Chapter 29. Hand of Redefinition (1)
“I’m stealing that contract.”
BANG!!
A violent impact exploded through the air.
Julian’s vision shook for an instant.
At the same time...
He felt something inside him snap.
Then—
[Bound Contract with Majesty Cynthia has been terminated.]
And immediately after—
“...!”
Julian grabbed his head.
Memories that had been sealed away began flooding back like a broken dam.
The contents were simple.
Countless people stood beyond the glass walls of a laboratory.
And he...
Had been only one of them.
“B-03, ability values are stable.”
“C-17, scheduled for disposal.”
“A-01... looks like this one might survive.”
Then...
That being spoke to him.
“You were... Julian Miller, was it?”
The tone was like that of a scientist showing interest in a test subject.
Julian knew the masked figure was the Majesty who had created him.
Its voice echoed through the laboratory.
“You should be pleased.”
“Among the prototypes I sent to the world where Gaia exists, your base model produced excellent results.”
An assistant standing nearby asked:
“If you mean Gaia...”
“Was that the world Prometheus was responsible for?”
“That’s right.”
The masked Majesty continued.
“In the end, I heard a man named Seo Jooheon became Majesty there.”
“They apparently gathered King-Grade individuals and made them compete through combat to decide Majesty.”
It sounded amused.
“Interesting in its own way.”
“Extremely barbaric and primitive.”
The assistant laughed.
“It wasn’t even a colosseum.”
“A Majesty chosen through fighting?”
“They must have lacked intelligence.”
The masked Majesty spoke again.
“For now, go to the ‘City of Dionysus.’”
“Assist Dionysus there and procure the materials I need.”
Materials?
The voice became almost affectionate.
“You’ll work hard for me, won’t you?”
“My precious Artifact.”
The memory ended.
Julian collapsed as though his legs had given out.
He covered his face and exhaled shakily.
“...I...”
His voice trembled.
“I was originally human?”
His eyes were distant.
The memories that had just resurfaced were shaking the very foundation of his existence.
Jooheon walked toward him.
“Hey.”
“Hey, snap out of it.”
But Julian continued trembling behind his hands.
“...Test subject...”
“Prototype...”
“Base model...”
“What exactly am I...?”
Jooheon crouched down and slapped Julian’s cheek a few times.
Smack. Smack.
“Hey, seriously.”
“Snap out of it.”
“I can’t make a contract with you while you’re like this.”
Julian stared blankly at him.
“...I...”
“Do I even have any reason to keep living?”
“Everything is merely... trapped inside some paradigm of fate...”
“Hey.”
Jooheon frowned.
“This is not the time to start digging into Plato’s Cave.”
“You’re supposed to make a contract with me now.”
“What am I supposed to do if you’re mentally wrecked?”
“...A contract?”
Julian looked at him.
“I’m nothing but some unknown monster.”
“Something like me doesn’t have any value worth contracting with—”
Jooheon lowered himself until they were eye level.
“I don’t care either way.”
Julian blinked.
“What?”
Jooheon shrugged.
“I don’t normally make contracts with humans anyway.”
“...What?”
“You’re a very useful slave.”
“......”
A slave?
Majesty Yoo Jaeha stared at him as if asking whether slaves suddenly no longer counted as people.
Jooheon grinned.
“This is exactly when you should get your head together and come over to my side.”
Julian looked at him like he was staring at a criminal.
“...You really are—”
“Yeah.”
Jooheon nodded shamelessly.
“I’m ridiculously handsome.”
“......”
Julian looked even more dumbfounded.
Jooheon shrugged.
“If you don’t know why you should live, then stay alive and figure it out.”
“Actually, forget all that.”
“Just become my slave.”
“Your owner says he’ll feed you and give you a place to live.”
“Why are you overthinking it?”
Julian’s expression darkened.
“...I don’t trust a fraud like you.”
“Then don’t.”
Jooheon answered instantly.
“I never told you to trust me.”
“......”
“But if you follow me...”
His eyes sharpened.
“I can at least beat the hell out of the bastards who can explain what you really are.”
Julian’s eyes moved slightly.
“...Those Majesties?”
“Yeah.”
Jooheon grinned.
“I’ll let you be born again.”
“So from now on, you and I—”
But then—
WHOOOOOSH!
The sky shook.
System windows screamed into existence.
[Danger detected.]
[Majesty ‘Dionysus’ is attacking with Majesty Authority.]
“Dionysus?”
Jooheon looked up with a mocking laugh.
The sky was turning red.
Wine-colored.
A sweet but powerful scent filled the atmosphere.
Madness.
Condensed Madness had gathered into a single mass and was falling from above.
If it struck...
There would be no Reason left.
So she’s attacking from a distance because she thinks I’m about to steal Julian.
Jooheon grinned.
“Activate Satyr Artifact!”
The Satyr’s aura exploded from Jooheon’s body.
The Madness of the half-human beast.
The scent of one who followed Dionysus.
CRACK!
The falling mass of Madness stopped directly in front of Jooheon.
As though it had struck an invisible wall.
[Cannot attack an Artifact belonging to the same subordinate lineage.]
[Dionysus’s Artifact power has been nullified.]
Fragments of Madness scattered everywhere.
Jooheon casually brushed them away.
“Good.”
“Worked perfectly.”
Then—
[Majesty is enraged.]
[Majesty Authority activated.]
The atmosphere changed.
This pressure was different from before.
The earlier attack had been an Artifact’s power.
But now...
“Majesty Authority?”
Jooheon raised the Satyr Artifact again.
“Can’t I just block this with the Satyr too?”
Majesty Jaeha’s expression hardened.
“Majesty Authority can’t be blocked with that!”
“?”
“Majesty Authority is a unique power belonging directly to Majesty.”
“Like my <Creation>.”
He gritted his teeth.
“Artifact abilities and Majesty Authority are fundamentally different things.”
“Majesty Authority can only be countered with another Majesty’s Authority.”
“That’s why Majesties have rankings.”
“Ha.”
If he couldn’t block it...
And couldn’t escape...
Then—
“Fine.”
