Chapter 85: The Reader’s Heart (1)

I held Teacher for a long time. Even when a person ceased to breathe, their body remained. That was why death was cruel.

“Sir.”

I heard someone calling me. The Heavenly Demon Cult’s elite demons in their black martial arts uniforms were surrounding me. Even while I was silently holding Teacher in my arms, the Great War of Good and Evil had continued; the Heavenly Demon Cult won the war.

“We were in the middle of the battle, so we couldn’t afford to ask you. But many of us heard Lady Heavenly Demon calling you her disciple. Is it possible that you were chosen as her heir?” one of the demons asked, visibly nervous.

I looked around. All of the cultists who had survived the war were looking at me. Even the ones whom Teacher had called the Four Demon Kings were among them. Some of them had bloody noses and torn lips; one of them was only left with one arm. All of them were soaked in blood. They all made as little sound as possible as they waited for me to speak.

“...I don’t know if I can be considered her heir.”

“Didn’t Lady Heavenly Demon take you in as her disciple?”

“That’s right.” I held Teacher’s cold body closer. “I’m her disciple.”

The demon now looked even more serious. “If she really made you her direct disciple, she must have taught you the Demonic Heaven Arts. I’m aware it’s rude, but I beg you. Please show us a form of the Demonic Heaven Arts.”

Even though his tone was polite, he was basically saying, “It’s difficult to believe you’re actually the Heavenly Demon’s disciple, so show me the evidence.”

I was treated as Teacher’s heir just because I was her disciple. I realized why Teacher had been so hesitant to make me her disciple: now that the last warmth in Teacher’s body had disappeared from this world, I carried the mantle of the Heavenly Demon Cult.

“...Okay. Will a demonstration of Starvation Death be enough?” I asked.

“Yes. She often said she wouldn’t recognize anyone as her heir if they were lacking even a little bit. We may be unknown swordsmen, but we at least have the skill to observe and discern your sword, sir.”

“Hey, what’s that Blood Demon motherfucker talking about?” one of the demons muttered.

“You can’t even understand that? He’s saying that watching the first form of the Demonic Heaven Arts is enough to tell if that guy is Lady Heavenly Demon’s disciple.”

“Really? But why is that asshole talking for us?”

“Because he can be the most polite one among us. He’s from the Moyong Clan, although he’s their illegitimate son.”

“What? That bastard used to be part of the Moyong Clan?”

“Why are you surprised? It’s not like it’s the first time you’re hearing this. You’ve already heard this story dozens of times before... Yeah, yeah. Nevermind. A river is a river, a mountain is a mountain, and a knucklehead will still be a knucklehead no matter how many times you tell them the same story.”

“What are you talking about?”

“I’m saying that your mere existence is comparable to the Sichuang Tang Sect’s poison arts, Sword Demon King. In fact, I can feel it getting to me. Considering that I have the Thousand Poison Immunity, you are truly amazing.”

“Oh? Is that a compliment?”

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

“You fucking knucklehead.”

The demon who was talking with me cleared his throat meaningfully, shooting a glare at the other demons whispering behind him. It carried the authority to silently pressure them into silence, but the Sword Demon King and the Ghostfire Demon King just tilted their heads.

“What are you looking at? You wanna go for a round?”

“I don’t like your face. Look somewhere else. Looking at your face makes me nauseous.”

The demon turned back to me with a face that seemed to insist that nothing had just happened.

I couldn’t help but laugh a little inside.

Yeah,

I thought to myself,

that’s what this place is like.

A demonic cult was where the uneducated would seek shelter. It was natural that most of the cultists didn’t know any manners. My teacher was unusually elegant.

I didn’t want to swing any weapon while holding Teacher in my arms, so, without drawing the holy sword, I just held my aura in my left hand and moved it, demonstrating my sword on the snowfield.

“Hunger is... the children waiting for the sunlight,” I muttered.

All of the chattering demons fell silent, including the one who had been speaking for them. A deep valley had been dug through the snow like a gaping wound. I didn’t finish by showing them the first form. The second, third, fourth... I performed all of the forms I had mastered using my hand.

It became even quieter around me.

Perhaps it was because I had seen the intense battle between Teacher and the Guardian—each of my forms was sharper than before. This was also her legacy.

“I wasn’t able to fully comprehend the remaining forms yet, so it’s embarrassing to show them. Will this be enough?”

The representing demon kneeled on the snowfield. “Greetings to the new heaven of the Great Heavenly Demon Cult.”

Following him, the Ghostfire Demon King, the Moonlight Demon King, and the Sword Demon King prostrated one after another. The snow was crushed under their knees. Soon, all of the cult followers who survived the Great War of Right and Evil placed their foreheads on the snowfield.

“Greetings to the new heaven of the Great Heavenly Demon Cult, sir!”

I slowly opened my mouth. “The title of Heavenly Demon is too much for me; I am already known as the Death King. Besides, I want Teacher’s title to be hers forever.”

“Then...”

“The position of the cult’s leader is also beyond my capacity.”

I turned my head. The Guardian silently sat across from me with his eyes closed and his arms crossed. He was probably replaying the match he had with Teacher in his head.

I looked at the Guardian for a moment before I said, “I still lack in many ways. How can I be your leader when I have nothing to teach you? The name would be empty if it becomes mine.”

The Blood Demon seemed conflicted. “... Lady Heavenly Demon’s judgment has never been wrong when it comes to people. Since she accepted you as her direct disciple, I’m sure you’ll make a great leader.”

“Thank you, but as the person in question, I believe that I’m still inadequate to carry the mantle of the Heavenly Demon Cult.”

“T-then, how are we supposed to address you, sir! We can’t just call you sir forever...”

“Young heaven,” someone blurted. “Can’t we just call you our young heaven?”

It was the Ghostfire Demon King, the follower who had bluffed about letting the Shaolin abbot make three attacks first. His broken nose hadn’t fully healed, and a trace of dried blood was left on his nose.

“In

gangho

, it’s common to have a young lord in a family. If you just feel uncomfortable with becoming our leader and aren’t necessarily refusing, then I believe it’ll be okay to call you Young Heaven and serve you.”

I could accept that. I nodded. “Yes, we can do that.”

The demons sighed in relief.

“Young Heaven, I would like to formally express my gratitude. I don’t know what kind of profound sorcery you used, but I remember that we were all bitten by the

jiangshi

. If it weren’t for you, it would have been impossible to finish the Great War of Good and Evil and offer our loyalty to the Heavenly Demon one last time!” He offered me the

bao quan

salute. “I am the Blood Demon King. I and all of the Blood Demons pledge our loyalty to you, Young Heaven.”

Following him, a dozen or so more demons offered their bao quan salute.

“I, the Ghostfire Demon King, and all of the Requiem Unit swear our loyalty to Young Heaven.”

“The Moonlight Demon King and all of the Deceased Shadow Unit vow our loyalty to Young Heaven.”

“I’m the Sword Demon King! With my Execution Unit, I pledge my loyalty to you.”

Dozens more gave me their bao quan salute.

I slowly put down Teacher’s body. She harmonized with the snowfield like a flower blooming in the snowfield. I set the peony down and gave my

bao quan

salute to the demons.

“I wish to the heavens for the doctrine of shadow to last as long as my life continues.”

[The stage has been cleared.]

[The Quest

Remake the World (Book 1)

has been cleared!]

It felt like ages since I had heard that voice.

[The twenty-second floor has been cleared today.]

[Announcement.]

[The twenty-second floor has been cleared today.]

It had been ages since I had heard the voice.

[Calculating the number of champions...]

[The calculation has been completed.]

I didn’t end my

bao quan

salute as I said, “Please take charge of Teacher’s funeral.”

[Announcing the four champions.]

Above the snow mountain, which Teacher had split into two, letters were engraved in the sky.

Quest Completion Contribution List:

First Place: Death King

Second Place: Chemist

Third Place: Viper

Fourth Place: Medicine King

“Please don’t make it grand. She wouldn’t want that. She would be happy if you just stayed until the end of the funeral, so please...”

I didn’t complete my sentence. It wasn’t necessary. I couldn’t complete it, either—when I blinked, I was no longer on the snowfield.

“Welcome back, Mr. Death King. I’ve been eagerly waiting for you!”

I was back in the Great Library of All Life, and the Indoor Librarian, the Constellation, was looking at me with a smile.

***

“Congratulations!” The Indoor Librarian was in the air, his five-meter sleeves swaying like goldfish fins. “Hmm. The

Heavenly Demon Chronicle

ended with the word ‘please.’ ‘Please’ is used to plead to someone. Plead. Pray. A demonic cult calls that ‘

whish

.’ In a way, ‘please’ and ‘

whish

’ can be regarded as the same word. In that sense, it’s a very appropriate ending...”

“Wait a minute.” I cut off the Indoor Librarian’s spiel because something felt off. This was my second time coming to the great library; I had even stayed up several nights reading here, so I was quite used to this place. However, something was very different from the last time.

“... Why are all of the Hunters unconscious?” I asked.

All of the Hunters that hadn’t been on the quest with me were lying on the floor,

The corners of his mouth rose. “You don’t have to worry. I just put them to sleep for a while.”

“You put them to sleep...?”

“Yes, I used a harmless scent.”

The Indoor Librarian stretched out his hands. Dozens of books were circling around the Constellation. Among them, there was one book titled

Tale of the Lotus Scent City

.

“Many worlds communicate with words like yours, but there are worlds that communicate through songs or scents. In this apocalyptic book, people talk with the scent of anger, sadness, and joy. Naturally, there is also the scent of sleep.”

I raised my guard.

“Oh, please don’t look at me like that. I just made them quiet for a moment because I wanted to talk to you, Mr. Death King.”

Talk?

“What kind of conversation do you expect to have after knocking out my colleagues?”

“Ah, ‘colleagues’. You’re just as expected, Mr. Death King! No one would blame you even if you called them deadweight, but you called them your colleagues with an unwavering voice. I can’t help but weep once again at your kind heart.

“Every move you and your group made was shown here like a movie. The audience went through quite an emotional roller coaster as they watched it, so they would have welcomed you fervently.” The Indoor Librarian chuckled. “But that also meant that it would take a long time before I got my turn to talk to you unless I did something.”

The Indoor Librarian shrugged. “I had to calm them down for a while to have a moment to talk. You don’t have to worry. I used the most mild means to put them to sleep.”

I found it hard to believe him, so I quickly looked around and found the Black Witch. She was leaning against a bookshelf, her long hair draping down. I approached her and felt her pulse.

Good.

I sighed in relief.

She looked relaxed, and her breathing was normal. After checking that my colleagues were all well and safe, I looked up at the Indoor Librarian. “...If you have something to talk about, let’s get it over with and wake the others up.”

“Aren’t you in too much of a hurry? I’d like to spend more time with just the two of us. I summoned you back from the

Heavenly Demon Chronicle

on your own for a reason.”

“I’m not done with my business on the twenty-second floor yet. I have a sword to find—”

“Later.” The Indoor Librarian’s smile was like a half moon hung upside-down. “You can do that later.”

I tensed. The Indoor Librarian looked small, so it was easy to underestimate him. However, he could summon strange monsters from other worlds at will—his book had swallowed up fifty Hunters at once.

Even if I had learned the Demonic Heaven Arts, I would definitely lose if I fought him.

I swallowed nervously. “...What do you want to talk about?”

The Indoor Librarian’s smile grew. “I would like to have a very intimate talk.”

He landed on the floor, his sleeves fluttering. As he approached me, he took scissors out of his sleeve.

“Why scissors all of a sudden...?”

“Your hair is quite long. I’ll trim it for you, Mr. Death King.” The Indoor Librarian stood on tiptoe and cut some hair—it wasn’t much, about half a handspan—off the back of my head and put it in a red silk pouch.

“Your nails are also long. That’s a big problem for a martial artist. I’ll cut them for you.” The Indoor Librarian took out a nail clipper this time and grabbed my right hand. He clipped all my nails from my thumb to my little finger; each nail went into a different silk pouch.

“Excuse me, sir?”

“Yes?” The Indoor Librarian answered.

“What are you doing?”

“Mr. Death King. ” The Indoor Librarian bent forward and kneeled on the floor. He took off my shoes as if it was his job. “Let’s say you really, really, really like someone. You like them so much.”

“...I’ll try, but why?”

“There is nothing about that person I don’t like. It’s love, pure love. The problem is that this person doesn’t exist in reality, only in a novel.” The Indoor Librarian took off my socks next. “But,

voila

! A miracle brought my ideal novel character in front of me.”

“Uh...”

“Now, how would you feel if that was you, Mr. Death King?” the Indoor Librarian asked seriously. He was holding a toenail clipper now.

“Yes, that is what that is. That is what that is..”

What was what?

“O-oh! Please don’t move! What are you doing? If you move, I might leave an ugly wound on your beautiful toes with my toenail clippers! That would be a disaster!”

“What are you getting mad at me for! Get away from me right now!”

“Wait! Wait! I’ll just cut off one little toenail and be done with it! One toenail! Isn’t that enough of a compromise?”

“What is wrong with you? Did the moon hit your head, you Constellation?!”

“Ah! Ah! If you can’t give me your toenail, I’ll settle with three hairs from your eyebrows!”

Only then did I realize where this off feeling was coming from.

“You didn’t used to be this servile!”

Yes, the Indoor Constellation used to talk in an authoritative way. That was definitely how he had been, but now he was polite with me for some inexplicable reason.

“Act like your usual self!” I shouted.

The Indoor Librarian’s lip trembled. “That’s ridiculous! H-how dare a lowly being like me talk to you like that, Shining-Ja!”

What the hell?

[The Indoor Librarian wants your little toenail.]

What the fuck?

I screamed internally.

Show me the character window!

As I resisted yielding my toenail to the Indoor Librarian, letters appeared before my eyes.

Name: Indoor Librarian

Affection: 95

Liked genres: Fusion fantasy, romance, mystery, adventure, horror, history, war, sports, SF, mythology, fairy tale...

Disliked genre: None

Liked characters: Characters, the Constellation Murderer.

Disliked character: None

Liked plot: Stories

Disliked plot: Discontinued serialization

State of Mind:

Toenails! I should also get eyebrows if possible! Ah, I want to ask him to grow a beard so I can pluck out some. But even I don't think that’ll be possible. Ah, Shining-Ja. You’re shining briiiiight! You’re a brilliant protagonist! I want to make you into a bookmark and keep you forever!

Fuck me.