Chapter 156: North Wing Archive

Ion mulled over the sentence. In the indexing system, the ‘3’ in 3-15 represented the third era, and ‘-15’ stood for the year 10,015. In other words, 3-15 meant the year 30,015. Since it was currently the year 40,002 in the Heavenly calendar, this record was from nearly ten thousand years ago.

‘That’s much further back in the past than I thought.’

If the man at the grape farm really was the Demon King… Then the time the Demon King was released from his seal was, well… The Demon King had been freed almost immediately after being sealed!

“Hey, what does it say? Why do you look like that? Translate it, fast.”

Blan, who had rushed over after receiving Ion’s contact, pressed him. When Baba translated on Ion’s behalf, Blan’s jaw dropped.

“So our Demon King got himself unsealed right away, left us to suffer in Idea all this time, and was busy protecting these Heavenly rats!?”

“Blan, shush! I know how you feel, but are you dying to get caught? We’re inside the temple. From now on, replace that word with something else.”

“To think ‘Grapes’ betrayed us…”

“We aren’t certain if he is ‘Grapes’ yet. Even if he is, he might have lost his memory like Baba. We’ll go check tonight.”

“Fine. Hah, damn it… if those rats were using a Sun who lost his memory, I’m starting a war immediately! Don’t even try to stop me!”

If the Demon King had been exploited by the Heavenly Tribe, it would be a massive disappointment. A Demon King who invaded the home of such a small race, only to lose his memory and become their pushover? That isn’t a dud anti-matter bomb to use against the Apostles. That’s more like a BB pellet a child lost in the grass. Could such a person truly face an Apostle? Furthermore, if that man really was the Demon King, the Angels were a truly formidable race in their own right. The Demon King invaded their realm, yet they managed to make him protect their world instead.

‘Did they intentionally find his sealing site, unseal him, and use some trick to make him forget his memories?’

The answer didn’t strike him yet, but Ion tucked several possibilities into the back of his mind.

The group returned to their lodging and waited for nightfall. The temple doors closed at six, and at exactly ten past six, the hallway outside their room became noisy.

“Huh? You can’t come today? Everyone is looking forward to Mr. Blan’s arrival.”

“Sorry, sorry. You know my companion? He’s feeling quite unwell, so I have to nurse him.”

“Oh, Mr. Blan, you’re so kind-hearted. What’s wrong with your friend? Most medical equipment is available at the temple’s ‘Hye-ui-won’ (Clinic). If you ask a librarian, they’ll let you use it.”

“Oh, really? Is the clinic accessible even after the temple closes?”

“Yes. The clinic is open twenty-four hours. It’s in the Central Management Office.”

“I should take him there if he gets worse tonight. Thanks for the tip, my little trumpet flower.”

At Blan’s flirting, the Heavenly girl smiled bashfully and left. Blan watched her walk away with a satisfied look before closing the door.

“Hey, you heard that? We’ll pretend you’re sick, go to the clinic, and then enter the North Wing archive.”

“Yes. That makes things much easier.”

In this vast temple, there was only one path to the North Wing: through the Central Management Office. Ion decided to play the patient. Not long after, another knock came at the door.

Knock, knock.

“Mr. Blan, are you in?”

“Oh, Ye-rin? Coming out now!”

Blan stood up from his chair with a smirk.

“To conquer the entire temple area as soon as I arrive… such is my charm. Heh.”

A few more visitors came by, but as midnight approached, the visitors stopped.

“Let’s get ready to leave. Baba, stop looking at that and get up.”

“Understood.”

Baba had stubbornly managed to copy data related to the ‘Dragon Heart’. Ion wasn’t entirely indifferent to the lifespan issue. After a lifetime of only looking toward death, he had finally begun to imagine a future—like a villa in the forest—only to find out he had one or two years left. It was hollow and unfair. However, the Demon King came first. Ion did not forget his priorities.

A moment later, Blan, with Ion on his back, pounded on the door of the Central Management Office.

“There’s a patient here! The kid has a high fever and is losing consciousness! Help us!”

Voices came from inside, and the door swung open.

“A patient? Bring him in, quickly! This way!”

Ion was moved from Blan’s broad back to a medical bed. The surroundings became hectic. A hand touched his forehead. Ion had used magic to raise his temperature, so his body was actually hot to the touch.

“The fever is severe. How old is he?”

“He’s a hybrid, just turned eighteen.”

I’m twenty!

“Eighteen…? What hybrid race?”

“Does that matter? The kid is hurting.”

“Hmm, at eighteen, a fever this high would be due to Won-gi damage. I’ll provide a quick infusion of energy for now. But… it might be best to prepare for the worst.”

The Angel placed a fingertip on Ion’s forehead, and a strange energy flowed in. It wasn’t a particularly comfortable feeling. It felt like being tapped repeatedly with a cotton swab.

‘It’s not Won-gi. It’s Qi.’

Ion opened his eyes slightly to scan the room.

‘Five Angels…’

The two treating Ion wore white robes like the Great Sage. The three guarding a single door were dressed similarly to Vice Commander Hwa-mong. Fully armed. However, they hadn’t brought out their wings, nor were they watching Blan and Baba. They were full of concern for the patient rather than suspicion.

‘The Heavenly people really are pure-hearted.’

It meant the Heavenly Realm was that peaceful.

‘How strong are the Angels?’

Blan was waiting for his signal. Ion could estimate the prowess of Giants, Demons, and Humans from the Demon Realm. But since he knew nothing of the Heavenly Realm’s power, he couldn’t give the signal rashly. To be precise, he wasn’t worried about Blan; he was worried about the Angels. Blan tended to show no mercy, and if a fight broke out, these innocent and kind people would be severely hurt for no fault of their own. If possible, he wanted to enter quietly.

“Ah, are you awake?”

As Ion shifted, the Angel stopped the infusion of Qi. As Ion sat up, the Angel quickly supported him.

“You may lie down longer.”

“I feel better thanks to you. Thank you. Was the energy you gave me… Qi?”

“It was. You know of Qi.”

“It’s an interesting power…”

Ion glanced at Blan. Blan was standing with his weight on one leg, irritably chewing gum.

“You, stay still.”

“Pardon? What did you say?”

“I’m sorry. This is all for world peace.”

“What…?”

A green whirlwind blew from behind Ion.

The two Angels in white robes collapsed, thudding to the floor.

“Intruders! Ring the bell!”

“It’s an airborne infection! Watch—!”

The Angels who realized the situation too late tried to ring the emergency bell, but they couldn’t escape the infection. Vines growing soundlessly bound their limbs. The Angels tried to resist but fell into a deep slumber due to the pollen.

“What gives? You told me to attack because you needed to save mana.”

“I wanted to enter as quietly as possible. Lay them down so they’re comfortable. Baba, you help too.”

“Understood. You… is your mana status all right?”

“Still plenty left.”

They bound the sleeping Angels with vines and opened the North Wing archive door.

Rumble—

The sound of the door opening was louder than expected, startling them. But after waiting a moment and hearing no sign of guards rushing in, they closed the door and stepped inside.

The North Wing archive looked different from the others. First, on the high, wide shelves, data was stored in the form of orbs rather than books. Second, they were labeled by keywords rather than location. And third…

“Hey, there’s a boulder and some rocks in the center?”

“Those aren’t rocks. That’s a Golem. I see why the armed Angels were so relaxed.”

In the center, a mechanical Golem lay dormant.

“In the novel, they first appear when raiding the Demon-man territory dungeon…”

“Demon-man?”

“Yes. Mechanical Golems are artificial intelligence combat machines regarded as the pinnacle of Demon-man technology. I didn’t know they were in the Heavenly Realm too.”

“There’s no way those cowardly, ignorant bastards who only know how to fight could make something like this. They must have stolen it from the Heavenly Realm.”

That possibility made sense. In the novel, it was said the Demon-men would do anything to stop the spread of madness. They might have stolen technology from the highly scientifically advanced Heavenly Realm. Regardless, the stories in the novel were meaningless now. They were just tales made up by the Breeder to educate NPCs.

“Golems are mechanical lifeforms that don’t burn, don’t freeze, and instantly reassemble even if shattered into ten thousand pieces.”

“You mean it doesn’t die? Then how are we supposed to fight it?”

“Don’t think about defeating it; think about buying time. Lure it as far away as possible and keep it busy while Baba and I find the data.”

“If that’s the job, leave it to me. I always welcome a fight against a strong foe!”

Swoosh, Demonic Energy surged around Blan. Black energy enveloped him. His claws grew longer, and his physique expanded.

Vrum—

The mechanical Golem reacted to the Demonic Energy and opened its closed eyes. Its red eyes spotted the three intruders.

Whir— Clang, Buzz— With the sound of machinery starting up, the Golem moved.

Boom! Crash! Crack.

“Aaargh, f*ck! Just break already, just break!”

Whir—

“Agh, this is so annoying! If I took off this miniaturization gear, I’d crush you under my foot in a second!”

Blan, who had been happy to fight at first, was now shouting in irritation. Against the backdrop of explosions, Ion rapidly scanned the orbs. Keywords swirled inside the fist-sized globes.

Demon King, Demon Realm, Mount Baba…

Whenever he saw a keyword, he smashed the reinforced glass, took the orb, and neatly tucked it into his spatial compression pouch. He hadn’t found the ‘Divine Zone’ keyword yet.

“There! Intruders!”

“Capture the intruders!”

He had barely looked around when Angels armed with tridents came swarming in. Since Blan was luring the Golem, Ion had to handle the Angels.

“Baba! Find the orbs and put them in here. Please, only the ones we need, not useless keywords!”

“Understood, Damion. Do not worry. I am a reliable ‘ba’.”

Ion flew toward the Angels, praying Baba wouldn’t pack in any ‘lifespan’ keywords.

Whish!

As an Angel swung a trident, a golden wave erupted. Ion twisted his body to dodge. Even though the wave missed, it cleanly sliced off the sleeve of his robe. Being a flight-capable race, they were firing those golden waves from all directions.

Rumble!

Ion created a high, long barrier of vines and coated it with . The Angels shouted and swung their tridents. The vines instantly regrew from the severed ends, denying the Angels entry.

“Damion, I found them all.”

“What? Already?”

“Yes. I am a capable ‘ba’.”

Ion had expected to buy a lot more time, but Baba flew back quickly.

“Blan, let’s go now!”

“What? Already? I wanted to at least separate the Golem’s upper body.”

“Then stay and fight alone.”

“Ugh, dammit.”

KABOOM!

Blan fired a mass of Demonic Energy, shattering the ceiling. The group immediately retreated through the hole.

. . .

Ion landed on an island far from the temple. He had to check the data before the Angels could track them. He had been skeptical, but surprisingly, Baba had found the right things. Ion touched one of the orbs containing the ‘Demon King’ keyword.

Flash—

A holographic window popped up.

「3-00/03: The Great Heavenly King and the Demon King entered into a pact.」

…A pact?

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