C339
Mediators. An organization led by Aurora, the only descendant of the former Demon King, that boasts several elite members.
The leader of the Mediators, Aurora, was momentarily stunned. Two words echoed in her ears.
Lazy Life. Lazy Life. Lazy Life.
"What did I ask?"
What is your goal, your purpose?
"Yes, that’s what I asked."
Because a human, who is not a devout follower, speaks so cheerfully about being able to purify the force of chaos, one of the three calamities recognized in both heavens and hells, used by the God of Chaos.
She couldn't understand what kind of person he was, and seeing such an incredible being, words involuntarily escaped her mouth.
What kind of being are you?
Answering that question, Aurora asked: What is your goal, your purpose? What allows you to purify the power of the God of Chaos? And how can you say so firmly that gods should solve their problems amongst themselves? Yes, with all these doubts, Aurora asked. And she received an answer.
Lazy Life.
Those two words kept ringing in her ears. Aurora was speechless. Then, she heard other voices that weren't hallucinations.
"Human! I think your consistency is as great as mine!"
"An impressive guy."
Raon and Rasheel, the two dragons, praised Cale while laughing loudly.
"As always, Cale-nim."
"I also want to learn that tenacity from the Young Master."
Choi Han and Mary said this with a calm smile, appeasing their previous anger.
"Hahahaha!"
And Choi Jung Soo simply laughed.
Aurora's gaze turned to Cale.
Aurora, who is now middle-aged by demon standards. For her, who has lived hundreds of years, human life was merely fleeting. However, Aurora, due to her long life, knew.
A life.
What it contains cannot simply be compared to the absolute measure of time. Every life is filled with so many things that Aurora didn't think the words and actions of a young Cale would be devoid of life. On the contrary, seeing his resolute eyes, she was half-convinced that what they contained was deep.
That's why Aurora asked Cale.
"...a slacker?"
Really a slacker? She could hear the answer from him without doubting, with those firm eyes.
"Yes."
And Cale sincerely added.
"Ah, but not just a slacker."
A fleeting glimmer appeared in Aurora’s eyes. The bright light died.
"...a rich slacker..."
"Yes. A very difficult dream to achieve."
Cale showed a bitter smile that was more sincere than ever before.
Pat-pat.
Raon patted his shoulder.
"Cheer up, human! If we just deal with the Hunters and the Absolute God, it might be possible! Believe in my great words. We can do it!"
While silently observing the actions of the young black dragon, Aurora lifted her head. A cabin so humble it was hard to believe it held an altar. Looking at the ceiling of that old house, she spoke.
"Hahaha—"
A hollow laugh escaped her. And then she realized.
"This human."
Cale Henituse. Information she had heard from Coton. Someone who had dealt with some Hunter families and saved several dimensions. Also, someone who didn't fear facing the God of Chaos. This man—
"...is crazy."
He shouldn't be underestimated. Her long experience taught her that. The crazy ones who seem normal are the ones to be most cautious of. And Cale Henituse was that kind of crazy. The type of human who helped create such a battlefield. A slacker? Yes. That was sincere too.
"Crazy people really are the scariest."
The others who weren't part of Cale's group might have ignored his dream. But Aurora did not. That's why she felt a deeper fear.
"A terrifying human...!"
A god! The world! Dimensions! A being who seeks to face all of that only wishes to be a slacker, an unemployed person. And on top of that, a rich slacker.
"It's terrifying."
She had no intention of underestimating him from the beginning, but Aurora swallowed and made a firm promise to herself.
‘You shouldn’t mess with the crazy ones.’
Aurora promised herself this very, very firmly.
However, her eyes changed after hearing Raon’s next words.
"Still, human. Being a slacker is hard, but 'rich,' that you’ve already achieved! This time we mined a few—ugh, ugh!"
Cale quickly covered Raon's mouth. He slowly turned his head.
"......"
There was Aurora, her golden eyes shining, staring at him intensely.
Smile~
Really, only the corners of her lips lifted as Aurora said.
"First, coff, let’s find a place for you to rest. coff."
Seeing this, Cale thought.
"Her eyes have gone crazy."
Crazy people should be avoided. Cale firmly decided. This Aurora, no, these Mediators, will never influence him.
While thinking the other was crazy, Cale and Aurora approached each other with distaste.
"We have much to talk about, right?"
"Yes. Is there a quiet place where we can talk?"
"Follow me."
Raon's voice echoed in Cale’s mind.
-Human, why are you looking at the demon like you're looking at Clopeh?
Cale didn't respond.
-----------------------
"When will Cale-nim return from the demon world?"
"Ah."
The former Lord Sheritt opened her mouth upon seeing the unexpected visitor who came looking for him.
"He didn’t say it would take long. Perhaps a few days."
"I think so. Thank you for letting me know!"
As he nodded, Sheritt softly asked.
"Is something wrong?"
The young wolf Lock hesitated for a moment before cautiously speaking.
"I wanted to ask something about the Beast People."
"Ah, I see?"
"That—"
Lock hesitated before making sure no one else was around Sheritt and spoke carefully.
"They asked me to become the Pope—"
"Huh?"
Sheritt didn’t immediately understand what he was saying. In her eyes, Lock’s confused face turned red.
"I mean, the Blue Wolf Beast People and I are the same being. They asked me to be the Pope to guide them— to help them with something— they keep asking—"
Sigh.
Lock closed his eyes tightly and ran his hands over his face. Seeing this, Sheritt patted his shoulder gently, but the words that came out of her mouth were oddly cold.
"Who made this request of you?"
"That, the Beast People who were in Ryan’s Lair and some people who heard rumors— the White Snake and some said it was nonsense, that they would handle it themselves, so I shouldn’t worry. But thinking about the Beast People left—"
"Yes, yes."
Sheritt listened to Lock’s stammered words, and when he finished, she said one thing.
"We were so distracted that we didn’t think of you."
Uuung—
A visual communication device appeared with a gesture from her hand.
"I should call Eruhaben."
Lock swallowed. He had come looking for Cale and suddenly realized. The woman before him. She was the oldest among them, one of those who could command Eruhaben.
Pat-pat.
Sheritt touched Lock’s shoulder and then extended her hand.
Lifting slightly onto her toes, she stroked Lock’s hair as he bent down for her.
"Don’t worry about anything."
Softly, she murmured.
"I’ll handle everything cleanly."
With her warm voice, Lock nodded quickly. For some reason, he felt calmer. But at the same time, the anxiety that perhaps they should call Cale crept in quietly.
--------------
Clack.
Cale’s gaze turned to the door that had fallen. A quiet place to talk.
"The door fell."
While they spoke, Cale watched as the fallen door collapsed to the ground.
"So, the 'Mediators' don’t just include people from the demon world and the human world, but also from the heavenly world and others."
Creak, click.
Aurora, while reattaching the door, responded.
"That’s right. Most of the members are demons, but people from various origins gather. Though there’s no one from the divine world."
Wanderers and Loners, without Gods.
"The original purpose of this organization was to oppose the current Demon King and continue moderate policies under the guidance of the former Demon King, right?"
"Yes."
Aurora nodded with a calm expression.
"The current Demon King is from the hardline faction. He wants to expand the territory of the demon world, including the human world. I oppose that."
The conversation continued without interruption.
"Though I hate my father, the former Demon King, I agree with his ideals. I believe that’s the direction the demon world should move in."
So originally, the main activities of this organization were confrontations with the current Demon King, Cale explained.
"When we confronted the current Demon King, we stirred up his intelligence organization. That’s when we discovered that he was plotting something with the Hunters and divine beings."
Since then, the organization began to expand to uncover and stop those plans. The name 'Mediators' emerged, and they started accepting people from the human world and the heavens.
"Yes. The nature of the organization changed a bit and its size grew, but I had no choice. I discovered that the Demon King was doing something rotten."
"Something rotten?"
Cale asked with a puzzled face, and Aurora stared into the void for a moment.
"The demons disappeared."
The disappearance of the demons.
"In fact, we decided to raid that intelligence organization because suddenly, the people who supported the former Demon King started to disappear, followed by the complete disappearance of a village where some ordinary demons lived."
Aurora laughed as if it were absurd.
"And we discovered that their disappearance was related to what the current Demon King was doing with the Hunters and the divine beings."
Aurora had no choice but to expand the organization. Her followers left, and the fact that common demons disappeared.
"But we still don’t know exactly what happened to the demons who vanished as if they were swallowed by the earth."
The calm yet angry tone of her voice revealed her frustration.
"They’re not dead."
No bodies or traces.
"They’re not in the demon world."
At first, they searched the entire demon world. Still, nothing.
"We haven’t heard of demons being found in any of the dimensions we can access."
They also weren’t seen in the heavens.
"Then we got information about a new world."
So the answer they found was a new world.
"I heard it from Cotton."
Her golden eyes turned to Cale. A kind of mysterious gold. Bright and yet dark. The core of those golden eyes wasn’t fully bright.
"Do you know that new world?"
Cale responded to that question.
"Yes, I know it."
A virtual reality game. New World. Cale asked her.
"Will you come with me?"
Aurora smiled.
"Is that possible?"
"Yes."
Their conversation was direct and clear. They had no reason to develop a deep friendship; they only shared a common enemy and had different goals.
"All right. I thought you’d want something in return for allowing access to the new world."
Aurora spoke openly, and Cale responded just as easily.
"If they’re going to fight in our place against the enemy, there’s no reason to refuse."
New World. That place was practically a battlefield for Cale. The allies were far too few. Too many enemies and even more unknowns.
"Well, that’s true."
Aurora smiled bitterly, and Cale commented.
"But that new world is quite vast. Plus, we have to avoid the enemy’s gaze, so it won’t be easy to act freely."
"I know. I’ve already taken that into account."
Still, Aurora had to act. The demon world. Bringing peace and mediating between various forces was the reason she could be the leader of this organization. Some celestial beings had joined her for this cause.
"The support for the current Demon King is quite high. Many demons follow his open policy, unaware of the reality. If we bring to light the disappearance of the villages and demons and expose the true face of the Demon King, his support will significantly decrease."
It was time for Aurora to intervene.
"Mm."
Cale contemplated the complicated situation of the demon world.
"The demon world can be left in Aurora’s hands."
If she could expel the current Demon King, the Hunters and divine beings would lose much power.
"And I need to find out what the Demon King’s side has been doing in New World."
According to Cotton, the demon world was quiet for now. But that could just be the calm before the storm. Cale spoke.
"Please tell me more about the missing."
"Huh?"
"Let me search for them."
It’s not really me searching. Our Teddy Bear, the fierce Dark Bear, will handle that.
"…"
Aurora looked at him silently.
"Excited?"
The fact that Cale offered his help without asking for anything in return was probably touching to Aurora. Cale understood that well.
Then, Aurora asked.
"Should I pay?"
"Huh?"
"Huh?"
"...No, there’s no need to pay. I’ll do it for free."
"Ah—"
Aurora looked at him, moved.
"Celestial beings usually demand money to move! Honestly, managing this organization has made me realize there’s nothing that doesn’t involve money! Everything is money, money!"
It seemed like she would continue talking for a while, so Cale extended his hand.
"First, give me the list."
New World. It wasn’t clear if demons would exist there with their real names.
"Well, we don’t even know if they’re in New World."
Still, they needed to verify their identities first. The Teddy Bear, Dark Bear, would handle the heavy work. Cale received the list of names shortly after.
"…Who’s the first person on the list?"
"One of our strongest supporters."
Aurora spoke with a sad expression.
"The richest man in the demon world, although he only had the title of count. But his wealth could rival that of a duke or grand duke."
Cale hesitated before speaking.
"His name is Lupe, right?"
"Yes. He was a good person. A true demon among demons. I learned a lot from his dignity and authority."
The most important person among the missing. His name was Lupe. A count. Cale thought of a figure.
One of the Eight Evils of New World, the leader of Dark Hell. Also, one of the mutants who had realized the peculiarities of the New World system.
The dark ghost count, Lupe.
"Uh—"
Cale let it slip without thinking.
"It seems we’ve found that demon."
"Huh?"
Aurora asked in shock, and Cale responded in shock.
"Yes, we’ve found him—"
How could this have happened? While Cale was bewildered, Aurora asked in astonishment.
"Do you know Count Lupe?"
"Yes."
"How…?"
Cale responded, still in shock.
"I’m his Boss."
That’s right. I’m one of the Three Final Bosses. Lupe is my subordinate.
"……"
"……"
Cale and Aurora were speechless for a moment. Creak, thump. The door they had reattached fell again.
