Fired Characters from an Idle Game

32. Two Households – (2)

After Mirien and Selene reluctantly retreated, only Jo Geon-wook and I remained in the room.

I approached Jo Geon-wook and removed the gag that had been stuffed in his mouth, and as if he’d been waiting for this, he shot daggers at me.

“Hah… to command two Five-Star Calamities, and yet you were hiding amongst us with such composure?”

I expected a plea for his life to come first, but it seemed Jo Geon-wook’s mettle was sturdier than I thought. His gaze was sharper than when he interrogated me before.

Of course, facing him bound and helpless now, there was no reason for me to feel intimidated.

“Well, Jo Geon-wook, I concede that my subordinate’s methods were a bit… excessive. My apologies. I didn’t intend for you to be handled so roughly, it seems she misunderstood. But, since it’s just the two of us now, feel free to speak comfortably.”

I said with a playful smirk, as I began to untangle the chains that bound Jo Geon-wook’s body. Mirien had bound him so tightly that his bare skin was covered in a tapestry of angry, red bruises.

It must have been excruciating, yet Jo Geon-wook only grimaced, not even letting out a single groan.

“So. You must have a lot to say. Shall we hear it, then?”

At my question, Jo Geon-wook frowned.

“Right. Nam Ju-yeon, so you’re an Actor? How does it feel to have brought the world to this state?”

Even imprisoned in such a grim dungeon, Jo Geon-wook hadn’t lost his composure.

Even Yoo Jun-seo fled the moment he encountered the Five-Star Calamity, Selene. Truly, he was as experienced as any former detective.

Mentioning the name ‘Actor,’ subtly inquiring about my activities, that’s how I know.

Even in this dire situation, Jo Geon-wook was trying to gather information.

Of course, I had no intention of answering him truthfully.

“As you suspected, Jo Geon-wook, I am an Actor. But I’m not the evil person you seem to think I am.”

“Nonsense. The Hellfire Hound you command killed a thousand citizens of Seoul. And what about those two Calamities? Have you already forgotten the video of you plunging a knife into a public servant?”

Jo Geon-wook snarled.

“And then you act as if nothing is wrong and mixed in with us? Using the Storm Dragon to kill Han Tae-geon, and then killing Kang Do-young, the Watcher you planted, that was all your doing too!”

“….”

“Becoming an S-Class Awakened using the Storm Dragon, Tempest, that was all part of your plan, wasn’t it? Capturing Awakened individuals and establishing a religious order, was that just to deflect suspicion? I don’t know what your ultimate goal is, but one thing is certain. All of this ‘making Seoul safe’ was just to fatten up and devour the Seoul-affiliated Awakened!”

Jo Geon-wook was arbitrarily leaping to conclusions.

“Was summoning the Tower this time all part of that plan? Splitting open the Awakened to harvest Calamities, what are you going to do with them? Conquer the world?”

“…Ha.”

Kwon Joong-wook’s rapid-fire conjectures left my head throbbing.

There was merit to his suspicions. Hearing my actions recounted through another’s lips, they certainly sounded vile. The even more absurd thing was that not a single one of them had been my own choice.

“I won’t bother correcting your words, Kwon Joong-wook.”

I had no intention of explaining the intricate circumstances to him. Kwon Joong-wook had already branded me as evil, and it didn’t seem like he would be willing to listen to my explanation, no matter what I said.

Yet, I couldn’t just let him go. He knew I was an Actor, so I had to silence him.

The best-case scenario would be persuading Kwon Joong-wook to be my eyes and ears within the Bureau, but after this conversation, it was clear he would never cooperate with me.

What I needed now was time.

“Kwon Joong-wook, I won’t kill you. I’m human too, and killing people gives me nightmares.”

“Are you trying to play the saint now? Do you even know how many people your calamity has killed?”

I shrugged.

“The world is already in this state. What good is one more murderer? Kwon Joong-wook, you can’t catch me, and you can’t kill me. You simply don’t have the ability. Rather, you should be grateful that I’m letting you live.”

Just a few months ago, I wouldn’t have even dreamed of such a thing.

Kidnapping a burly ex-detective, holding the power of life and death over him, and feeling hardly any guilt about it.

The lack of reality was so profound that a bitter laugh escaped me.

But what could I do?

The world revolved around Awakeners, and I was foremost among them.

“However, I’ll say one thing. Unlike what you suspect, Kwon Joong-wook, I have no intention of destroying the world.”

I stood up and continued.

“The things you fear will not happen in the process. I guarantee it.”

“…”

“I’ll give you a comfortable room in the Tower. You can eat and sleep there. If you change your mind, let me know at any time.”

“Nonsense. Who would ever cooperate with the likes of you?”

“Then you can just live there for the rest of your life.”

I left the interrogation room, not bothering to listen to Kwon Joong-wook’s retort.

“Actor, did you get all the information? Can we kill him now?”

Mirien and Selene were waiting outside.

Their heightened senses likely picked up every word Kwon Joong-wook and I exchanged inside.

Perhaps that was why. I had declared I wouldn’t kill him, and yet the way Mirien so innocently spoke of murder was infuriating.

I sighed and shook my head.

“…Mirien, you absolutely must not kill that man. Give him a room and make sure he’s treated as well as possible. You know that maid-like calamity, right?”

She glanced at Selene, as if seeking confirmation. Selene nodded.

“He is. I seized him from another Awakened one just a few days past.”

“Good. Then you will see to his care as if he were a Disaster.”

At my command, Mirien wore an expression of clear unease.

Selene, too, seemed bothered.

“But, Lord, what is the reason for keeping this man alive?”

“There’s no reason to kill him either, is there?”

“He knows your identity, Lord. We must silence him, end his life.”

That was true enough.

However, I am not so utterly callous as to casually plunge a knife into the body of someone I was exchanging pleasantries with only moments before.

At least, not to the same degree as these two Disasters.

“It is an order. Obey without questioning.”

“Yes, Lord.”

Selene bowed her head, while Mirien tilted hers in skepticism.

Having endured this Inversion Tower eruption, I’ve come to a realization.

The Disasters I primarily utilized in Disaster Order, especially the four 5-Star Disasters, possess the strength to individually obliterate entire nations.

Even Selene, wounded as she is, allowed not a single meaningful strike from nearly all the Awakened in Seoul, and Mirien altered the climate across the entire Korean peninsula with but a single spell. The remaining two Disasters would likely not differ much in terms of raw power. Rather, in certain domains, they might even surpass Selene or Mirien.

Once again, I felt this reality: 5-Star Disasters exist outside the conventional standards. They are more dangerous than nuclear weapons. At least a nuclear weapon isn’t acting on its own volition, an uncertainty that is set to explode.

That means, at least in front of Mirien and Selene, I must embody the ideal leader they desire.

And it isn’t just those two. All the Disasters who remember the previous world perceive me as the player from Disaster Order.

Which means that I must ultimately become an Absolute.

Steadfast, composed, and forceful, yet also benevolent.

The great Overlord, Actor.

“Selene, Mirien.”

At my summons, both Disasters turned their gazes towards me.

The words I am about to utter, once spoken, can no longer be retracted.

However, given the extremity of this situation, there is no other choice.

I took a breath, and slowly began to speak.

“I intend to become an Absolute.”

An Absolute.

The moment she heard the word, Célène’s eyes widened.

“…You speak of the Absolute One?”

“Indeed. Is that not the form you desire of me? The Absolute One who governs all calamities and the world itself. Ruler of all dimensions.”

An outrageous goal.

It even feels like chasing after clouds.

But, ridiculously, I am currently the human closest to being the Absolute One in this world.

The two powerful beings before me guarantee it.

“Will you follow me?”

There was no need to even hear their answer.

Célène wore an expression of reverent emotion, and Mirien’s cheeks were flushed, as if she thought it was some sort of love confession.

“Good. Then, what do you think we must do first, to become the Absolute One?”

“Conquer the world, wouldn’t you say?”

“Ascension? A grand massacre?”

Terrifying words came from each of them, but I shook my head.

Of course, to become the Absolute One, it would be necessary to confront powerful Awakened individuals from across the globe, but that would come later.

What is most necessary now is….

“Asteria, Karne.”

The two 5-Star Great Calamities who are not present.

Asteria, the Queen Who Swallowed the Stars.

Karne, the Mother of Ill Omens.

Pinpointing the location of those two calamities.

It hasn’t been revealed where they are or what they’re doing, but it’s likely they’ll also act in service of my goals, like Célène and Mirien.

If they’re left unattended as Mirien was, who knows what kind of incident might occur. Therefore, it would be better to know where they are and what they’re doing, at least.

But no sooner had I finished speaking….

“Those two are malicious. It would be advantageous to eliminate them.”

“Aren’t those b*tches unnecessary? They wouldn’t be of any particular help. I can do the work of two people for Actor, can’t I?”

Célène and Mirien each added a word.

Their words were so fierce, I wouldn’t have thought they were once comrades, and I was left speechless.

It seems there is no such concept as camaraderie between my Calamities.

“…More importantly, Mirien, Célène. Weren’t you two on bad terms?”

“They seem to get along well.”

“Maybe? Wouldn’t you think so?”

The reply was immediate.