Then, as soon as Moon Issak finished speaking, the alarm indicating new incoming System messages rang.
[You have received a scenario-sharing request from User, âMoon Issak.â]
[If you share a scenario with Moon Issak, you can use him as a powerful Ally. You can look forward to a large increase in power.]
[However, the scenarioâs reward may be reduced or changed, and you will be bound to actively cooperate with and fulfill Moon Isaacâs desired reward of obtaining the [Pope] position.]
[At this point, you are unaware of the progress of the scenario youâre currently working on.]
[Sadly, the User, âMoon Issak,â seems like the kind of human being who would be willing to resort to violent means if you reject his offer.]
[User, âMoon Issak,â is deeply interested in you, but⊠it wouldnât be wise to provoke him.]
The system was still handing me new information in that half-mocking tone.
I couldnât fathom the criteria for when a system message would be sent or what information was contained inside, but the bastard only summarized the situation after Iâd almost figured out the whole process or situation already. It never gave a heads-up, and it even looked as if it tried to gloss over or hide important information in order to influence my choices.
Even now, the system was pretending to be objective, but the messages were essentially thinly-veiled threats pushing me to cooperate with Moon Issak.
I had no idea what scenario I was currently undertaking, and the only thing Iâve noticed is that Moon Issak would be greatly bolstered if I were to join his scenario.
So, even though I theoretically had the upper handâŠ
âHeâs trying to persuade me by holding Kim Sangyoon hostage?â
Furthermore, I was particularly bothered by one of the systemâs sentences: [The Scenarioâs reward may be reduced or changed].
I had no idea what scenario I was currently undertaking, but⊠my goal was clear when I signed a Contract with the Servants: the resurrection of the [Red Lotus] guild.
However, when one considers this goal as a rewardâŠand if the reward was reduced or changed⊠In the worst-case scenario, I may not be able to fully revive the Servants or only a portion of them. What a terrible thought.
I glanced at the system message again. My heart tightened when I saw âviolent meansâ written at the bottom, but even if I were to be tortured by Moon Issak, I couldnât accept his proposal as it was.
However, it was also unwise for me to give a direct refusal in my current situation. After all, Kim Sangyoonâs life was currently entrusted to a woman who appeared to be Moon Issakâs colleague.
So I tried to leave myself some room for other options, ââŠI canât make that decision by myself.â
âAre you worried about Seo Dawonâs share of the scenario rewards?â Moon Issak grinned as if he had already guessed my thoughts. âBetween Seo Dawon and Kim Sangyoon, of course Seo Dawon would be more valuable.â
ââŠItâs not that.â
âMy current power is stronger than Seo Dawon. Seo Dawon has been stagnant for several years since his death, but I have continued to collect the Goddessâs relics, unseal them, and receive high rewards.â
ââŠâŠâ
âAnd, perhaps your insidious Contractor didnât mention it, but⊠In all Contracts, living Users are given priority. Are you aware of that?â
âWhat are you sayingâŠâ
âNo matter what you promised Seo Dawon, if the Contract has already been signed, you can decide how to compensate him.â With that said, Moon Issak raised my chin. He was preventing me from bowing my head; with a devilish smile, he whispered, âWhatever you promised Seo Dawon⊠you can decide on the âwhenâ whenever you please.â
ââŠâŠâ
âYou can accomplish his goals just right before you die after 80 years of fooling around⊠Furthermore, the more you level, the more control youâll have over the Contract and your Contracted party. If you hold out until your level is in the late 6,000s, Seo Dawon wouldnât be able to speak in your presence without your permission.â
ââŠâŠâ
âThis bond seeps into oneâs consciousness. No matter how arrogant a summoned being is, their loyalty towards their master increases with time.â
ââŠâŠâ
âOf course, our Red Lotus Guildmaster-nim would have tried to hide it, but all intelligent summoned creatures belonging to the Hub System, (excluding imprisoned Users, of course,) follow this rule. This wouldnât be any different for a Necromancer.â Moon Issak stared at me quietly, as if he were trying to gauge my reaction.
I made a great effort to not make a contemptuous expression, but it wasnât easy. If he knew that Seo Dawon and I were bound by a Contract, then he could guess how Seo Dawon died. It was almost startling how he could say something so disgusting.
However, considering the relationship Moon Issak had with Seo Dawon while the Mage was still alive, I thought the source of Moon Issakâs cruelty may be due to lingering hatred. In the [Vengeful Ghost Memories], Moon Issak seemed to have quite a poor relationship with Seo Dawon.
Thatâs why I didnât even bother to refute those words. I couldnât get involved in their messy relationship.
However, Moon Issak was more perceptive than I had thought. âOh myâŠâ
He scanned my face with icy eyes. Then, he murmured something incomprehensible, âHave you become intimate with Seo Dawon? How did he seduce you?â
ââŠâŠâ
âHmm⊠So you sympathize with Seo Dawon, thinking of him as a âdead personâ rather than a summon.â
ââŠâŠâ
âChoi Lee-kyung, Choi Lee-kyung⊠How foolish. Thatâs just a programmed, monster-like being, not a human.â Moon Issak attempted to persuade me, but it was hard for me to listen to him anymore. I turned my head away, but was soon stopped by his hand on my chin.
He fixed his gaze on mine. He seemed to hesitate, as if he were contemplating something. At that moment, the Puppeteer standing next to him stopped the inquisitor. She frowned as if she had read something in his furrowed brows. âDonât tell me⊠letâs stop this. Do you intend on abandoning the scenario?â
âWhâŠatâŠâ I looked at Moon Issak, a rush of anxiety coursing through me. However, he seemed to have made up his mind, influenced by the doll masterâs objection.
Moon Issak moved his lips, â[â-].â
He said something, but my ears couldnât pick it up. However, after Moon Issak opened his mouth, my headache worsened and my heart began to beat violently. Anxiety and tension mixed together; I felt like vomiting.
However, at the same time, I became unable to blink; my gaze was attracted to Moon Issakâs eyes as if they were magnets. When he saw my fixated gaze, he smiled slightly. Only then did the throbbing pain that had been buzzing in my ears gradually subside.
I couldnât resist, and my body lost strength. The inquisitor looked at me and asked, âHmm, what would be good? First⊠What kind of relationship did you have with Seo Dawon?â
ââŠAh.â I slowly parted my lips while looking at Moon Isaakâs smile. And, without resisting, I answered something, but my voice didnât reach my own ears. On the other hand, Moon Isaak seemed to hear me without any problem.
As I finished speaking, Moon Isaakâs expression changed oddly, âWell, this is an unexpected surprise.â
ââŠâŠâ
He lowered his head and whispered something into my ear once more.
I wanted to resist those words, but in the end, I found myself nodding without knowing what Moon Isaak was saying. I felt that it was right to simply accept his words without further judgment. Moreover, the pain that had been ringing in my head gradually subsided the more I stopped resisting.
Upon seeing my softened expression, Moon Issak smiled satisfactorily. The Puppeteer, who was watching us, reprimanded Moon Issak. ââŠHe canât decide to participate in the scenario under hypnosis.â
âDo you think I donât know that? However, Choi Lee-kyung will only be able to understand my words after experiencing this.â
ââŠWhen he wakes up, I bet youâll be faced with a lot of resistance.â
âIâll just erase his memory.â
âYouâŠâ
âJust get rid of your false sympathy. Do we have the leisure to argue about this?â
After the conversation I couldnât understand finished, the Puppeteer eventually closed her mouth. She looked at me with a slightly guilty expression and then carried Kim Sangyoon on her back.
I stared vacantly at both of them before looking at Moon Issak again because he had started to fiddle with my cheek using his cold fingers.
When Moon Issak and I made eye contact, he smiled softly and ordered, âFrom now on, Iâm the person Choi Lee-kyung likes.â
ââŠYesâŠâ
âAs much as you do for â-. Committed. Wholeheartedly.â
ââŠYesâŠâ My headache flared momentarily, but in the end, I concluded that Moon Issak was right. After nodding vigorously, my heart suddenly started pounding heavily when I looked at him.
Strangely, the echoes of my heart felt sharp and painful. It felt stifling and frustrating⊠At times, it felt like something was blocked; Moon Issakâs expression made regret and melancholy well up within me.
Such complicated emotions flooded me; tears flowed automatically. Wiping the corners of my eyes where the tears flowed with a handkerchief, he whispered, âWhen youâre done crying, forget about â- completely.â
ââŠAhâŠâ
âDonât resist. Take a deep sleep, and when you wake up, everything will be alright.â