The Player Hides His Past - Chapter 264: I don't believe in coincidences (2)

Unfortunately.

He must have heard it.

Argentress muttered.

“Darkness. Darkness. Darkness…”

He even pondered so hard about it.

Diend’s full name was so long.

He was reciting each word, trying to memorize it.

I couldn’t blame Argentress.

It wasn’t Argrestress’ fault.

It was my naming sense’s fault that gave that name.

Rather than that.

‘…I am glad he’s not in the spirit to memorize my titles.’

I swallowed a sigh of relief and opened my mouth.

“You may speak, Diend.”

Needless to say.

I didn’t summon Diend.

Dealing with the byproduct waste was already overwhelming enough.

As you can see, it wasn’t me.

Diend revealed himself.

Because he had something to tell me.

Ssss–

Diend turned dark and scanned the surroundings.

He looked closely at Argentress.

He seemed to wondering if a third party could listen to it.

Of course, it was fine.

I didn’t know much about face-reading the elves.

But I had the experience of watching from the side, didn’t I?

That was the case with Elsidore.

‘Despite suffering from hierarchy.’

They were stubborn until the end.

In a word, the elves were a race that wouldn’t budge unless they were moved from the heart. They had naturally nasty temperaments, it was far from acting or pretending.

“Then, I will tell Master.”

All right, let’s hear it.

How urgent it was.

He even brought forth all these various titles.

As I listened intently, Diend’s voice became serious.

“The darkest place on the Arcana Continent.”

The first sentence was already startling.

It had some implications, but…

Since it was a word I had said with my own mouth, there was no way I wouldn’t know.

The darkest place in the Arcana continent.

It referred to Claudie’s estate.

It was a Grandfel expression.

By the way.

“That place is unusual…!”

…That place is unusual?

To put it differently.

Something unusual was going on there, right?

Tracking down the primordial evil unexpectedly.

Also looking for signs of Claudie.

It was all planned before I entered the Arcana Continent.

Just being swayed by the demon and not being able to carry out the schedule?

It was something that couldn’t happen in Grandfel’s dictionary.

‘When this quest is more or less finished…’

Naturally, under Diend’s guidance.

I would visit the darkest place on the continent.

Dark history didn’t disappear just because you looked away.

Now that I know it actually existed.

Because of my unfortunate situation, I had to make use of it.

‘But there’s a problem, you said?’

This situation was so awful.

How could it all explode like this?

First of all.

I needed to know what was unusual specifically.

That way, I could set priorities.

‘If the situation is twisted.’

I should consider entrusting the tracking down to Tempest and Argentress.

I asked Diend.

So where exactly and what is happening?

“Master…?”

Diend trailed off instead of answering.

I wondered if it was still difficult to answer.

But that wasn’t it.

Diend looked around.

To be precise, he pinpointed my current location.

Then he asked.

“I’m sorry, but Master’s destination is…?

Ssss–

Diend’s darkness pointed beyond the horizon.

He seemed to be asking where I was going but even if you asked, I had no idea.

I just moved as Tempest led me.

When I looked at Tempest, it cried out.

“Awoo!”

Argentress added an interpretation.

“It said we’re going in the direction you pointed.”

“…!”

I could see Diend flinch.

At that point, I noticed.

This seemed to overlap.

“Master…!”

The primordial evil.

It seemed to be headed to the darkest place on the Arcana Continent, the Claudie’s family territory.

Diend’s voice was full of concern.

“As a lowly being, I am not sure yet. It may be a mere coincidence. However, my lord, I will inform you at the risk of being rude. Please, dispel my worries…!”

…No, you didn’t need to say it so bluntly, I was intending to do that anyway.

If you asked the reason.

I would answer you with the words Grandfel said like a habit.

I spoke to Diend, who lowered his head.

“I don’t believe in fate.”

Yeah.

I didn’t even believe in fate.

Would I believe this was just a coincidence?

So I could be sure.

The primordial evil.

There must be a reason why it headed to Claudie’s estate.

When I thought about it from that perspective…

It started to make sense.

Since it had such a clear purpose.

It was trying to hold me back through the byproduct.

Now that I knew its objective.

I had no intention of playing to its tune.

‘I have to go right now.’

To the darkest place on the Arcana Continent, Claudie’s estate.

Some people might be concerned.

If things continued like this, how would I dispose of the by-products?

It was a piece of flesh that only I could defeat.

What if it took advantage of my absence to spread to the Arcana Continent?

Well, it was understandable to feel concerned.

But don’t be mistaken.

I felt bad for the spirit who was listening.

But I was not the only one who received the [Blessing of the First World Tree].

“Haiel.”

As Haiel appeared out of thin air, Argentress cleared his throat.

“Ahem.”

Come to think of it, those two had met before, right?

The day when my heavenly luck fluctuated.

Haiel had climbed to Eunaxus’ nose.

“I, Haiel, will follow Master’s order.”

As expected of my alter ego number one.

She managed to figure it out even if I didn’t explain it yet.

Tempest and Argentress.

Haiel, who had the blessing of the World Tree, wouldn’t have a hard time getting rid of the byproduct.

In other words, I could trust and leave it to her.

“Tempest. Argentress. Likewise, I will leave it to you.”

“I will quickly catch up with you.”

“Woof!”

“Diend.”

“I will follow Master’s order.”

I had a rough set-up in my head.

But the setting was abstract.

In order to manifest a portal, I needed accurate coordinates.

Soon, Diend relayed the coordinates telepathically.

I extracted the coordinates from the telepathy.

The coordinates were added to the interference process, and a portal was immediately manifested.

‘Somehow…’

The shiny portal looked different than usual.

Maybe it was because I knew that I had my biggest dark history beyond this portal.

‘I’m really afraid, but…’

Tap tap–

I didn’t hesitate.

Even if I wanted to hesitate, as long as a demon stepped in.

My high pride wouldn’t tolerate it.

So I took a step.

Soon.

The darkest part of the Arcana Continent came into sight.

.

.

.

What I saw was flesh.

Flesh.

And it was an even bigger piece of flesh.

“…Impudent.”

Diend’s disparate energy fluctuated.

I could tell from there.

Beneath that flesh.

It seemed there really was ‘something’.

I checked the quest goal.

– Track down the primordial evil. (In Progress)

You’re diligent, too.

You’ve already walked away, leaving only byproducts behind just in case.

I opened my mouth.

“There’s nothing to be upset about, Diend.”

“I apologize, Master. I should have been quicker.”

“You don’t have to apologize.”

I just realized it too late.

Now there was no point in blaming anyone.

It was a past that was difficult to fathom in the first place.

From the beginning.

It must have been one of the things planned by the primordial evil.

In that regard, there was no need to blame myself.

No, I could actually be shameless here.

“It’s fine.”

I calmly said it was okay, but…

Actually, I, Lee Hoyeol, didn’t feel bad at all.

Was it because my dark history, the Claudie family, was covered in flesh?

No, this time it was not for such a personal reason.

This was the joy of capturing evidence.

Sssh–

Woosh–

Sssh–

As if nothing happened.

The flesh took deep breaths and covered the area.

As I looked at the scene, I spoke calmly.

“It’s them, not us, who should be worried.”

Indeed.

The primordial evil.

How had it been behaving so far?

Through quests.

Through the dragons.

Through the elves.

And through the arrangement left by the World Tree.

I understood it to some extent.

In this way, I couldn’t refute that everything went according to its plan. Everything must have been perfect at the time when it completely deceived the dragons and the elves and escaped from the World Tree, which must have felt like a shackle.

But the great primordial evil.

After escaping from the shadow of the World Tree.

This was the first place it headed to.

The great family.

Claudie’s estate.

It was completely covered.

‘Of course, but…’

Until I saw it with my own eyes.

I didn’t know to what level the Cluadie family was materialized on the Arcana Continent. Even if the dragons, including Eunaxus, bowed their heads. Even if Argentress recognized me as Claudie.

‘There was a lot more to my setup than that.’

So the sight in front of me was the most solid proof.

“You must be trying to hide it.”

Just like how Akshan, their natural enemy, was annihilated from the continent.

It was probably trying to erase any traces of Claudie left behind.

Because it was afraid of Claudie.

But, unfortunately.

“It’s no use.”

Well, hadn’t I once thought the same thing?

Yes, I had struggled to hide my dark history.

But it didn’t work.

The more I tried to cover it, the more it flowed back…!

The past.

It was not something that could be covered up carelessly.

To put it grandiosely in Grandfel’s style of speaking.

“It’s impossible for darkness to cover the light.”

So I gave up.

Even if it meant having a shameful death due to my dark history.

I convinced myself that all death was the same anyway.

Head on, straight through.

I decided to face it.

Don’t try to make my grim resolution meaningless.

I thought of Claudie’s background.

『The reason why Claudie’s territory was not known on the continent is simple. Because Claudie didn’t want it to be known. In their territory, Claudie’s voice was truly absolute…』

For this moment, I would not consider it shameful.

What Claudie’s estate waited for.

It wouldn’t be the poor Lee Hoyeol suffering from his dark history.

It must be the voice of [Grandfel Claudie Arpheus Romeo].

Claudie’s last survivor and heir.

Returned without being broken by any ordeal.

So at this moment.

I would give that voice shamelessly and perfectly.

I opened my mouth.

“I command you in the name of Claudie.”

『Whether it’s the Emperor. The dragons. Or the elves. In Claudie’s territory, you can’t go against Claudie’s rules.』

I spoke to the ugly, writhing flesh.

“Don’t breathe in my territory without permission.”

Then the flesh stopped breathing.

“Don’t pollute my territory.”

It stopped moving.

“Just be thrown into hell.”

It burned up in an instant and disappeared without a trace.

Physically.

And magically.

Even by the standards of reality and the Arcana Continent.

It was a phenomenon that couldn’t be explained.

That was the rule of Claudie.

Eventually, Claudie’s territory, hidden behind flesh, was revealed.

My dark history that I tried to turn a blind eye to came into view.

‘Damn it.’

If I denied it even after confirming it with my own eyes.

I would be no different from the primordial evil who had just covered the territory.

Yes.

Now is the time.

Take full responsibility for my past.

It’s time to show your pride as an adult, Hoyeol.

I moved forward.

The wind blew as if to welcome me.

The jacket fluttered.

Silver hair fluttered in front of my eyes.

“Brace yourself.”

I declared, looking at the collapsed mansion.

“Your master is back.”