Standing at the classroom door, Xiaoming took a deep breath and firmly gripped the secret letter from his mother.
In the wind, cherry blossoms danced as Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.
Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.
"Who dares to spout such nonsense in front of the White King!"
He was a man who deserved to be torn limb from limb.
No matter how much he had passed through the Gate of Myth, he could never be equal to the White King with just such an achievement.
The myths the White King had created were countless.
āIāve thrown down the gauntlet.ā
Now thereās no turning back.
Itās a pretense that makes my hands and feet curl, but the White King canāt ignore it either.
He once ignored it and ended up with a big nose.
Both the Four Guardians and the White King have suffered a humiliation worse than death at the hands of Wilhelm.
The White King looks at me.
I, too, smile slightly.
The two gazes collide in the air, sparking violently.
"Interesting. But, itās not a lie, is it?"
When the White King finally agreed, the gazes of the Four Guardians changed again.
For the White King to say such a thing to a mere carrion crow!
The White King is an absolute being who never lies.
If he saw it that way, it must be true.
In other words,
āThe White King sees the carrion crow as his equal...ā
The same thought flooded the minds of the Four Guardians simultaneously.
Equal.
Not just a carrion crow, but a true Transcendent.
"I donāt want to cause a commotion, caw."
...Itās time to take a step back here.
The White King has conceded.
Perhaps to the maximum extent.
If I take one more step, it will be war.
And if the war starts, I will probably die without even realizing it.
This much of a confrontation is enough.
Taking another step would be like sinking into a swamp, consumed by the pretense.
"Instead, if you can find out what the āStar Guardiansā are looking for, beyond that ultimate mystery, can you tell me what it is?"
"Is it just a matter of telling me, caw?"
"I wonāt be greedy for more. Iām just curious. Whether there really is another star."
Thatās all it was.
Curiosity.
With that, he bestowed a title upon me.
There was a minor disturbance, but this was a clean resolution.
"Is there anyone who opposes Randolph becoming a Guardian?"
The White King looked around at the Four Guardians.
"I oppose."
"I, too."
The Earth Dragon and Gonggi opposed.
Two votes against.
"Then, who supports?"
"Since we are of the same kind."
"......"
The Four Kings and Medusa supported.
Of the same kind.
It means those who deal with corpses.
And Medusa, by supporting, probably meant to keep a close watch.
"Two in favor, two against."
The White King laughed heartily, finding it amusing.
After all, if it had been a unanimous decision, it wouldnāt have been interesting.
Most importantly,
āIf he can destroy a Unique-level mystery, it would be a waste to turn him into an enemy.ā
Frankly, he was half-doubtful.
Whether this carrion crow could really destroy a Unique-level mystery.
Because everything named Unique is a name that even the White King canāt easily dismiss.
If he fails, thatās as far as it goes.
Even if he sees the end of the mystery and itās impossible, thereās no need to be alarmed.
But if itās confirmed that the carrion crow can really destroy a Unique-level mystery, the White King wouldnāt want to turn him into an enemy.
At least, it would be proof that his words about Cramdel disappearing arenāt a lie.
And if he can persuade the stubborn Star Guardians, thereās no harm in keeping such a person close.
Itās not too late to decide after observing.
"Decided."
The White King placed his hand on my shoulder.
Thus, three in favor, two against.
"Randolph. You are now a Guardian."
...And so.
Completely out of the blue, I became a Guardian.
One of the actual rulers of Cramdel.
A carrion crow standing at the pinnacle of monsters.
*
After the White King left, I could feel the strange gazes of the Four Guardians on me.
"Guardian. For a while, stay in my castle. It seems a separate castle needs to be built for you."
Then the Four Kings approached.
The King of the Dead.
The master of Necrovalley, the most inscrutable of them all.
A giant made of a huge skeleton, smaller than a giant but with a higher purity of magic.
His black robe was as ominous as it looked.
However, he cast a vote in favor of me becoming a Guardian.
At least for now, heās not an āenemyā.
"I wonāt refuse, caw."
"Hmm. Iāll announce the birth of a new Guardian tomorrow morning. Until then, you are a guest, so Iāll escort you. Is there anywhere you want to go?"
Being escorted by the Four Kings.
This is quite rare.
āPerfect.ā
From the beginning, I intended to approach the Four Kings.
I didnāt expect it to unfold this way, but if the Four Kings acts friendly, I can delve deeper.
"If you are the King of the Dead, you must be conducting āexperimentsā of a similar nature, caw?"
"Of course. The experiments on corpses are the meaning of my existence."
"Then I want to see your ālaboratoryā, caw."
"...... Welcome."
The Four Kings said with a slightly excited tone.
A being who deals with death. His experiments are so āpervertedā that even other Guardians stick out their tongues.
There were no other powerful beings who could empathize with this.
The weaker ones only pretend to understand, and the stronger ones donāt have a single one who can truly appreciate his art.
What about this carrion crow?
"Then, letās go together. To my resting place."
*
In front of the White Kingās hall, Isaac and Isabella were waiting anxiously.
āMad... the White King, no less.ā
Especially Isaac felt as if he was about to suffocate and die.
Who would have thought he would be summoned to see the White King directly!
Most of the monsters in Cramdel die without ever seeing the White Kingās face. Isaac, who had been in Cramdel for a year, had never seen the White King either.
Yet, in this short time, the High Priest had gone to see the White King directly.
āIt must be a dream.ā
When he pinched his cheek, a sharp pain spread.
This pain canāt be a dream, so it must be reality.
All of this, from meeting the High Priest at the hot spring to coming to the White Kingās hall with the Four Guardians.
ā...I should run now. Thereās no way I can meet the White King and come back alive.ā
If itās reality, it doesnāt feel good.
The Four Guardians are unknown, but the White King is a cold-blooded monster.
An insurmountable wall.
Even the rulers of the abyss avoid the White King!
No matter how he thinks about it, itās a crazy move.
But the real madness happened next.
"......!"
Isaacās eyes widened to the point of popping out.
Two figures emerged from the White Kingās hall.
āS, the Four Kings!ā
The Four Kings!
One of the Four Guardians, but the most ruthless and terrifying among them.
A monster among monsters who steals both souls and corpses to make them his slaves.
A monster from whom, once caught, thereās no escape.
He was with the High Priest.
"You will also be satisfied when you see my resting place."
"Iām looking forward to it, caw."
"You can look forward to it."
...Somehow, they seemed to have a good relationship.
It must be a dream.
In reality, thereās no way those two would walk so closely.
Then the High Priest pointed to himself and said,
"Follow me, both of you, caw."
...Damn.
Now thereās no way out.
āI didnāt receive the Great Cataclysm Talisman.ā
Suddenly, the idea of living a quiet life in Cramdel didnāt seem so bad.
And the thought that he could never return to that time.
He had already entered the eye of the storm. The moment he received the Great Cataclysm Talisman, his future was set.
So, Isaac prayed and prayed.
Please, let me see the sun rise tomorrow.
*
The Four Kingsā laboratory.
A secret area in the basement of his castle.
When Isaac entered, he couldnāt help but pinch his nose.
"Ugh...!"
He barely suppressed the urge to vomit.
Not just the smell.
āThe most perverted hobby Iāve ever seen in my life.ā
All kinds of corpses in all kinds of forms.
Some hanging from the ceiling, some pinned to the walls, some scattered on the floor.
Even Isabella, who shows no emotion, faintly furrowed her brow.
It was beyond terrifying.
"Amazing, caw."
...Is that amazing?
But it doesnāt seem to be a lie.
The High Priestās tone felt genuine.
"Does it look that way?"
"I can sense the artistic touch, caw."
"Haha! As expected, you can appreciate it because we are of the same kind. If you have a special piece you want, Iāll give it to you."
A piece?
āIs this a piece?ā
These corpses?
Isaac couldnāt understand the artistic sense of the two.
What are they laughing and talking about?
Gulp.
Gulp.
Moreover, the things he thought were corpses were moving strangely.
They were alive.
āA den of the undead.ā
This was the most terrifying scene Isaac had ever seen in his life.
He couldnāt understand why the High Priest came here.
When he looked at Isabella, she slowly shook her head.
Just follow quietly.
Then the High Priest pointed to a direction in the laboratory and asked,
"Can you give me that, caw?"
Instantly, the Four Kings stopped.
The playful atmosphere vanished as if it had been erased.
What the High Priest pointed to.
What the carrion crow asked if he could have.
Was one of the Four Kingsā most cherished treasures.
"...... You really can see, canāt you?"
The Four Kingsā tone became serious.
It was as if he had been testing all along, now deeply serious.
Because many artists of corpse art couldnāt truly appreciate his art.
They only pretended to see or forced themselves to fit out of fear.
And such people had their eyes immediately gouged out.
To have a pair of eyes that canāt appreciate such magnificent art is a sin.
What use do they have for eyes that canāt see the art properly?
The carrion crow was naturally assumed to be one of those.
No matter how much he was recognized by the White King, art was a completely different domain.