Chapter 32. City of Dionysus (2)
“You said the Nile River is a transportation Artifact.”
Jooheon’s gaze was cold.
“Was my daughter transported with it too?”
[...Yes.]
Rulebook answered briefly.
Jooheon said nothing for a moment.
Then asked slowly.
“Who used it?”
[......]
“Who used the Nile River?”
After hesitating, Rulebook finally answered.
[The Nile River is an Egyptian Civilization Artifact.]
[Its user serves Lord Ra.]
[One of the Twelve Executors.]
Majesty Yoo Jaeha’s body stiffened ever so slightly.
Jooheon noticed.
But he decided not to ask about it now.
“Rulebook.”
[Yes?]
“Why did they take my daughter?”
[...There was a prophecy.]
A cold silence followed.
[A child with unprecedented talent, capable of dominating all Artifacts, was prophesied to be born.]
[Lord Ra’s Artifact User wants to turn that child into an Artifact.]
Then—
CRACK!
Jooheon’s Dominance exploded outward.
Rulebook screamed.
[AAAAARGH!! Why all of a sudden—!!!]
Jooheon said nothing.
He simply stood there.
That silence was heavier than shouting.
Majesty Yoo Jaeha quietly watched him.
...So he wasn’t hiding his anger.
He was suppressing it.
Jooheon gave a small laugh.
“They want to turn my child into an Artifact.”
[...Yes.]
“That sounds familiar.”
Jooheon’s eyes narrowed.
“Is it the same Majesty who created Julian?”
[...More or less.]
“I see.”
Jooheon turned toward the transport vehicle.
People lay bound inside.
Brands were stamped on their wrists.
It didn’t take him long to understand what this place really was.
“So this is where that bastard gets his materials?”
[Th-That’s—!]
“Perfect.”
Jooheon looked around the Dionysus world.
“A vineyard.”
“A whole world designed to produce raw material.”
He smiled coldly.
“And this Majesty is cooperating with that bastard.”
[Yes!]
[That’s why you can’t destroy this world!]
[They’ll be furious if you do!]
Jooheon’s eyes flashed.
“So...”
The corner of his mouth curled upward.
“If I wreck this place badly enough, that bastard might come here personally?”
[...W-Wait! That’s not what I meant—ugh! Damn it!]
As if it could no longer handle him, Rulebook’s voice vanished again.
Majesty Jaeha stared at Jooheon.
He had just been told that someone wanted to turn his daughter into an Artifact.
And yet he hadn’t exploded.
No.
More accurately...
He’s holding it in.
And while holding it in...
He was already calculating his next move.
“...You really are insane.”
This time, it wasn’t an insult.
Yes.
He was insane.
Majesty Jaeha had already thought that.
But then—
BOOOOM!
“This is beyond insanity.”
Jooheon was destroying even more of the city.
Cup-Ramen Jaeha panicked.
[Hey! Other me!]
[Stop him already!]
[At this rate Captain’s seriously going to become a terrorist!]
But Majesty Jaeha, even in this situation, pointed toward a statue beside a streetlight.
“...That thing on the left is about two grades higher than what he just broke.”
“If he’s going to destroy something, he should at least do it efficiently.”
Cup-Ramen Jaeha screamed.
[THAT’S NOT THE IMPORTANT PART!]
Jooheon’s eyes immediately lit up.
“Really?”
He grinned.
“Useful information. Thanks.”
Then he smashed the fire extinguisher into a golden wine-jar statue.
BOOM!
Security guards came rushing in at the same time.
They aimed Artifact guns at him.
“Stop!”
“Cease immediately!”
“Hands up!”
Jooheon looked amused.
“Wow, fast response.”
“I thought this city only had drunks.”
“Apparently someone here actually works.”
“Don’t even think about running!”
But—
FSSSSSH!
“AAAAARGH!!”
Jooheon sprayed the extinguisher.
A massive torrent of powder engulfed the guards.
Their protective suits and weapons immediately melted down.
Advanced equipment turned into rough scraps of cloth and wooden clubs.
Jooheon’s eyes widened.
“Oh.”
“Combat equipment counts as civilization too.”
“It all regresses.”
He sprayed the extinguisher wildly.
Near the affected area...
Several citizens who had been drunkenly shouting suddenly inhaled sharply.
Their eyes cleared.
Their limp hands stopped moving.
“...What...”
“What have I been doing this whole time...?”
“This... wasn’t a dream?”
They clutched themselves and collapsed.
The street that had been filled with cheering and frenzy moments ago was now covered in screams as people returned to reality.
Then they noticed strange smoke leaking from the destroyed city structures.
Some of them realized what it meant.
“What?”
“Those structures...”
“They were Artifacts making us act strange?”
“But Majesty installed those!”
“Don’t tell me...”
“They weren’t decorations.”
“They were hallucinogens?”
Jooheon smiled.
“Thought so.”
He tightened his grip on the extinguisher handle.
“This city wasn’t insane.”
“It was made insane.”
He walked toward another structure.
A golden grapevine standing in the center of a park.
It was beautiful.
Too beautiful.
It emitted an unnaturally intoxicating glow.
Jooheon swung the extinguisher again.
BOOM!
More people nearby suddenly woke up.
They clutched their heads as their sanity returned.
