CH 242

#86. The Wardens’ Master

Dark red spots began to appear on Ariane’s porcelain skin before being overtaken by black rot. It was a terrifying sight that would make anyone shudder, and it was painfully obvious how much agony she was going through without even needing to ask.

However, Ariane remained silent until the end, even as the curse started to melt her body away. She showed no willingness to talk, as she bit down so hard on her teeth that they shattered, and her lips were all bitten and bloodied.

Kim Jin-Woo wondered if this was the same Ariane who had begged for her life under his threats of violence not too long ago. Unmasking the ‘Queen of Illusions’ revealed an entity that was very persistent.

“Hah… E… Even if you throw me… into a cauldron of fire… and close it… up… I… I can never speak,” Ariane said, her expression contorted from the pain. Although she was physically broken and her voice was barely audible, Kim Jin-Woo could still feel a sense of provocation behind her words.

“If you still have the strength to talk, you’re better off answering my questions.” Kim Jin-Woo shook his head in the face of Ariane’s excruciating patience. “Tell me. Are there any more Wardens left here besides you?”

However, instead of answering, Ariane responded with something totally different. “H… How about this? Let’s… take turns… asking questions…”

Kim Jin-Woo was left dumbfounded by the absurd suggestion. He said, “Seems like you don’t understand the situation you’re in right now. You should know who’s in charge here by now, shouldn’t you?”

If he wanted to, he could end her life right then and there. Nevertheless, the reason why he hadn’t done so was that he didn’t wish for her death at that moment. Of course, considering how many times she had betrayed him, he wanted to put an end to her life right away. But getting information out of her was more important than appeasing his own anger.

“But wasting time like this is a foolish act too,” Kim Jin-Woo mused. Thus, instead of rejecting her offer, he slowed down the curse’s effects and said, “Alright, I’ll accept your offer.”

There was nothing that could be done with the parts of Ariane’s body that had already rotted, but just slowing down the spread of the curse and preventing newly grown flesh from rotting immediately seemed to have brought a great deal of comfort to Ariane, and it was clear that the pain had been near-unbearable for her.

Besides, there must have been a reason why Ariane had suddenly offered such a strange deal.

“I warn you, it’d be best that you don’t fool around with any lies, or try to talk your way out of this,” Kim Jin-Woo warned her.

Ariane had barely been relieved of her pain and had begun catching her breath, but her expression suddenly contorted.

“I’ve only halted the spread of the curse, but I haven’t removed it,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“Ack!” Ariane screamed for the first time upon feeling the sudden pain. Had she let her guard down because he had accepted her offer?

“Then let me start off with a question first,” Kim Jin-Woo said. When the pain stopped again, the pale-faced Ariane looked at him and gulped dryly.

***

New walls and ceilings formed inside the Grand Labyrinth, but it was nothing new at this point. Thus, even when a new wall appeared to surround their master and the traitor, the summons didn’t appear anxious at all. Rather, they appeared curious, wondering what conversations were going on and what was happening on the other side of the wall.

“What exactly are they talking about for them to be taking this long?” Angela yawned in boredom as she lamented, but Rikshasha didn’t respond. As always, with an expressionless face, she waited for her master’s return while observing her surroundings.

“Giving me the cold shoulder, eh…” Angela pouted a couple of times at Rikshasha, who was blatantly ignoring her, but because Rikshasha had never talked to anyone else aside from her master, she didn’t think too much of it.

But for some reason, Rikshasha initiated a conversation. “Let me ask you one thing.”

“Oh, sure. What could our reticent little Under-Elf lady be curious about?” Angela asked.

“Can I trust you?” Rikshasha asked in response. Angela’s expression stiffened, but Rikshasha continued, “I’m asking if I can trust your loyalty.”

“If it were someone else asking that question, I would have ripped their limbs off right now,” Angela growled.

Angela’s response was overboard compared to Rikshasha’s soft tone, but the Under-Elf did not budge an inch. With a stoic expression, she quietly insisted on an answer.

Angela continued, “But what’s the point of your question? Well, I understand that things are rather chaotic right now, but what’s the point of such a question?”

Despite the situation reaching a point where even the Deep Floor masters couldn’t trust their own subordinates, it was ridiculous to try and identify a Warden with just that single sentence. However, the Under-Elf didn’t seem to think so, as she insisted, “There is a point.”

Angela asked again with a surprised expression, “Does that mean you believe my words?” Rikshasha didn’t answer.

“Well, fine, since you said something nice to me, I’ll answer your question.” Angela explained her blood pact with her master in detail to Rikshasha. After listening to the explanation, Rikshasha looked rather convinced.

“But why are you asking a question like that all of a sudden? I thought only Master’s words held any meaning to you…” Angela began, but she suddenly stopped speaking and narrowed her eyes. Her casual demeanor was completely gone, and her eyes flashed sharply as if she were facing prey in front of her, scouring every inch of Rikshasha’s body. She asked, “You know something, don’t you?”

“It’s not related to the Wardens, but there’s something off,” Rikshasha said, subtly lowering her voice.

Angela asked, looking at the Under-Elf seriously, “Does Master know?” Rikshasha simply shook her head. Angela continued, “You seem to have a rough idea. And you definitely weren’t making some small talk… Okay. Tell me if you want anything from me.”

“When I ask for help, lend me your strength just once,” Rikshasha said.

It was a very ambiguous statement, but Angela happily nodded. However, she asked, “But why me? Don’t you hate me?”

“There’s nothing good or bad about it. It’s just that Dominique’s not around, so only you can help me,” Rikshasha said.

“Argh, this is so frustrating. Both you and Dominique are so sparing with your words when you’re talking to someone else aside from Master. I’m gonna flip out at this rate.” Angela seemed to be frustrated by Rikshasha’s curt replies.

Rikshasha glanced at Angela before casually dropping a statement. “Because you’re the only one who can roam in and out of the Underworld, aside from Master.”

Upon hearing that absurd statement, Angela pressed further, trying to understand the meaning behind those words.

However, Rikshasha was quicker in her response, saying, “Master’s returned.” Her eyes rested on a cracked wall, and Kim Jin-Woo, whom the two had been waiting for a long time, emerged.

“Tell me more about it later,” Angela said. If she could, she wanted to hear Rikshasha out more, but her master’s expression was too unusual to ignore. Reluctantly, she had no choice but to put the matter aside for another time.

***

When Kim Jin-Woo reappeared, he was alone. Ariane, whose flesh had been rotting and exuding a terrible stench mere moments before, was nowhere to be seen.

Angela and Rikshasha noticed the discrepancy, but they didn’t bother to inquire about it. After all, it was obvious what had happened to her, even without asking.

Rather, it was a point of relief for everyone that the Queen of Illusions, who could invade others through their dreams, was finally gone. There was no way Kim Jin-Woo would have left someone like that alive. And as expected, he didn’t talk about Ariane at all.

“Master, have you found all the traitors?”

The two ladies seemed rather curious about the outcome. Considering the situation, where it was impossible to identify who their enemies were, consequently heavily restricting their movements, it was only natural that they were curious about any progress.

“Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find out about the existence of other Wardens,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“Ah.” Angela frowned with blatant disappointment.

“But that doesn’t mean I got nothing out of it.” Kim Jin-Woo’s expression changed belatedly. A cold energy filled his expression, which had previously been hard as stone until that moment. He continued, “It wasn’t that the Usurper wasn’t making his move.”

“Sorry? What do you mean…” Upon hearing those incomprehensible words, Angela couldn’t help but ask further.

“It was that the Usurper couldn’t make his move,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

***

The information Kim Jin-Woo had obtained through Ariane was limited. She was unaware of the existence of the other Wardens, and she too didn’t have the ability to tell them apart. The only way the Wardens could confirm the existence of one another was when they moved in unison for a common mission.

“How did you guys receive your missions?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“It’s my turn to ask a question,” Ariane said.

Kim Jin-Woo, who had briefly forgotten the deal he made with Ariane, frowned belatedly. But a deal was a deal; thus, he waited for her question with a disapproving look.

“What is the True Name you’ve inherited?” Ariane asked.

“Greed.” Kim Jin-Woo answered without hesitation. After all, at the end of the day, Ariane would cease to exist, and he saw no reason to hide it.

“Indeed… It’s quite a fitting name.” Perhaps because she had witnessed the Grand Labyrinth eat up countless beings, as well as the brutality of its ruler, Ariane seemed quickly convinced.

“It’s my turn. What was your mission?” Kim Jin-Woo asked.

“My mission was to test your strength,” Ariane replied.

This was another unexpected answer. Kim Jin-Woo had wondered if her mission was to destroy the Grand Labyrinth because she had led Luyang and the Satyrs to it, but it seemed that wasn’t the case. Ariane stated that her mission was simply to test the Grand Labyrinth and his powers.

“I don’t understand your intentions,” Kim Jin-Woo said.

“I’m simply carrying out my mission. I don’t know the greater purpose behind it,” Ariane replied.

“Fine. It’s your turn now.”

“What’s your goal?”

“Personal revenge. Was Denarion the Wardens’ target?”

“Not at first, but ultimately, yes.”

Ariane had become strangely obedient after Kim Jin-Woo halted the spread of the curse. He wasn’t sure if she had other tricks up her sleeves or if she was simply afraid of the pain that could resume once the conversation was over, but he made the most of the opportunity.

After that, the two continued to exchange questions and answers. Kim Jin-Woo asked Ariane a question about the Wardens, and she asked about the Power of Greed he had acquired.

However, the information he could obtain from these questions and answers was extremely limited. Ariane turned out to be an insignificant pawn on a chessboard, simply moving based on the commands she was given.

For some reason, Kim Jin-Woo felt that he wasn’t getting to the core of the problem, and was simply being led on in circles. He frowned and said, “This isn’t enough for me. I’ve yet to hear a single, proper answer.”

“Because you’re not asking questions I can answer. How about this? Aren’t you curious who I’m working for?” Ariane replied.

Kim Jin-Woo, who had naturally thought that she was working for the Usurper, widened his eyes without even realizing it. He asked, “Weren’t you working for the Usurper?”

“No,” Ariane replied.

“Then…”

“It’s my turn.”

Kim Jin-Woo snorted at Ariane’s response. Her attitude was completely different from just moments before. She had desperately been trying to keep her mouth shut, but now, she looked annoyed that she couldn’t reveal her secrets.

Kim Jin-Woo wasn’t certain whether it had been right after halting the curse or after relocating her into the secret room that the Grand Labyrinth had created, but he was certain that her demeanor and attitude had changed completely.

“Let’s keep our jokes at bay. If you pretend that much, even I’ll find it hard to overlook. Unlike you, I’m not good at pretending.” Kim Jin-Woo opened his eyes sharply as he stared at Ariane, asking, “Did you just receive a new order?”

A pattern in the shape of an eye had suddenly appeared on her chest, which had been bare just seconds before.