Chapter 261: Reward (2)
Yuri Holland’s death.
It was a story that was hard to believe.
For those who knew what kind of person Yuri was, it was a rumor that would have made them snort with disbelief.
Especially the 50th batch members, who would have grabbed the collars of whoever told them such a rumor, shouting, “You, you’re one of Yuri’s spies, aren’t you?!”
Ironically, however, the “rumor of Yuri Holland’s death” first emerged within the 50th batch itself.
This was because even after the deadline for the Hundred Day Tower Quest had passed, Yuri had not appeared.
Of course, when Yuri didn’t show up exactly on the hundredth day, the reaction was rather indifferent and unbothered.
However, when he didn’t appear the next day either, people started to think, “Ah, that bastard must be up to something again.”
Then, after another three days passed, many began to wonder, “Isn’t something wrong here?”
By the tenth day of Yuri’s absence, someone finally voiced a strong suspicion.
[Could Yuri… be dead?]
That was when the rumor of Yuri Holland’s death first surfaced.
But even then, the prevailing sentiment was still, “Nah, no way. Could Yuri really be dead?”
However, as more time passed without him showing up, reaching the fifteenth day, suspicion gradually turned into certainty.
And soon, the stories about the Hundred Day Tower Quest and Yuri spread throughout the Cradle.
[That Yuri Holland?]
[Yeah! They say he died during the 50th batch’s unified quest!]
[Nah, no way. With his skills, would he die so easily?]
[I’m telling you, it’s true! He went into the hardest level, Hell difficulty, and that’s where it happened. It’s already been fifteen days since anyone saw him.]
[…Seriously? Then, oh my god! Just how hard was that Hell difficulty?]
[From what I heard, even the Difficult level was tough as hell… so if it was Hell difficulty, even Yuri Holland could die, right?]
Yuri Holland’s death.
It was such a significant topic that whenever two or more people gathered in the Cradle, it was often the subject of conversation.
Given the circumstances, it was only natural that the rumor spread quickly.
By the twentieth day of Yuri’s absence, the Cradle had already largely accepted his death as a fact.
Of course, even then, there were still those who refused to believe Yuri was dead.
[That can’t be.]
[Shut up! Why would Yuri be dead?!]
[I’m hungry!]
[He’s not someone who would die so easily.]
[Yuri senior died? No way… No, no way.]
Even when 99% of the Cradle was saying Yuri was dead, his friends still believed he was alive.
However, even they couldn’t help but have their faith shaken as Yuri remained missing, approaching thirty days.
* * *
On June 29, as the sun set in the evening, Theresia let out a sigh as she walked along a narrow path.
“Hoo…”
Her complexion was just as gloomy as her heavy sigh.
Anyone could see her face was filled with worry.
Lately, there was only one person who caused Theresia such concern.
‘Yuri…’
Theresia knew well that rumors of Yuri’s death were spreading throughout the Cradle as if they were true.
Although she continued to deny those rumors, it would be a lie to say her heart was unwavering.
‘Where on earth are you, and what are you doing…?’
The last confirmed sighting of Yuri was on the ninety-ninth day after he entered the Hundred Day Tower, on the night of May 31.
The score he registered inside the tower that day was the last trace of him.
From that point on, Yuri had not appeared.
Given the situation, it would have been strange for even the strongest belief not to waver.
‘It seems like the other kids are also deeply affected…’
Arin, Poppy, Gunther, and Mucci.
Though they didn’t believe the rumors, it was clear they weren’t in good spirits.
Arin, in particular, was so shocked by people constantly saying Yuri was dead that she had completely secluded herself.
“Sigh…”
Theresia let out another deep sigh and had just stepped off the path when her footsteps halted abruptly.
‘Huh?’
What stopped Theresia was a group walking toward her from the front.
They were neighbors from near the Demon King’s Castle.
Leading them was a smiling girl with lemon-colored hair.
The group momentarily paused upon noticing Theresia, then resumed walking.
Slowly, Theresia and Lisa’s group drew closer.
Step by step—
When Lisa’s group was within reach, Theresia suddenly stopped and directed a question at them.
“Are you going to gather offerings again today?”
Lisa stopped her steps and nodded at the question.
“Yes, we have to collect them diligently so that he’ll be pleased when he returns.”
“……”
Theresia blinked at the sight of Lisa’s face, flushed with a rosy blush.
Gathering offerings.
Here, the term “offerings” referred to points.
That alone could have been overlooked, but the problem didn’t end there.
‘There’s an adjective that goes in front of that.’
It was “dedicated to Yuri.”
In other words, “gathering offerings” meant “collecting points to dedicate to Yuri.”
If anyone else knew about this, they might have clicked their tongues, saying Yuri was extorting his juniors again…
‘Amazingly, Yuri didn’t order this.’
All of this was purely Lisa’s voluntary action.
Even at this moment, when almost everyone was saying Yuri was dead, she hadn’t stopped gathering offerings.
Knowing this, Theresia felt conflicted.
‘What on earth is she thinking?’
While the 50th batch members were all in the Hundred Day Tower, Theresia had several opportunities to talk with Lisa.
As a result, Theresia realized that although Lisa appeared ordinary, she was far from a normal person.
To Theresia, Lisa was an incomprehensible being.
‘Lisa Verfort…’
A newcomer who had only been in the Cradle for about half a year.
Also, she hadn’t known Yuri for long.
But still…
‘How can she have such unwavering faith?’
Right now, Lisa was the only one in the Cradle who didn’t believe even a speck of the rumors about Yuri’s death.
Those who had spent a long time with Yuri and believed they knew him better than anyone were shaken with worry, but Lisa, without any concern or doubt, did not believe that Yuri was dead.
To Theresia, it was an incomprehensible and abnormal belief.
Trying to ease her frustration, Theresia asked Lisa a question.
“How can you be so sure? That Yuri isn’t dead?”
In response to Theresia’s question, Lisa looked at her as if she found the question strange.
A gaze that seemed to ask, “How could you not know?”
Lisa then spoke in an unassuming voice.
“Gods are inherently eternal and immortal beings, aren’t they?”
After leaving those words, Lisa gave a slight bow of her head and led her group away.
Theresia watched Lisa’s retreating figure in a daze, tilting her head in confusion.
“Yuri… a god?”
Theresia’s voice, filled with bewilderment, dispersed emptily into the air.
* * *
After parting ways with ‘Yuri’s First Apostle,’ Theresia arrived at the Demon King’s Castle as night fully fell, shrouding everything in darkness.
As she walked down the dark corridor, she muttered quietly.
“It’s so quiet…”
Though it was usually a quiet place, it now felt deserted, as if no one lived there.
‘It really does feel like the Demon King’s Castle now.’
Though everyone called it the Demon King’s Castle, to Theresia, it was the first place she could truly call home.
In the desolate Cradle, there was no place more comfortable and cozy to her.
But ever since Yuri disappeared, an eerie atmosphere had settled over the place, making it truly feel like a demon’s lair.
Theresia wore a bitter smile.
‘Maybe it’s because I can’t smell anything good…?’
At mealtime, everyone would gather, chattering noisily.
And it always began with the subtle aroma of Yuri cooking as the time approached.
Theresia thought that perhaps the disappearance of that smell was why the Demon King’s Castle had lost its warmth.
‘Maybe… I should try cooking tomorrow?’
She didn’t think she could cook as well as Yuri, but she wanted to try at least once.
That’s what Theresia thought.
“…Thinking of the smell of food must have made it seem real.”
Muttering to herself and chuckling, Theresia’s expression suddenly hardened.
‘Huh?’
Sniff, sniff—
Theresia sniffed, twitching her nose, and muttered softly.
“This is… real?”
The delicious scent lingering at the tip of her nose wasn’t just her imagination.
It was real.
And it was a familiar aroma!
Theresia started walking as if entranced by the smell.
The closer she got and the richer the scent became, the faster she moved.
Step by step—
Before she knew it, she was running.
And then she finally arrived.
The place was the dining hall of the Demon King’s Castle.
As she entered the lit room, she stopped just a few steps from the entrance.
“…?!”
The scene in the dining hall filled her vision.
At the center, he stood.
The very person everyone had said was dead.
Standing there as if it were the most natural thing in the world, holding several wooden plates in his hands.
“Ah…”
As if the past month had been nothing but a dream, he stood
there, just as he always had.
Theresia approached him, as if spellbound.
“Yuri, you…”
At the sound of her voice, Yuri subtly hid the plates behind his back.
A wary voice escaped from him.
“You can’t have these.”
“……”
“This is the first proper meal I’ve had in months! I’m not sharing. Shoo, go away!”
“……”
“Wow, you’ve really got the nose of a bloodhound! You smelled it that fast? I was trying to eat quickly and get rid of it.”
His eyes filled with annoyance and his voice sharp as a hiss, like a black cat hissing.
Theresia was certain.
The person in front of her wasn’t an illusion; it was the real Yuri.
Theresia, who was about to run to Yuri, hesitated and let out a small sigh.
“What… on earth were you doing all this time, showing up only now?”
“Me? I was…”
Just as Yuri began to respond to Theresia’s question, multiple shadows appeared at the dining hall entrance.
Arin, Poppy, Gunther, and Mucci.
Apparently, Theresia wasn’t the only one drawn by the smell of food.
Arriving almost simultaneously, they stopped at the sight of Yuri standing in front of Theresia.
“Huh?”
“I’m hungry.”
“That guy…?”
“Oh?!”
The four of them were so shocked they froze.
However, their stiffness soon faded, and their loud exclamations echoed through the dining hall.
“Yuriiiiyaaaang!”
“I’m hungryyyy!”
“Seniorrrr!”
Bwaah— Arin burst into tears and dashed past Theresia, instantly embracing Yuri.
Poppy and Mucci, struggling to hold back tears, also rushed forward, surrounding Yuri like a wall.
Gunther, walking slowly behind them with his arms crossed and an expressionless face, finally spoke.
“…I knew worrying about this guy was a waste of time.”
A trace of relief could be seen in his muttering voice, though it was perhaps just a trick of the light.
After four months, the tearful, raucous reunion of the group triggered a fierce reaction from Yuri as well.
“Hey! Don’t you see I’m holding plates?! Ah, stop shaking me! Have you all lost your minds, why the hell are you acting like this?!”
“Waaah, Yuuuriii! You’re definitely our Yuri, with that filthy mouth!”
“Senior Yuri, curse more! More!”
“I’m hungry!”
“Damn it, stop shaking me! If this spills, I swear your brains will spill out with it! Hey? Poppy, put that down! Where do you think you’re sneaking bites, you brat?!”
“I’m hungry!”
“Either cry or eat, pick one! Actually, just cry! Don’t eat, all of this is mine!”
The chaotic, tear-filled reunion, filled with curses and shouting, finally calmed down after a long while.
Afterwards, Yuri, having barely managed to keep his food intact, asked as he picked up his chopsticks.
“What’s wrong with you guys? Have you all gone mad? Anyone would think a dead child had returned.”
As he said that, he finally took a bite and started chewing, his face lighting up with happiness at the taste.
Just then, Gunther’s incredulous voice cut through the air.
“Not exactly a dead child returning, but more like the person everyone thought was dead coming back.”
“Ung? Wha re ooh oohing abouht? (Huh? What are you talking about?)”
Seeing Yuri’s innocent face, full of food, Gunther sighed.
“Well, you see…”
Thus began Gunther’s explanation.
By the time Yuri had emptied two plates, Gunther’s story had come to an end.
Yuri’s expression grew stern after hearing everything.
Clack!
He slammed his chopsticks down hard and asked.
“They’re saying I died? Everywhere in the Cradle?”
Did the rumor of his death shock him?
As Yuri’s question hung in the air, the others nodded earnestly.
Seeing the five people in front of him confirm it simultaneously, Yuri realized that what Gunther had said was true.
And then, with a serious tone, he spoke.
“Then… my funeral?”
“……?”
The group’s heads tilted in confusion.
Yuri leapt up in frustration.
“Did you collect my condolence money? Where is it?!”
“…There isn’t any.”
“Why not?”
“…Wouldn’t it be weirder if there was?”
Since when did the Cradle ever hold funerals for the dead?
And what’s this about condolence money?
Baffled, the group tilted their heads in puzzlement, and Yuri’s face scrunched up in annoyance.
“I mean, if someone dies, you’re supposed to collect condolence money!”
“…Why?”
“A dead person needs a lot of money!”
“Do dead people… need money?”
In response to Arin’s question, Yuri shot her a pitying look.
“Of course, they do! It’s a bribe to pay the Grim Reaper to get into heaven!”
“…Even so, I doubt you’d make it to heaven.”
“Then at the very least, you’ve got to show some effort to get sent to a decent place in hell!”
Watching Yuri rant and rave, the others chimed in.
“Is that… what condolence money was for?”
“Isn’t that burial money?”
“I’m hungry?”
“…I don’t think burial money is for that, either.”
“Well, it was something similar, I think.”
While everyone was murmuring doubts about Yuri’s explanation of condolence money, Yuri himself was seething.
“Anyway, are you saying not a single person paid condolence money when I supposedly died?”
A fierce glint flashed in Yuri’s eyes.