Chapter 89: A Trashy Show Is A Classic (2)

As soon as I returned to a few days ago, I said, “I’ll lead in this apocalyptic book.”

The Hunters looked at me, dumbfounded, including the Countess and the Paladin. They had died while clearing the apocalyptic book that we had chosen to be our twenty-fifth floor, but I was back in the time before they entered the book. Of course, they had no way of knowing that.

The Paladin looked perplexed. “I’m sorry, Death King. I didn’t know you were also familiar with romance novels.”

“No, you don’t have to be sorry. I really don’t know much about romance novels.”

“...And yet you’re saying you’ll be in charge of this expedition? Are you serious?”

I nodded. “Yes, I really want to be in charge.”

The Hunters murmured among themselves. I tried not to let it get to me.

“With the genre being what it is, it would be nice to choose a Hunter who is well-versed in romance novels, but it shouldn’t be an absolute standard. I’ve never read a

murim

novel, but I still had no problem clearing the

Heavenly Demon Chronicle.

”

“That’s true, but...”

“Besides, I have a bad feeling about this expedition. Something bad is going to happen, so please let me take charge.”

Some Hunters—the Black Witch and the Sword Star—reacted strongly when I told them I had a feeling. Both of them believed that I had the ability to see the future.

“... I don’t think it matters. The Death King has proved himself several times already.” The Black Witch shrugged.

“I also think we should listen to the Death King,” the Sword Star commented.

With the Rank 2 and the Rank 1 Hunters backing me up, things became easier. The other Hunters didn’t really try to oppose us, so I took charge as I wanted.

“Now I’ll pick who will go into the apocalyptic book with me,” I said, bracing myself. “Only the most elite member will go to this stage. Please don’t blame me for not picking you.”

𝙛𝒓𝓮𝙚𝔀𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝒐𝒎

“Hmm... The most elite member.” The Black Witch glanced at me with a blank face. “Okay, then I should go. I don’t know much about romance, but if someone is needed, I should go. This is my first experience with romance novels, but... should I call it romantic sentiment? It seems like my style. I’m not claiming to be an expert on romance novels, though. Yeah, I just think that I should go if we need the most elite member to go.”

The woman who had previously introduced herself as a drama viewer was in bad shape. Really bad shape.

“Romance and romantic fantasy are a little different. If a romance novel is a macaroon, then a romantic fantasy novel is a chocolate mousse cake,” the Paladin quietly said. “Death King, I really think that an expert is needed for this one...”

She exuded the subtle vibes of a hidden master. However, she had a history of failing to clear this apocalyptic book, so it felt risky to take the Paladin.

“Can’t love be converted into money too? People who readily spend money on their loved ones are also good at dating. Love is power, and power is money. This is an eternal truth, so I should be chosen for this expedition.” The Countess fanned herself.

Who the hell put that woman up for an expedition to a romance novel in the first place?

I calmly looked around. Someone caught my eye. He was sipping the orange juice that had been served by a bookmark maid.

“Mr. Inquisitor,” I called.

“Yes?”

“Why don’t we share some moments in a romance novel together?”

“Oh?”

The Hunters around us stared, aghast.

The Inquisitor was the cold-blooded slaughterer who tortured and executed anyone involved in a religious conflict, regardless of how small it was. Even in the Tower, where only madmen lived, he was treated as insane—a psycho. If a survey were to be conducted to see who was least suited for romance, the first place in the entire world was reserved for him.

The person in question smiled brightly like an innocent boy. “Yes! Understood! I’ll gladly do it if it’s your request, Mr. Death King!”

To someone who didn’t know the truth, his smile was angelic. In other words, it was no different from a devil’s smile to someone who knew the truth.

The Black Witch quickly approached me.

“Death King, are you crazy...?” she whispered. “Inquisitor can’t empathize! Objectively speaking, he’s a psychopath. Even if I try to put it nicely, he’s still a sociopath. What are you going to do with a man like that in a romance novel?”

“Black Dragon Master,” I whispered back. “I don’t know a thing about romance, but I know what’s the most important.”

“What is it?”

“Appearance.”

“... Huh?”

“Appearance,” I repeated, deadly serious.

“Uh...”

“The characters need to be handsome or beautiful above all.”

“Isn’t that a little biased...? Many people in romance novels are described as ordinary-looking...” The Black Witch’s voice faded away.

“They don’t look that ordinary in the covers.”

“Ah... you said the unspeakable truth...”

“Think about it. Who in the Tower looks the most angelic, based purely on looks? It’s the Inquisitor. I thought he was a real angel until I found out about his true nature.”

We glanced at the Inquisitor, who was beaming at us.

“You’re with me on this one, aren’t you?”

“...Yeah, that kid will break down anyone’s guard with his looks. The problem is that he’ll crush their heads next,” the Black Witch murmured.

“Plus, he’s competent and uses divine magic. I think he’ll be able to handle any accidents. He also listens to me.”

Above all, what the Inquisitor said and what he actually thought were always the same. I believed that this could be an advantage in a romance novel. Many people found honesty and forthrightness to be very attractive.

“...That might actually be a good idea,” the Paladin muttered. She was slowly nodding along to our conversation, looking impressed. “In romantic fantasy, it’s better when the characters are crazier. In that point of view, the Inquisitor isn’t bad. It’s a shame that he isn’t obsessed with love, but he has some room to become the mad, obsessive male character. I can feel it. This is going to be interesting. Death King... you have great intuition, even in romance...”

The library went quiet.

“Hmm? Did I say something weird?” the Paladin asked, confused.

The library was silent—but the Black Witch was silent because she was deep in contemplation.

State of Mind:

The Paladin has a point, but the Inquisitor looks too young, not like a young man like the Death King. Even if we’re going to use the Inquisitor’s boyish face as a charming point, he should look somewhat boyish, not like an actual boy. Looking just like a child is unpopular in this area...

For better or worse, the Black Witch didn’t assert her professional opinion aloud. Thanks to her, the Inquisitor and I were able to be a romantic duo.

When he saw us, the Indoor Librarian’s eyes sparkled. “Oh, wow. That is a unique combination to try in this apocalyptic book. Okay! I’m really looking forward to seeing what kind of story it’ll become this time.”

The Indoor Librarian reached out and grabbed the

Story of Sormwin Academy

.

“It’s the season of love! And it’s also the generation where it became natural to praise love! People now say that it’s a beautiful act to overcome social status, bloodline, nationality, and everything else to win love!” The Constellation’s sleeves fluttered. “Maybe that’s why love has become more difficult. Love isn’t just an emotion, but also an attitude and a mindset. Yet many people are obsessed only with its romantic side.”

The Indoor Librarian chuckled. “Will you choose romantic reality or realistic romance? Gong-Ja, it’ll be very difficult to find the balance. That’s why I’ve prepared a special reward for clearing the stage!”

A special reward for clearing the stage?

“Technically, you cleared not only the normal stage of the

Heavenly Demon Chronicle

but also its hidden stage. The reward for the normal stage was that world becoming the twenty-second floor, but you haven’t received the reward for the hidden stage yet. That’s what I’m going to give you now.”

“Uh, what is the reward, exactly?”

“Come here, my protagonist.” The Indoor Librarian gestured at me.

I approached him.

“Here. I’ll give you three cards.” The Indoor Librarian handed over the cards. On each was written: “Face Recognition Disorder,” “What a coincidence to eavesdrop on such a crucial and secret moment!” and “Oops, I shouldn’t have said this, but my tongue slipped!”

Alright. Even the names were ominous. I didn’t know what effect these cards had, but they were super suspicious.

“Excuse me,” I said sourly. “These are...”

“They’re all used to make romance novels fantastic. I’m sure these cards will be very useful, so don’t worry!”

I couldn’t do anything but worry.

“These aren’t the only rewards. You’ll run into it when you arrive at the world of the apocalyptic book.” The Indoor Librarian smiled mysteriously.

“What?”

Instead of answering my question, the Indoor Librarian opened the book. “Death King and Inquisitor.”

The apocalyptic book’s pages radiated light.

“Two of you have been selected as new characters in the

Story of Sormwin Academy

. Once you open your eyes, you’ll find yourselves in the world seven days before the serialization of the book unfortunately discontinues.”

Light enveloped the two of us.

“I hope you will show me a wonderful ending! My lady, and her butler!”

My lady? The butler? As I was about to ask what he meant, the world around me turned completely white.

***

I had never been interested in romance novels. Not only was I not in the habit of reading books, but I also didn’t have any friends around me who were a fan of romance. If I was a little bit more honest, I didn’t have any friends before, and I would like to exercise my right of silence about how many people I could call my friends right now.

Though I was an amateur in romance, I could still answer what the most common onomatopoeia in a romance novel was.

Slap!

It was the sound of someone getting slapped in the face.

“...You rude, lowly woman!”

The clear, sharp voice reached the chandelier in the ceiling. Before the chandelier could even stop shaking, the most often heard sound of all time in the romance genre rang out once more. It might be obvious given how I was leisurely watching everything, but I wasn’t the one getting slapped.

“...Oh?”

It was the Inquisitor. Both his left and right cheeks were red; nevertheless, he tilted his head and smiled widely toward the woman who had slapped him. “Did I do something wrong? Your slaps are very vicious!”

The woman’s expression grew more menacing. It looked like she could be a noble lady, judging from her dress embroidered with a pattern of lilies in silver threads. For my convenience, I named her Lady Silver Lily.

“...You lowly, brazen woman, you don’t even know what shame is, do you?”

“Haha.” The Inquisitor just laughed.

And from there on out, things went crazy. Lady Silver Lily wasn’t the only one who was wearing a dress.

“If there’s anything I did wrong, please tell me! I’ll correct it right away if it’s reasonable! It’s best not to use violence if possible!”

The Inquisitor was also wearing a dress. Compared to Lady Silver Lily’s dress, it was much more plain. Its color resembled the inside of a lime, a blend of innocent yellow and joyful green. Innocence could easily turn into childishness, and joy was often seen as naivety. But that was all unnecessary since his looks defied everything.

As expected of a Hunter I chose based almost entirely on appearance, the natural psycho with good looks smiled brightly. “Okay! Miss I-Don’t-Know. Let’s talk!”

Slap!

“You’re... really... really going to mock me until that very end...aren’t you?” Lady Silver Lily said, seemingly squeezing her lungs out. Her strained lungs were clearly conveyed in her voice.

She was the one who had slapped the Inquisitor, but for some reason, she was the one whose breathing was becoming strained as the conversation went on.

Hmm. I rose above the confusion of entering a brand new apocalyptic book and began to piece together the situation. A social gathering? A ball? Anyway, we were in the middle of an event.

In the chandeliered ballroom were dozens of people wearing dresses and suits, not just us. They were watching the fight anxiously. Their nervousness was to be expected since the peaceful ball was a mess now.

Lady Silver Lily was the villainess. I looked at her. Excluding the imperial family, she held the highest social status.

She was also the one who was going to destroy this world.

“You... over... there!” Lady Silver Lily said, staggering. It was as if she was spitting out each syllable. It made my lungs hurt just listening to it.

“Yes, my lady,” the servants in black tuxedos answered.

“Those people... are eyesores. Get them out of my sight. Quickly...!”

“Understood.”

The servants didn’t speak loudly; they were pretty quiet, actually. Anyone could see that Lady Silver Lily was sickly, so the servants adjusted the pitch of their voices to better serve their master. Loud noises were poison to her ears.

That was why the Inquisitor was completely incompatible with Lady Silver Lily. The Inquisitor was built with a smile and a bright voice.

“Oh, are you sick? How awful! Let me help you!” he offered.

“Quickly... Get her and her butler out of my sight... immediately...!” Lady Silver Lily ground her teeth.

The servants in the tuxedos surrounded us like a military unit.

“Pardon us.”

“Please follow us for a moment.”

Their tone was elegant, but their actions were not; they bodily dragged the two of us out of the ballroom. We went past the hallway and then into a moonlit storage room.

“Excuse me?” I asked as we were transported to the storage room. Incidentally, I was wearing the same tuxedo as the servants. “Where are you taking us now?”

No one answered me.

“Excuse me? Servants of the duke?”

The door slammed in our faces.

The Inquisitor and I looked at each other.

We heard the key turn. Unless my common sense was wrong, a storage room with a locked door was a prison. In other words, we’d been imprisoned.

“Haha. Mr. Death King, we’re in big trouble!” The Inquisitor laughed as if it was no big deal at all. “I think I’ve become the female lead!”

He was right. And I was the female lead’s butler.