Chapter 45. Hades (2)
Acquire Demeter’s Artifact and rebuild the city?
Cynthia stared at him.
“You seriously think that makes any—”
Jooheon cut her off.
“Let’s summon Persephone’s Artifact.”
“I had Persephone in my Artifact storage too.”
Majesty Yoo Jaeha’s eyes widened.
“...You’re going to summon her here right now?”
“And Persephone of all things?”
“Wouldn’t that piss Delaira off even more?”
Jooheon nodded calmly.
“That’s why it’s perfect.”
He lightly tapped the ground.
“So.”
“Lend me another Summon Right.”
Jooheon held out a hand toward Cynthia.
She looked displeased.
“Fine.”
“The price for one Summon Right is—”
Jooheon frowned.
“What price?”
“I’m the owner of this city right now.”
Cynthia clutched her forehead.
He said lend.
What he meant was give it to me for free.
Still, looking at the state of her city...
She had little choice.
“Fine.”
“One—”
“Two.”
Cynthia’s blood pressure seemed to rise again.
In the end, Jooheon managed to get two Summon Rights from her.
“Activate Summon Right.”
The system responded.
[Summon Right available.]
[Condition fulfilled: Summoning within owned territory.]
Jooheon smirked.
“This city died because it’s currently in Winter Mode, right?”
“Then if I summon Persephone, it should forcibly switch back to Summer Mode.”
He looked over the ruined city.
“We use that to resurrect the city itself.”
Cynthia stared at him blankly.
“...You’re seriously going to rebuild the whole city?”
Jooheon shrugged.
“I specialize in breaking things.”
“From here on out—”
He unfolded the Summon Right.
Shadows swirled.
Blue flames rose.
“It’s the queen’s turn.”
[Summoning initiated - Persephone.]
[Preparing seasonal transition.]
Light and darkness began mixing throughout the city.
[Majesty-exclusive Summon Right used.]
[Target: Persephone.]
Manifests Persephone, Queen of the Underworld and Goddess of Spring.
Jooheon waited with a wicked smile.
Then—
“...Huh?”
The Summon Right didn’t even tear.
Instead, it burned black.
A warning appeared.
[Warning: Summoning impossible.]
[Target does not exist within Worldline B-187487.]
[Target Artifact has been forcibly removed to another worldline: Delaira’s Territory.]
[Only Artifacts currently existing in Worldline B-187487 can be summoned.]
Jooheon’s eyebrow twitched.
Majesty Jaeha, watching beside him, chuckled.
“What’s wrong?”
“Did you pull a dud?”
“No.”
Jooheon’s expression darkened.
“Someone stole it.”
That was right.
When Delaira invaded Jooheon’s worldline...
She hadn’t merely spread the plague.
She had stolen Persephone’s Artifact.
“This thieving bitch.”
Had the attack on Zeus been a diversion?
Apparently, Delaira had taken both Persephone and the empty shell of Demeter’s Artifact.
The realization caused Jooheon’s murderous aura to spread across the city.
Majesty Jaeha gave a small laugh.
“Well, that’s a problem.”
“Without the queen, rebuilding the city is going to be difficult.”
Jooheon’s failed Persephone summon finally burned away completely.
He laughed in irritation.
“Ha.”
“She stole my property?”
Jaeha shrugged.
“And Delaira is hiding inside her own territory.”
“Dragging out a Majesty who’s gone into hiding isn’t easy.”
“You can’t track them?”
“Not easily.”
“Do you have any idea how annoying Majesties become once they hide?”
Jooheon swung Hades’s staff.
“Then let’s make a law.”
Jaeha blinked.
“A law?”
Jooheon answered casually.
“Wherever my property is becomes my territory.”
“!”
It was absurd.
But in this man’s world...
Absurdity became precedent.
And precedent became law.
Black light erupted upward.
FLASH!
Jooheon looked at Hades.
“Track Persephone.”
“You can do that, right?”
[Possible.]
“Thought so.”
He grinned.
“You stalker bastard.”
The shadows went berserk.
A black highway shot outward in a perfectly straight line, ignoring buildings and roads.
It was the shortest route connecting territories of death.
Jooheon expected the shadow to cross into Demeter’s worldline.
Instead...
It landed somewhere inside this very Dionysus world.
Jooheon raised an eyebrow.
Then realization struck.
“Hey, wine woman.”
“You haven’t been charging rent all this time, have you?”
Cynthia stared at him.
“...What?”
“Rent?”
Jooheon pointed toward the shadow.
“Delaira didn’t just build a district here.”
“She’s been living inside your city.”
“?!”
