ETHTKE chapter 34

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Whether aware of my worries or not, the thundering sky soon darkened, and rain began to pour down in torrents.

“Not just rain, but thunder and lightning too…”

A shiver ran down my spine.

Anyone who has ever been possessed into a book would know.

The original novel is so stubborn that if a possessor tries to alter the flow of events, the world will do anything to correct itself.

And if my bad feeling is right, that thunderstorm is one of those corrections.

“Asel, where is Baek Yigang right now?”

“He’s in his office.”

“Let’s go, now.”

As I hurriedly got up, Asel grabbed my arm with his usual calm expression.

No surprise, since Baek Yigang had strictly ordered that I stay in my room and go nowhere today.

Asel is Baek Yigang’s shadow before he’s my guard, so of course, he’d prioritize his master’s orders.

I get why he’s stopping me, but… I can’t just sit around in the room and watch things unfold from the sidelines.

“Cheong Dowoon, but—”

“It’s urgent, it’ll be fine.”

When I boasted earlier that I could make it rain out of nowhere, it wasn’t an empty bluff.

But stopping the rain after it’s started is a different story! Halting nature once it’s in motion is a seriously big deal.

And with rain pouring down like this, it’ll be easier for those guys to blow up the statue. The rain will wash away the evidence quickly, making it the perfect environment for them.

This is dangerous.

“Baek Yigang!”

I rushed to the office and burst through the door, calling his name. And at that exact moment, our eyes met as he was getting ready to leave.

Where is he going in this heavy rain…?

“What’s this? I told you to stay in your room… Asel.”

“I’m sorry, Your Highness. But Lord Cheong Dowoon said it was urgent…”

Baek Yigang narrowed his eyes at me. Even in this situation, is he still worried about locking me up?

“Where are you going?”

“The lightning is worse than expected, so I’m going to cast a barrier near the statue.”

Baek Yigang said it as if it were nothing.

Casting a barrier is no easy task. I haven’t even managed to do it myself yet, so that says a lot.

“By yourself?”

“Yes. Since the barrier Wizard, Reggie, has lost contact, I have to go.”

Reggie lost contact? Wait, Reggie is a barrier Wizard?!

That wasn’t mentioned in the original story! The descriptions of side characters are seriously lacking!

Anyway, Baek Yigang is probably planning to use dark magic. Since his body is attuned to dark energy, a regular barrier wouldn’t be enough.

“I’ll go too.”

“No.”

His refusal was immediate, but I had expected that reaction, so I wasn’t surprised. I wasn’t going to back down that easily.

“But Baek Yigang, you’re going to use dark magic, right? I’ll just do it.”

“Cheong Dowoon. “Magic” and “barriers” are fundamentally different. And besides, you’re inexperienced, so you can’t do it.”

He wasn’t wrong. Magic and barriers are similar, but they’re definitely different.

And as Baek Yigang said, I’ve never cast a barrier before…

So what? If I can’t cast a barrier, I can at least make a magical shield to block them. Do they think I’ve been possessed for nothing?

But Baek Yigang left me with Asel and headed out alone. And as if that wasn’t enough…

“Cheong Dowoon, if you follow me unnecessarily, I won’t forgive you.”

He even threatened me with those cold words. His purple eyes glowed fiercely as he spoke, and it was a pretty intimidating look.

But there’s one thing Baek Yigang overlooked.

“How funny, since when have you ever let me be?”

Since the possession, Baek Yigang has never left me alone for a moment.

So, I’m not even scared of X.

“Cheong Dowoon, it would be better if you didn’t go,” Asel said with concern, completely ignoring Baek Yigang’s words and methodically preparing to leave.

But I couldn’t just stay idle. If Baek Yigang used dark magic in the middle of the plaza, it would be a disaster.

I’m already anxious about him using it inside the palace, let alone outside.

Who knows who might see him…! It’s truly insane.

I’d love to say, “If you keep using dark magic like that, you’ll end up with a corruption ending as a dark Wizard, regardless of being an emperor,” and spoil the fate that’s coming, but… I can’t do that. It’s driving me crazy.

But if you think about it, isn’t it all because of Reggie that Baek Yigang is going outside?

If Reggie, the barrier Wizard, had stayed in place, Baek Yigang wouldn’t have needed to go out himself!

In this urgent situation, where did he go? He’s usually lounging around the Magic Department like a playboy!

“Asel, the rain is so intense that the terrorist group might seize the chance to approach the statue amidst the confusion. Even with the Imperial knights present, we can’t let Baek Yigang go alone.”

First, I needed to persuade Asel.

Although Asel had become more favorable towards me compared to before, he still wouldn’t prioritize me over Baek Yigang’s orders.

Asel would go to great lengths to protect Baek Yigang’s orders, so it didn’t seem easy, but I decided to try convincing him anyway…

“If that’s the case, I will provide the escort.”

…Huh? He agreed so quickly.

I was actually contemplating whether to teleport away if he refused, but it looks like that won’t be necessary.

“Then that’s great.”

With Asel confidently backing me up, I followed the path that Baek Yigang had taken and pursued him.

If I had gone alone, I might have gotten lost, but fortunately, with Asel’s help, we managed to get out of the palace safely.

“There he is.”

The plaza was quite close to the palace, so we arrived quickly.

From afar, I could see the Imperial knights and Baek Yigang among them.

Even amidst all this, the rain was getting heavier and heavier.

It was pouring down so much that it could hardly be called a mere shower.

Maybe it’s because of the weather, but I had a looming sense of crisis that something bad was about to happen.

“Cheong Dowoon, if you get any closer, His Majesty will notice.”

“We need to stop Baek Yigang before he uses dark magic. It’s not about being noticed right now.”

As if trying to do something, Baek Yigang stood there, staring blankly at the statue.

Seeing him, my lips moved instinctively.

“Baek Yigang.”

Calling him with a sense of unease, I took one step at a time.

The deafening sound of rain and the murmur of people seemed to pierce my ears, but Baek Yigang’s head slowly turned towards me.

Despite being lost in the crowd, I could distinctly sense that we had momentarily recognized each other’s presence.

At the same time, a strangely familiar and unsettling sensation crept down my spine.

“Cheong Dowoon, why are you—”

Bang!

In an instant, the surroundings flashed blindingly white.

My vision blurred entirely with bright light, and for a moment, no sound could be heard.

It felt as if the whole world had sunk deep into the ground.

Moments later, everyone who had been there slowly opened their eyes to the gradually growing sound of rain in the stillness.

And they all froze, looking in the same direction.

Rumble…

The head of the Emperor’s statue, which had been rolling, finally reached Baek Yigang’s feet and came to a halt.

“…No.”

This was not just a statue.

It was a significant national symbol embodying the current Dirzio imperial majesty, authority, and power.

And now, that symbol had collapsed. Not by rebellious forces, but by the ‘heavens’ themselves.

I quickly covered my mouth to prevent the gasp that almost escaped.

If a terrorist group had blown up the statue, it would have ended with the revelation of rebellious forces.

But a natural disaster, especially a lightning strike that seemed specifically aimed at the Emperor’s head, was enough to spread ominous rumors among the empire’s people, who believed in gods and revered the heavens.

This was all my fault.

The rain, which didn’t fall in the original story, and the accompanying lightning were deliberate.

It was a warning from the original story for trying to arbitrarily prevent an event that had to happen.

The terrifying storm and lightning soon ceased, and the rain began to taper off.

As if to emphasize that the phenomenon had appeared specifically to blow off the statue’s head.

Coming to my senses late, I hurriedly moved closer to Baek Yigang.

“Baek Yigang… Are you okay?”

“Why are you here? I told you to stay in the palace.”

His returning gaze was somehow cold.

Yes, I didn’t follow orders, but isn’t it more important to address the situation rather than my confinement right now…?

“Stop talking nonsense. Did you really think I would just watch you use dark magic without doing anything?”

“Go back.”

With a cold dismissal, Baek Yigang bent down and slowly picked up the Emperor’s head from his feet.

Having been struck by lightning and fallen to the ground, the statue’s face was horribly damage in several places.

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