m giving you an opportunity.”

“I—”

“You can quit if it’s too difficult for you,” I said with sincerity. “But the only thing that proves your heart and gives meaning to your life is your actions. Think. Make a decision. Once you do, fight and win. Your butler would have wanted that.”

“Shiiiiiiiiiiiit...”

This marked the birth of my clan’s head steward, who always cursed out loud. Compared to her bright blond hair, her expression was always dark. Every time she opened her mouth, a curse leaked out. From now on, this would become Head Steward Sylvia Evanail’s daily routine.

“Estelle.”

She stood up straight. “Yes, Patriarch.”

Unlike Sylvia’s disgraceful behavior, Estelle was solemn and disciplined. With every breath she took, she maintained the faint image of the Demon King who had once led hundreds of thousands of monsters and annihilated the continent.

“As my eldest child, you’ll lead the family on my behalf in times of emergency.”

A faint crack appeared on Estelle’s disciplined look. “In case of emergency? I would never dare to think of it. Nothing can kill you for good, Patriarch.”

“Of course, I’ve made my preparations. My clan won’t face a crisis if I die once or twice, but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t be prepared for possible emergencies. Maybe a curse will make it impossible for me to use my aura. What would happen if I got trapped in a very big, sturdy vault and couldn’t move my limbs or even talk? Of course, I could still use

Monster Legion Reincarnation

like that, but what if someone puts me in a vegetative state?”

“Father—”

“I’m not invincible, Estelle. As we climb the Tower, the enemies will become stronger. We should always consider the worst-case scenario. When the time comes, I want you to lead the clan.”

Estelle closed her eyes and took a deep breath, her exhales bearing a strong scent of ruins. When she opened her eyes again, she gripped her sword and reverently placed her forehead against the crossguard.

“Yes. I, Estelle, will be the Death King Clan’s heiress apparent.”

I nodded. “Good.”

Though we had a long way to go as parent and child, we still did our best as patriarch and successor.

There is absolutely no need to rush.

We could start from here. Ordinary people first became parents and children, then the head of a household and their successor. However, this only applied to those with ordinary fortune.

We had been broken into pieces and scattered around the universe, but we coincidentally met each other. We had no choice but to do this in reverse and become a family. Still, that would be enough.

“You will be treated as the heiress apparent, but you’ll act as my advisor on usual occasions.”

“When you say advisor, you mean—”

“I mean it literally. I’ll ask for your advice. Estelle, you once led a huge army and brought down kingdoms, holy nations, and empires on the continent. You cannot even compare to me in terms of military insight and strategic sense.”

The number of floors where individual Hunters can crush the quests on their own will gradually decrease.

As I climbed the Tower, I noticed that on each floor, the size of the enemy forces became larger. I was somehow able to clear the Infernal Mansion on my own, but it became quite difficult to do things solo during the tragedy of the Aegim Continent.

Originally, the floor’s quest included the High Rankers reviving the dying empire together after taking roles such as general, knight commander, or prime minister.

I just exploited the loopholes on that floor.

Solo-clearing the quest was normally not allowed. I basically cheated.

Hunters were already forced to work with each other after we entered the Great Library. And after the species war began, we reached the point where we each led a species of our own.

What did this series of changes mean? I narrowed my eyes.

The Tower is ordering us to create a faction.

No floor of the Tower is meaningless. No, Amethyst never does anything without meaning. This is a recommendation, one which will eventually become a warning.

It was a warning that it would be difficult to clear floors beyond the fiftieth floor without a faction of our own.

Only I know that this is a warning.

I was the only one who had met Amethyst face to face. Only I knew what kind of person the Tower master was, how she thought, and what she desired. This would surely serve as a huge advantage while clearing the Tower in the future.

I need to grow my faction.

Fortunately, I had people on my side—a lot of them. Still, their number wasn’t the most important aspect. These people could mean a lot to each other in the future, which I was very grateful for.

I’m fortunate. We are strong.

I looked around the yard. The cultists bowed down toward me. My aides, the Four Demon Kings, led the warriors. Chief Warrior Uburka would command the Demon Kings. Head Steward Sylvia Evanail would support and back them up. Clan Shadow Kim Yul would organize an intelligence unit and operate in secret, while Advisor Estelle would help me devise strategies.

I looked at each of their faces, made eye contact, and exchanged our resolutions with them. These people had exchanged death with me and declared they would live on together.

We are strong, and we will continue to grow stronger.

“Estelle, your father is good at saving people and uniting them. I think I can confidently say that,” I said. “By looking at someone, I can tell what kind of wounds they live with. If that isn’t enough, I can find out by dying.

“That’s how I share others’ wounds and become one with the clan. If I work hard, the clan might become a family. However, when it comes to how to run the faction that I created, I’m still inexperienced and lacking very much.” I smiled. “I need your help and advice, Estelle.”

She remained quiet.

“I erased the history of you becoming the Demon King and destroying the continent, but that doesn’t mean your traumas have to be meaningless. We can give them meaning.”

I gestured to Estelle, who approached me cautiously. When I took hold of her hand, I made her sit on the

daecheongmaru

and face the same direction I had during my speech. From this angle, she could share my perspective.

“Look. Your wounds from your lifetime of trauma aren’t just wounds. They’ll protect our clan. With you by my side, no one will be able to burn us down.”

I had been wanting to tell her this for a long time.

“Use what you gained from destroying the world to protect it this time.”

The skies grew brighter. As the many colorful lights dyed the world, a sky-blue ray momentarily lingered on Estelle’s face.

“Yes. Yes, I will protect it.”

She raised her hand and grabbed the skull mask that always covered half of her face to remove it. The moment the old skull hit the ground, it crumbled to dust.

Estelle turned her head and looked at me. This was the first time I had seen her face ever since she joined my legion.

“As your advisor, Patriarch, I’ll protect our world.”

There was dew on her face from the long night. Since it was dawn now, it was not at all strange that she had dew on her face, especially after being born like a blade of grass. It was also not very surprising that she smiled so brightly.

I nodded and finally stood up from the

daecheongmaru.

Peering up at the sky, I realized it made the colored glass windows’ light appear even bluer.

I shouted, “That’s enough now.”

The sky was quiet.

“My vacation is over. I’m not sure if I should call this a considerate or inconsiderate gesture, but thanks to you, I found out and saw a lot of things that made me stronger. Instead of letting what I saw burn me, I burned it back. Please send us to the next stage now.”

The sky distorted, and a beam of light fell from the sky.

[The Mirage-Walking Princess has appeared.]