Suicide Before Defeating the Final Boss – 129
EP.129 Prelude
When Jeong-hyeon returned to the room, he saw Hana soundly asleep on the sofa. He felt relieved that Hana hadn't woken up during the conversation. As he picked her up, he sighed.
"It seems like carrying her around for a while would be a good idea."
That way, she would probably feel satisfied and be okay. As he patted Hana's back and walked around, Lucia smiled brightly and spoke.
"Jung-hyun, you're back?"
"Yeah."
"Is there anything you'd like to eat? I can make it for you quickly."
Nothing specific came to mind. He told her to make anything and then sat on the sofa, continuing the conversation.
"Nothing happened, right?"
"Nope. Thanks to Charlotte and Miria's care, there wasn't any trouble."
"That's a relief."
As Jeong-hyeon was tidying up Hana's disheveled hair, Lucia brought over some simple food and spoke.
"Do you know how hard it was? She wouldn't eat without you, and insisted on staying awake to wait for you. It was really tough."
"I'm sorry about that."
"As long as you know..."
Lucia didn't seem to be genuinely seeking an apology; it was more like venting her own frustration. She showed a hint of regret after speaking. Jeong-hyeon chuckled at Lucia's reaction, and then she seemed to remember something, bringing over a bundle of letters.
"These are letters Hana wrote while you were away. You should read them later."
"She wrote all of these?"
"Yes."
Even at a glance, there seemed to be over a hundred. He showed a surprised expression as he read the letter on top.
[I miss you, Dad. It's sad without you...]
It was filled with stories about her day and how much she missed him. Reading it made him feel guilty, and he awkwardly smiled. Lucia subtly sat beside him and spoke.
"From now on, don't disappear for too long. I can't handle Hana crying anymore."
"I'm sorry..."
"Oh, it's okay! I'll always support you, Jung-hyun!"
He was grateful for her sentiment. He chuckled and told Lucia to rest. She seemed quite sleepy and agreed, getting up.
"Then, you should rest well too, Jung-hyun."
"Alright."
As Lucia disappeared, Jeong-hyeon watched her retreating figure and then took out the documents he had brought earlier.
"Shall we start working now?"
He figured he could read and write documents while holding Hana. He decided to plan how to use the list of believers Karina had given him.
"Though the number of believers isn't large for a religion..."
If all the believers were from famous families or were children of celebrities, even a small number could have significant influence. Seeing the amount of money they contributed, which was beyond imagination, made him smile.
"The problem is that there are too few of them."
He thought it would be good to entice them by saying that the more they evangelized at this gathering, the higher their rank would be. He decided to exploit them using the "multi-level marketing" method he had heard about in the past.
"With the motto that the achievements of subordinates become the achievements of superiors, the more subordinates there are, and the more achievements they make, the more rewards the superior receives..."
Of course, unlike reality, he didn't plan to demand anything monetary, so he intended to keep it within reasonable limits.
"I'm not planning to do actual multi-level marketing."
What he wanted from this sect was to set them against the kingdom and turn them into a massive terrorist organization. So, keeping it within reasonable limits seemed...
"Is this right?"
The more he thought about it, the more it seemed that extorting money might be the gentler option, but he stubbornly denied that fact.
"Anyway, I just need to cause all sorts of problems using them."
The responsibility would ultimately fall on Karina and Regina, so he didn't need to worry too much.
"It's exciting."
He was looking forward to the engagement ceremony and the gathering when Hana woke up, barely opening her eyes, and called for him.
"Hehe, it's Dad... I like Dad..."
Then she nodded off again, quickly falling back asleep.
"Wouldn't it be better to let her sleep comfortably in bed?"
That thought crossed his mind, but he decided to stay like this, fearing the consequences if she woke up.
"...Apu Apu."
She kept waking up after she had just fallen asleep. He watched as Hana, who had been holding onto his clothes, lost strength and her arm dropped as she fell asleep, making him chuckle.
"Maybe it's best to just sleep together."
So, at least for today, he decided to stay like this and headed for the sofa.
"I should get some sleep too."
Feeling the fatigue creeping in, he closed his eyes.
***
In the morning, he felt someone touching his cheek and opened his eyes to see Hana already awake, smiling brightly.
"What are you doing?"
"Watching Dad."
"Really?"
He didn't quite understand what she meant, but decided to let it go. Then he remembered something he had forgotten and asked.
"By the way, do you have any wishes?"
Hana pondered for a moment, then snuggled back into his arms and spoke.
"For Dad to be by my side..."
Her words made him reflect on his mistakes once more. Just then, the Holy Sword nearby seemed to awaken, emitting a 'woong' sound.
"Oh, right."
He remembered that the Holy Sword and Hana were linked. He pulled the Holy Sword closer, and Hana looked at it intently and spoke.
"No!"
Then she suddenly started scolding the Holy Sword.
"...?"
He was bewildered by Hana's incomprehensible actions. Hana clung to him and, with a somewhat triumphant voice, said,
"You know... the Holy Sword said it doesn't like Dad. So I scolded it!"
"Oh... oh? Really? Good job."
"Yeah!"
Honestly, it was understandable that the Holy Sword disliked him.
"After all, he had tried to prove his strength as soon as they met, and even used the Holy Sword, which should uphold justice, for torture and threats."
Especially since he had given the Holy Sword to Rhea to flay the Pope's skin, he had crossed an irreversible line. But he figured it wouldn't be a problem. The Holy Sword was just a Holy Sword. Without a hero, it had no purpose, so it couldn't refuse forgiveness.
"Anyway..."
He decided to gradually mend this emotional rift. As he made this decision, Hana spoke to him.
"Dad, you know... the Holy Sword said it's going to give you a trial."
"A trial?"
"Yeah."
Though unexpected, he couldn't help but feel his lips curl into a smile at the thought of receiving a trial.
***
Duke Filothes was meticulously reviewing the progress of his plans while seated.
"The attempt to provoke Karina is unexpectedly stagnant."
The plan to involve Charlotte in the royal succession struggle through Karina had essentially failed because Karina showed little interest in the succession.
"I don't understand why."
The Karina he knew was someone with a keen interest in the throne, willing to do anything for it. Yet, she refused a clear opportunity to seize the throne, which was baffling.
"It's incomprehensible."
Though the unexpected turn of events was not pleasant, the fact that "the hero accepted the engagement with Charlotte" allowed him to overlook it.
"A better outcome has emerged."
As long as the engagement proceeded smoothly, there would be no need to worry about the kingdom's safety for a while.
"Isn't it truly a remarkable event, Tartan?"
He smiled as he looked at the pale, lifeless king. He had managed to protect the kingdom, as promised.
"I will fulfill all that you wished for. Don't worry, we will always be friends."
Though there was no response, Tartan would likely agree in this situation. Remembering the promises they made in the past, he smiled briefly, then picked up a document beside him and thought.
"Speaking of which, there's Daisy."
A former party member of the hero, now a high elf with nowhere to go, even exiled from the elf village. He smirked as he read that she was holed up in a room, denying everything.
"Useless as ever, both then and now."
In that case, it would be right to discard the trash. Once the engagement proceeded, Daisy would lose her purpose, so he decided to give her to the hero as a gift.
"Men are crazy about elves, after all."
If he could relieve accumulated resentment with a useless body, it would be quite beneficial. He decided to do so with a smile.
"Then let's hold the most splendid and grand engagement ceremony."
Though the financial situation wasn't great, considering it as an investment in the future, it wasn't a bad idea. Having made this decision, he sat on the throne and crossed his legs.
"Tartan, your seat is quite hard. That's why I like it even more."
He laughed for a while, looking at Tartan, who could no longer respond, then turned his head and continued speaking.
"Then let's begin."
"Yes."
The butler, who had been observing everything nearby, bowed politely and announced the commencement of the engagement ceremony.