NOVGO.NET Book 2 Chapter 641
Book 2 Chapter 641
This time, instead of bothering to climb from the first floor, he decided to simply fly. Residue ascended to the ceiling of the Underground City, the sky of this world, and placed his hand on a large stalactite while overlooking the altar.
Because it was a building without a roof, he could clearly see what Beniang Argento was doing.
She just seemed to be lying down. Was she sleeping? No. Her eyes were wide open. Because she was staring at the sky in that state, at first it looked like she was looking this way. Upon closer observation, however, it turned out she was just gazing into the distance. Her pupils were half-unfocused.
Then suddenly, she began flailing her limbs. The movement was violent, like a fish caught in a net, but it didn’t last long. Soon she seemed to tire and began panting heavily.
“……”
Residue’s eyes narrowed.
A dragon does not act without reason. There might be some purpose behind that puzzling behavior.
Was she aware of his gaze after all? If so, even that idiotic behavior might be a sign directed at him. Residue continued to watch Beniang for a while.
“Huff, huff.”
This time, she got into position and started doing sit-ups. Since Beniang’s body didn’t look normal, she might have been doing discreet rehabilitation exercises. Whether such physical activity would yield any noticeable results was questionable though...
As if reading Residue’s thoughts, Beniang, who had twitched a few times, collapsed back onto the floor. Then, with a face like a sage, she crawled somewhere and brought back a book.
She began reading with an intensely focused expression.
“……”
That was when Residue realized that he, too, was doing something idiotic. A purpose? Nonsense. She was just a shut-in mess.
With a sigh, he descended to the altar.
“What are you doing?”
He asked upon landing, and Beniang showed him her lifeless eyes.
“Hello. Nice evening, isn’t it?”
“It’s neither evening nor nice. I asked what you’re doing.”
“I’m doing something, at least.”
Beniang trailed off and turned her gaze back to the book. A different title than last time caught his eye.
He considered snatching it away but stopped and stood in front of Beniang.
“─Beniang Argento.”
His practiced tone paid off.
He could feel Beniang flinch at the tone. She hurriedly looked toward him, and only then did she realize it was Residue, her expression turning embarrassed. ŕἈǒBĚŚ
Was she always this expressive? Come to think of it, she used to be. A long time ago, back when she was a timid half-dragon in Lukas’s home universe.
“What happened to you?”
“Can you at least change your expression and tone?”
“Why?”
“Because it makes me uncomfortable.”
“How does it make you uncomfortable?”
Still speaking in Lukas’s tone, Residue watched as Beniang gave a drawn-in expression and replied.
“I feel guilty.”
Only then did Residue smile and speak.
“Right. If you feel guilty, it means you’re aware of how pathetic your situation is.”
“……”
“Tell me what happened. Then I’ll stop speaking in this buttered-up tone.”
Imitating Lukas was always fun and exhilarating, but that was because people’s reactions to it were interesting. In truth, Residue himself was uncomfortable, albeit in a different way than Beniang.
After letting out a sigh, Beniang spoke.
“Where should I start?”
“From after you let me escape.”
“Alright.”
Beniang said.
“After I let you go, the Blue Knight didn’t pay me any attention. I was even prepared to fight, but her gaze never turned to me. She immediately jumped down to chase after you, and I don’t know what happened after that.”
“……”
“The same went for the 0th Demon. She didn’t hold me accountable either. But it seemed to be for a different reason than the Blue Knight. The Blue Knight seemed to only see you, but Sedi Trowman appeared to understand the reason behind my actions.”
Sedi Trowman was once an Absolute.
He could likely read the subtle empathy or sympathy shared between the former Rulers.
“And then she left for her territory, Demonsio.”
“Just like the Blue Knight, you don’t know what happened after that.”
“Yes. …After that, I traveled the world to reclaim the remaining ‘Fangs’. After meeting the Lightning God, I was planning to head to the Giant…”
“…And?”
“He was already dead.”
“……”
A brief silence fell.
Residue and Beniang, the two beings who had once been Rulers, remained wordless, as if by agreement.
“After that, I spoke with the representatives of the Top Universe gathered here. They feared me in my weakened state but also resented me.”
“Cowards whining disgustingly. All they deserve is mockery. Don’t tell me that actually moved you.”
“I was once more of a coward than anyone. I have no right to laugh at them.”
At that moment, Residue realized that the self of the being before him was now focused more on the person called Beniang than the dragon.
A certain thought suddenly occurred to him.
That the Seven Fanged Dragon God might already be dead.
“…So you accepted their proposal and are now wasting your life here, sprawled out uselessly?”
“I wanted to live like this at least once.”
“……”
“That’s everything about me. Sorry if it wasn’t interesting.”
As expected.
Beniang Argento hadn’t confessed everything. Though the story seemed coherent, it had a hollow, patched-together feeling that couldn’t be ignored.
Perhaps it was impossible for Residue to ever hear Beniang’s true feelings.
“Very well.”
So Residue plopped down on the spot.
“What are you doing?”
“I need to kill time. Bring me something to read. And something to chew on.”
“I don’t think there’s a book here you’d enjoy.”
“I’m not picky about genre.”
“…Then read whatever’s over there.”
Then she staggered to her feet and walked off somewhere. Judging by the rustling sounds of her searching, she probably intended to bring some refreshments as requested.
In the meantime, Residue looked at the place Beniang had pointed to. Dozens of books were scattered about in disarray. He opened one that came to hand at random.
As a side note, the corners were bent, so it was hard to open it properly.
***
And thus, a sudden reading session began.
They each flipped through a book in a relaxed position atop the roof of the open building.
The title of the book he chose this time was “The Terminal Villain Is the Holy Knight Commander’s Secret Friend”.
The story was simple.
An ordinary protagonist transmigrates into the role of a terminally ill villain in a novel, and in struggling to survive, ends up becoming the lover of the story’s main character, the commander of the Holy Knights.
Asked for his impressions, he could say it was better than expected.
Rather than matching his taste, it felt like he had stumbled upon a breakthrough to a problem that had been bothering him for a long time. Life is indeed unpredictable. Who would have thought he’d find a hint atop an altar in the Underground City, in a book with bent corners?
‘I know your secret. But what does that matter? The current Great Cathedral is nothing more than a mud pit of heretics, devil worshippers, and politicians chasing profit and gain. Those who use God’s word as a tool of business pretend to be clergy, and the uneducated people follow their word without question. You asked what was wrong? Everything is wrong. Everything, Commander.’
‘That is blasphemy, Count. …It’s late. I will erase this conversation from my memory, so you should forget it too.’
‘Use me.’
‘……’
‘The best way to destroy evil is with evil. I swear I won’t let your hands be tainted. I’ll bear every rotten part myself.’
Residue paid particular attention to the part where the protagonist persuades the Holy Knight Commander.
A relationship that begins by using each other. Evil subdues evil… Right. Simple, but it might be an effective strategy.
“……”
When he had read about halfway through the book, Residue looked down over the Underground City. Michael… still seemed to be in the process of awakening. He thought it might take longer than expected.
And Yang In-hyun, he was not clearly visible. It seemed he had spread his energy to block the surrounding view, and it was obvious he didn’t want to be watched. It was possible to forcibly break through it, but in that case, there was a high chance Yang In-hyun would notice. Since they had only just formed a harmonious relationship, he decided not to risk ruining it.
After reading a few more chapters.
“Is it good?”
Beniang suddenly asked.
Residue looked at her and replied.
“Quite intriguing. But… why aren’t you reading as comfortably as before?”
Unlike when he first saw her or when he was watching from above, Beniang was not lying down but sitting in a reasonably proper posture while reading. She averted her gaze slightly and said.
“Because seeing you reading like that made me feel a little embarrassed.”
“Me?”
Residue looked down at himself.
Come to think of it, his body was in a surprisingly neat position as he turned the pages. Because of his face and presence, he might even give off a scholarly vibe.
“You’re reading so seriously. It feels like that seriousness might rub off on me.”
“The title of the book breaks the seriousness, so does it really matter?”
“Are you mocking me?”
“Of course not. Every story deserves respect. But it’s hard to picture Lukas reading ‘The Terminal Villain Is the Holy Knight Commander’s Secret Friend’, isn’t it?”
“……”
Beniang bit her lips, then closed them tightly.
Residue turned his gaze away from her and looked at the book again. The plot was now heading toward its climax.
The Holy Knight Commander, realizing his feelings.
The protagonist, still unaware of that love, confesses that the illness has now taken over half his body.
‘I told you, Commander. I would bear all the rotten parts.’
‘…Count, I…’
‘It’s all over now. This is the best ending. Far more people are happy than there would have been originally.’
‘…….’
‘Go to the Cathedral. The Pope is waiting. Once the inauguration is over, you will become the light of this era. I wish you happiness.’
"...Keeping your mouth shut like that."
However, Beniang didn’t seem to want to end the conversation.
Though she had the book open, her gaze was still fixed this way.
“When you read a book with your eyes lowered like that, you really look like Master.”
He agreed.
But how one interprets another is entirely up to the observer’s perspective.
The reason Beniang was seeing Lukas in Residue right now was simply because she wanted to see him that way. It wasn’t an accurate expression, but perhaps it was like she had placed a frame over him.
Residue decided to make use of this.
Flipping a page, he naturally lowered his tone.
“This book. Did you read it to the end?”
“Yes.”
“Tell me about it.”
Even though he hadn’t read the ending yet, Residue asked her anyway.
“The Holy Knight Commander never shows up at the Cathedral. The Pope, the high-ranking clergy, and the people wait until sunset, but he never appears. He leaves for the Western Land with the Count, who is dying from illness, in search of a legendary herb.”
“That’s the end?”
“Yes.”
“An open ending, then. What do you think about that ending?”
“……”
Beniang remained silent.
Residue waited for quite a while. At least during the time he turned five pages of the book.
Even then, Beniang didn’t say a word.
“The books here. It seems like you’ve read them all. At least a few times each.”
“Yes.”
Residue stroked the faded page and the crumpled corners with his hand as he spoke.
“And yet, you couldn’t say a single word of impression. Judging by how well you remember the plot, it’s not like you read it carelessly. Which means you only took the words into your eyes, not into your heart.”
“What does it mean to take it into your heart?”
“It means you didn’t read because you needed to. Unless someone’s forcing you, no one reads a book without any thought. People read for knowledge, to kill time, or to find a kind of enjoyment different from their dull routine… Everyone reads with a purpose. And the more urgent that need, the deeper their understanding of the content. On the other hand, if you're forcing yourself to read, the content only brushes past your eyes and vanishes just as quickly.”
Residue continued speaking.
Even without openly imitating Lukas, he made sure Beniang would feel that way about him.
“You don’t have a purpose for reading. That’s why you were just skimming with your eyes. The reason you couldn’t even give a one-line review about the ending is because you felt nothing. Of course you didn’t. You told me, you wanted to live like this at least once. That was a lie. You don’t wish for this life.”
By the time he got to this point, he wasn’t quite sure how to wrap it up. If he were being honest, he just wanted to smack her in the head.
Smack-
“…!?”
And by the time he came to his senses, he had already done it.
Beniang looked at him with a shocked expression. It was the kind of face that showed she hadn’t imagined this outcome at all. Her large eyes were even welling up with tears.
Residue grew slightly embarrassed and averted his gaze, looking down.
Michael had come to his senses and was clutching his head in confusion. Was it over now? But beings with ominous energy were beginning to gather around him.
Were they the 'monsters' or 'punished Absolutes' that Michael had mentioned?
At Michael’s current state, he might not be able to handle it and could fall into unexpected danger.
“I’ll be going now. And I’m borrowing this book.”
“Wh-why did you hit me…”
“You think about it. Why you got hit.”
He ignored whatever else she was about to say and jumped off the altar. Whether it was “Beniang Time” or whatever else, let her think it through to her heart’s content.
He had a mountain of things to think about on his end too.
As Residue felt the weight of the book tucked under his arm and the bodily sensation of free fall, he looked not down but up, dangerous as it was.
He pictured the Knight who would be there in his mind and murmured.
“…Yeah, I guess even I need at least one of them.”
One of the Four Knights he could make into an ally.
*****
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