The funeral ceremony began. The boys and girls who had lost their father—the head of their family—in a tragic accident watched through their tears as his coffin was lowered into the ground.
"At least... I can be grateful he has a final resting place,” the old man muttered.
The land was small and of poor quality, so it wasn’t particularly valuable. However, the old man was able to bury his son in the land that had been passed down through their ancestors.
"Grandpa... What happened to the people who killed Dad?" one of the children asked.
“They… They were punished, Yoon-Mi. Do you want to forgive them?”
“No, I don’t... I can’t see dad anymore... He should still be here, but because of them, he’s gone...” sobbed the little girl. Her brother gritted his teeth.
“I guess praying to God worked,” he said. “Since the bad guys got punished.”
“Yes, it seems like God really took pity on us,” the old man said, coughing with a bitter smile.
“Grandpa!”
"I’m okay. Alright then, let’s say our final goodbyes to your father.”“Okay…”
“Sob… Sob…”
"And let’s give thanks to the person who punished the bad guys.”
“When I grow up, I’m going to become a judge,” the little boy declared, clenching his fists. “I’ll make sure all the bad guys get what they deserve!”
They knew their father was gone and wouldn’t come back, but Davey was hoping that the children could find a small measure of solace through his actions.
The old man smiled sadly, recalling the letter he had received. The young man who had attended the funeral turned out to be a prince from another world. Despite never having met his son before, the prince had sincerely mourned him.
The old man was worried about how he would provide for his grandchildren in the future, but he knew he would just have to work harder. It was then that his granddaughter spoke up.
“Grandpa,” she said.
“Hm?”
“The police officer came and gave me this.”
“What? Why do you have this?”
“Because... the envelope was pretty...”
“Fufu…” the old man chuckled, opening the envelope with a weary smile. His eyes widened as he saw what was inside.
“Huh?!”
The people who were lowering the coffin approached, noticing the old man’s reaction.
“Sir, what’s the matter? Huh…?!”
Those who saw what was inside were shocked. There was a foreign check marked in U.S. dollars. The signature on the check was in English, and the name was Al Hajat. The old man, who had once worked at a job that used English, could read it.
“Woah… Isn’t this in US dollars? Oh my goodness, how much is this...” he stammered.
It was the equivalent of eighty billion won. The old man was stunned by the enormous amount. He then recalled what was written at the end of the letter he had received after the new verdict was delivered.
[I pray that the children won’t lose hope. Sincerely, Davey.]
***
[Did you see the verdict?]
[Do verdicts usually get announced from other countries?]
[That, or I think he sent it for some reason of his own. Anyway, it feels so good to know that those devilish bastards were punished well.]
[Yeh.]
[But don’t you think it’s a bit too cruel...? To take away a person’s vision and voice and make them into lifelong slaves…?]
[In the United States, a serious crime can lead to the death penalty, and in Russia, it’s execution by the firing squad on the spot. What’s so cruel about what they received?]
[I think they got away with what they did; they don’t deserve to be considered human.]
[Honestly, Korea needs to change the law so that real evildoers are treated like that. Even if they don’t go to such extremes, they should still be punished severely.]
[But they said laboring, so are they taking them to Tionis?]
[Forcefully traveling to another world, shit.]
[But what good is that when they can’t see anything or speak.]
[Anyway, what happened to that member of the National Assembly? The human who protected those devilish bastards.]
[I heard the prosecutors got him. They said he received money, but they haven’t been able to find the source yet.]
[That’s so crazy and absurd. So what happened to him?]
[I’m not sure. We’ll have to wait, but it seems certain that he’s gone now.]
[Even though it was interference from a foreign country, I feel so good about it.]
Commentary regarding their punishment was posted daily on the Internet. There were some comments cheering that they received what they deserved, while others questioned whether it was necessary to go this far and stir up such controversy.
In the end, however, most people were relieved to see the verdict handed down by Davey O'Rowane, as the crimes those devilish children committed were more vicious than anyone could have imagined.
***
Shatter!
“Those degenerate bastards!! Getting owned and rendered helpless by overwhelming public opinion yet again?!”
The glass shattered, sending strong alcohol splashing in all directions. A middle-aged man, huffing and puffing, gritted his teeth, his gaze sharp and furious.
“You fucking bitch-ass traitors. How dare you sell out my son by that mob ruling?!”
‘They’re all useless shits,’ the man thought, gritting his teeth. He knew they had all been involved in illegal activities, whether knowingly or not, at one point. He couldn’t believe they had let something like this happen just because one person died.
Korea was, in a way, a good country to live in if one had a lot of money. Because of this, he never imagined that his son or he himself would face such punishment for violating the law. Even though he had committed many crimes, he had managed to conceal them well up to this point.
Now that things had escalated to this point, he realized that it would be difficult to save his son. He received no response despite his protests, and trying to solve the issue by force was out of the question in such a chaotic world, especially with the Prince of Tionis involved.
All he could think about was how to get revenge on those damn bastards. But then, at that moment...
[Do you need strength?]
He heard an eerie voice.
"Who is it?"
The man, who was staggering because he couldn't control his intoxication, looked around confusedly.
[I asked if you needed strength.]
“Who are you?!! Come out now!!”
[If you wish, I will give you the power to take revenge on this country that abandoned your son.]
The power to take revenge sounded sweet, but he quickly came to his senses. He figured there would be no difference he could make, even with the obtaining of new power, when all the enemies threatening the entire Earth were collapsing under the might of the Prince of Tionis. He also knew the damn President Cho would come running to him for help again if anything went wrong.
Though he was criticized as a traitor for handing the criminals over to the Prince, it was undeniable that—thanks to his actions—Korea had become one of the safest countries in the world. The influx of foreign capital had increased, and the economy rapidly improved as a result. Thinking that far, he grew skeptical of the voice tempting him.
“Stop talking nonsense, I’m not in a good mood right now.”
[Make a contract with me. I will give you strength.]
“No, well... Kaaa?! W-What is this?!”
He stumbled and collapsed due to sudden vomiting. Something black, like living slime, crawled out of a crack in the floor and gathered toward him.
[You… didn’t have a choice anyway.]
“Gaaa… Hel…”
Without even having the chance to scream for help, he was slowly consumed by the black slime. He was in pain, with his hands on the ground alongside his knees, his boy twisting in pain. The black slime that had almost taken over his body slowly engulfed his face.
[I am Neltarid... The one who created you.]
“Gaaa... Ga…”
[Hand over control of your body to me. I will seek vengeance on your behalf against those you hate.]
With that, the black slime completely enveloped his entire face, making him lower his head. It looked as though he was wearing a tight balaclava[1]. His eyes then turned yellow, and horns appeared on his forehead. After the transformation, the black slime vanished as if it had never been there. A dark haze flickered briefly over the whites of one of his eyes that had only just returned to normal.
He slowly got up, looked down from the skyscraper through the window, and slowly stretched out his hand. Black energy extended out from his hand and permeated through a person walking down the street.
“Grrr…Hehehe...”
[Hehehehe.]
The sound turned strange, as if the voices had been overlapped and altered. He muttered to himself with half of his face turning black[2].
[Don’t think I will collapse like this, Freyja. I am still yet to completely disappear.]
Neltarid was battling as a half-being.
Harmony and destruction.
Now that the power of harmony had become extremely strong, the only thing left for the side of destruction was absorption or extinction. In such a situation, it began to seek other means. The final resistance of the most dangerous of the three gods began.
***
“Ha, look at you.”
Skuld stepped forward to respond in place of Verdandi, who was sitting down in the face of Isildi's sarcasm.
"What?!"
"Go away. I didn’t come here to talk to you.”
“Ugh…”
Skuld gritted her teeth in exasperation. Her reaction was natural because Isildi was one of her fears.
“I never thought you would become a traitor after having raved about Thanatos’ bondage. Honestly, as the princess of the Abyss, it wasn’t entirely wrong. Still, as long as you and I have a purpose to fulfill, we can’t return to the Abyss.”
Verdandi didn’t respond to her provocation. Instead…
“Just kill me, please,” Verdandi begged Isildi and Davey.
“I’m in so much pain. I’m tortured by the fact that I can’t destroy with my own hands what my father had built, similarly incapable of saving my mother trapped in the Abyss.”
Since regaining her memories, she couldn’t get either one of them taken care of. On the other hand, Skuld was still in an awkward position, having not regained her memories. The same went for Urd. As for Verdandi? She was slowly fading away after suffering fatal injuries from Thanatos. In fact, it was safe to say she was dying.
“If things had gone my way, I planned to just kill you and get it over with.”
“Horne!!”
Davey couldn’t care less as Skuld cried out loud.
“If only I didn’t owe Eclipse. Because of her, I won’t kill you with my own hands just yet.”
She made a sad face at Davey’s words.
“So, is there a way to save her then?” Isildi asked, realizing what was going on.
“Honestly, Eclipse is an absolute being in and of herself. Even Sleesia didn’t try to pull anything in front of her.”
“…”
Eclipse was pretty much the strongest entity in the Abyss. While Sleesia was strong, being a princess of the Abyss, she wasn’t supreme. Eclipse, however, truly embodied that word—she alone was supreme.
“It’s good that you excised Thanatos from that woman Perserque of yours, but now you don’t seem to have a plan on what to do afterward.”
“No, you’re right.”
Davey couldn’t figure out how on earth he could destroy Eclipse. He had already filled the Absolute Gem with power, but even now he still couldn’t come up with a solution. This was also why he hadn’t returned to Heins Territory for the ceremony right away.
Arbit had mentioned that Eclipse would’ve likely told him to stay away and not even think about it. Despite her often rough choice of words, she was an upright being. It was puzzling how she ended up married to Hercules, who was known for his stubborn attitude, but her personality was a stark contrast to the innocent appearance Davey first saw.
Of course, her will had only been briefly awakened by Odin's power, and that was all—he couldn’t save her. If he locked her up now for the ritual, he figured that although things might be resolved easily, he would live the rest of his life in regret.
In the end, he figured the best course of action was to completely destroy Eclipse, thereby mercifully freeing her from her suffering, and trap Thanatos alone in the Abyss. Even so, he knew that wasn’t an option.
“If we don’t find a solution by the time preparations for the ritual at Heines Territory are complete, I'll have no choice but to return to Tionis..”
“Then…”
Verdandi thought for a moment before speaking again. “If you won’t kill me, let me go with her so that I can be by my mother’s side…”
Davey figured that even if Verdandi went mad after entering the Abyss again, she would never be able to return here. And if he wasn’t willing to kill her, she would rather stay with Eclipse forever in the Abyss.
“So that I don’t let my mother suffer alone.”
Eclipse would be furious if she heard what he was willing to let her do, but if Verdandi wanted this, Davey had no say in it.
“Skuld can be an exception. I’ve been sealing the authority of the Princesses of Abyss within Skuld and Urd in the meantime. Once Thanatos is trapped forever, these two can be freed.”
“Verdandi!!”
“You don’t need to sacrifice yourself too.”
“No!!”
Skuld refused while crying, but Verdandi was resolute.
“I expected this from the moment I betrayed him. But you’re different,” she said calmly, giving Davey a look as if she was seeking his consent.
“Alright…”
At that moment, Davey had no other choice.
“What a mess. By the way, what’s up with her?” Isildi asked, pointing to Urd, who was lying asleep on one side of the old house.
“She was attacked by Thanatos.”
“Well, that’s one way to be fearless. She attacked a god when she’s not even that strong?”
“You!!!”
Skuld tried with all her might to take her down, but Isildi kicked her away without hesitation.
"Ahh!”
“Don’t make a fuss. It pisses me off that I might never see my priests now, especially since it’s because of you,” Isilid spat toward her furiously.
She was angry for her own reasons. Isildi cooperated with Davey because she wanted to return to the Central Plains and reunite with her priests after Thanatos, who had been restraining her, was eliminated. It was only natural for her to feel frustrated when their actions had disrupted that plan.
Afterward, Davey made his intentions clear to Isildi. “You stay here.”
“Hey! You told me I can run rampant here!”
“Stay and take care of the monsters on Earth little by little, one at a time. Sooner or later, one side of Neltarid will make its final stand. Even if it’ll be a half-baked effort, it’ll still be God's resistance. You need to be prepared for that moment. And since Verdandi is here, it’d be better to control your rampage to the area.”
Davey knew she would be able to handle any problem that arose. There was no better bodyguard than Isildi to protect Hyun-Ah.
“Is that all I’m worth, all I can do?”
“Yes, you’re asking something so obvious.”
She burst into laughter before she inevitably gritted her teeth. But then she sighed.
“Do whatever you want. Honestly, it doesn’t really matter to me as long as I can run rampant.”
Afterward, on his way back to Asgard, Davey changed his appearance using illusion magic and bought three to four boxes of Red Ribbon and Blue Ribbon’s favorite specialty donuts. He went past the crowd to a quiet place.
He could hear people passing by and talking. He could hear car horns beeping. This was the scenery he longed for—walking among the people he longed for so much in memories that were so old was truly… hard to put in words and nostalgic.
It was then.
Ssss…
Davey stopped and turned his head at the strange energy passing by him.
“Hmm?”
He figured it had just been a feeling. He scanned the crowd for a while before turning his head. He was certain that he had felt something strange in that moment, but the brief sense of unease vanished completely as if it had never been there, leaving him confused.
Almost all of the enemies had already been wiped out. There was no way an enemy could be lurking in the middle of the streets like this, so Davey reasoned he was just being overly sensitive.
He ended up simply turning around, wandering the streets for a bit, and then jumping through space to return to Asgard. There, he prepared to cross dimensions with just Aeria, Perserque, and Kain.
“Tiara, while I’m away, I’ll ask you to take care of things as usual.”
“Yes, yes!”
Imprisoning the six punished people in Tionis was no small task. Everyone nodded quietly at his words. Walking down the quiet hallway, Davey encountered Hyun-Ah.
“I heard the news. So you’re leaving?” she asked him carefully.
"Yeah.”
“I figured you’d go someday. But it’s so sudden,” she said while avoiding his gaze.
“I’ll tell Yeon-Hee too… and uncle…”
“Well, right now isn’t the only time. I got caught by you unintentionally, but I still need to be mentally prepared to tell Yeon-Hee.”
“Pfft... Okay. When are you coming back?”
“It won’t take long.”
She nodded quietly in response.
“Megalodria.”
Davey sent his thoughts to Megalodria.
[What is it?]
“You stay here too. I’ll feel better if you stay here, since half of Neltarid hasn’t completely disappeared yet.”
Isildi alone couldn’t provide him with complete peace of mind. Moreover, the brief sense of uneasiness he had felt earlier still lingered in his mind.
Megalodria didn’t question his order.
Afterward, Davey boarded a small airship launched from Asgard and activated the dimensional key. His body, along with the small airship, then began to disintegrate into particles before vanishing entirely.
Blink!!
When he came back to his senses, a familiar sight greeted him. The Heins Territory was as lively as ever. He knew this wasn’t possible just by having good infrastructure, but that it also depended on the person maintaining it. Although Davey was the lord of the territory, it was Amy, his maid, who was actually running things. He figured he should’ve known that Amy had a natural talent for managing territories.
“This is such a beautiful place. I can feel the happiness in people’s smiles!”
Aeria, in a good mood, came to his side and smiled prettily. Perserque, who had made herself small, was on his shoulder.
“These people will soon be your family.”
“Do you think I can do well?”
“If anything, it’s okay to just relax.”
Davey had no intention of burdening either Perserque or Aeria with responsibilities. Just accompanying, laughing, and talking with him was enough for him.
He turned to look at the six humans from Earth who were being detained and led away by elf soldiers.
“Benefactor, what should be done with them?”
“Put these bastards in jail first. Tomorrow at dawn, I’ll send them to Haoji. Just tell Monmider.”
Haoji was a notorious concentration camp where the Second Prince Carlus and the Third Prince Benedict had been sent after plotting treason.
"Yes. Understood."
A couple of elves nodded respectfully and went to follow their orders. After sending away the screaming captives, Davey entered the lord's castle, where he felt an eerie calmness. He didn’t feel this from the outside, so he wondered what had happened.
"Your Majesty.”
As soon as the question crossed his mind, an old man came up behind him.
“Royal Attendant Bernile. Long time no see. I’ve been away for too long, haven’t I?”
"Your Majesty.”
He responded to Davey after hearing his playful opening.
"What's the matter?"
“Please prepare to return to the palace immediately.”
“I believe there’s still some time to spare for Baris’ wedding, no? And there should still be time left for the wedding ceremony with Aeria that I promised to the Lindis Empire. Unless… Is there a problem with Winley?”
Davey’s younger sister, Winley, had given an out-of-wedlock birth with his close friend and son of a bitch, Yulis, who was a wizard at the Magic Tower. But he had figured there wouldn't be any big issues…
Suddenly, yet another train of thought was derailed as Royal Attendant Bernile interrupted Davey who was thinking to himself.
"Your Majesty...”
Davey stopped talking and smiled awkwardly. He then looked at him and quietly gave a warning.
“Royal Attendant Bernile. I don’t like jokes that cross the line.”
“His Majesty King Krians O’Rowane… Your father…”
As he spoke politely, Davey stood upright and glared at him in silence.
“He passed away a day ago.”
Davey was stunned and speechless for a long time after hearing the news.
“Princess Tanya, Princess Winley, and Princess Aeonitia have already received communication from Prince Baris and have headed to the palace.”
“Davey…?”
Perserque and Aeria looked at him in surprise. Even though the two were looking at Davey with worried eyes, he remained silent for a moment. And then,
“So then what, you want me to go to the palace? Sorry, but I’m busy. There is still a lot of work I need to do.”
“Davey!!”
“Prince Davey?!”
“I’m sorry, but His Majesty’s death was already predicted. Him dying at any given time wouldn’t have been weird, since he was just extending his life.”
Although his lifespan had been extended, that too had its limits. Davey spoke coldly as he passed Royal Attendant Bernile.
"I'll go to the palace on the day of the cremation out of courtesy, but that's the only time. I have too much to do here."
Bernile, who rarely got upset, shouted in an angry tone.
“Your Majesty!! He is your father!”
Crack!!
Everyone fell silent. It was because Davey was glaring at Bernile after hitting the solid marble pillar, making it crack nearly in half.
“I told you to shut up! Royal Attendant Bernile, I warn you one more time—don’t call him my father.”
“Your Majesty…”
“Understood?” Davey said coldly. Having said his piece, he left everyone behind, wiped out all the plans he had from his mind, and headed to his bedroom.
1. Here is an example of an eccentric balaclava for those who may not be familiar with the term ☜
2. That father right now (YT Video) ☜
ChubbyCheeks & FriedNook's Thoughts
Orb's Blorb
I was so ready for this father's name to be Li Gang, it would've been perfect! The tl;dr is that a college student hit two girls with his car, killing one, and was recorded yelling "MY FATHER IS LI GANG" to police in an attempt to use his powerful father's influence to get away with it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Li_Gang_incident
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