Chapter 110 - Flower Blooming On A Cliff

At the center of the pink storm, where purple electricity-like flashes flickered, an overwhelming silence hung in the air.

"......"

Staring at me with trembling eyes was the Moon Priestess, the villain who had already devastated Seoul three times with magical storms.

Unlike the seemingly impenetrable storm that no hero could stop, the woman at its center looked fragile and young.

"...What exactly are you saying..."

She asked me with a slightly trembling voice.

Judging by how the magic circles floating around her wavered unsteadily in the air, she seemed extremely confused.

And now was the perfect moment to press forward.

Still grinning, I walked toward her step by step and spoke.

"Moon Priestess, or rather, Baek Eunwol. I know all about the Moonlight Cult. I even know about the cult leader."

As I spoke and walked toward her, she flinched and took a small step back.

I smiled and told her:

"Eunwol. Please be honest. You're suffering because of the Moonlight Cult, aren't you? You actually hate committing these acts of terror, don't you? But you have no choice because of the cult leader."

As I continued striding forward, I eventually reached right in front of her.

She had been taking small steps backward but now had nowhere else to retreat, trembling before me.

The magic circles that had been floating in the air had long since wavered and disappeared.

"...Don't you want to stop being controlled by them and live your own life?"

I said that while standing before her.

She could only tremble slightly.

Just as in the original story, she was someone who froze when confronted directly.

She had probably lived a life of constant imprisonment, being manipulated by the cult leader and forcing fake smiles for cult members.

This might even be her first direct conversation with another person.

Baek Eunwol looked up at me, still confused.

Hmm, I've been pushing hard until now, so maybe I should try a gentler approach.

Having said all that, I knelt on one knee to meet her eyes.

To her, still unable to gather her thoughts, I smiled.

This time, I spoke quietly, gently, as if coaxing her.

"I will save you."

"Leave the Moonlight Cult behind and come with me."

"I will defeat the cult leader."

"So. Won't you take my hand and start a new life together?"

I finished speaking and extended my hand.

Looking at me still smiling.

Though she was still trembling slightly, her eyes seemed calmer than before.

And then, after briefly looking at me with her red eyes,

She began to move her lips.

"...First, I don't know how you know so much about me. I don't know, but still."

After saying that, she continued with a slightly trembling voice.

"...Will you really help me?"

"Yes. That's right."

"Why... why? I'm just... a monster..."

She suddenly spoke with a self-deprecating voice.

Yes. Now's my chance.

I suddenly grabbed her hand as she tried to shrink away before a stranger she'd just met.

Startled by my sudden grasp, she flinched.

But I pretended not to notice her reaction and boldly exclaimed:

"No. You are not a monster."

"Others might not know, but I do. I've seen how, even while causing all these acts of terror, you've been trying to minimize casualties."

"Who could call you a monster when you've resisted until the end, even while being controlled by the cult leader?"

"Eunwol. You are not a monster. Don't blame yourself. So..."

I grabbed her as she stood there and pulled her into my embrace.

"Don't cry."

And after hearing my words,

She was quietly crying.

***

She had given up everything.

She had prepared herself to die right here.

She had swallowed all her sorrows and made up her mind.

Yes.

Perhaps not everything would end with her disappearance, but still.

It would be right for her to exit here.

To her, who had steeled her resolve, appeared:

A strange man wearing a mask.

A strange man who suddenly greeted her with a smile, somehow knew her personal details, and even understood her inner feelings.

Then, a man who said he would defeat the cult leader and asked her to join hands with him.

A strange man indeed.

She had no idea how he knew about her and the Moonlight Cult.

But that wasn't important to her.

'Won't you take my hand and start a new life together?'

She had already given up everything.

She had let go of everything, even to the point of being ready to give up her life.

And suddenly, to such a woman, a lifeline appeared.

Whether it was a real lifeline or a rotten rope, she had no way of knowing.

But.

It was the only rope that had come down to her now.

A new opportunity for her who had given up everything.

What would change if she kicked it away?

She was destined to be used by the cult leader, destroy Seoul, and eventually be killed by a hero.

.....So if she was destined to die anyway,

Could she not trust this man one last time?

And.

Beyond all that, from the beginning.

He was the first person to speak to her so warmly.

The cult leader who always gave her orders in a cold voice.

The followers who chanted meaningless praises about her with unfocused eyes.

And the perpetually dark room she lived in.

To her, who had lived disconnected from the world.

To her, who was prepared to receive contemptuous looks.

The first person to smile brightly, speak kind words, and for the first time in her life, offer her a new chance, saying he would break her curse, was:

He was the first, which is why

She couldn't help but be swayed.

And. To her, who always blamed herself and considered herself a monster,

The words "You are not a monster" made her

Unknowingly shed tears.

'Yes... I have nothing more to lose anyway.'

'Just once. Just this one last time... should I trust this man?'

***

Good.

For now, it seems I've somehow managed to succeed with the suspension bridge effect as planned.

....Actually, I had planned to say a lot more, but the Moon Priestess fell for it more easily than expected. She must have been under a lot of stress. Well, in the original story, she was a pitiful girl who asked Stardust to kill her, so it makes sense.

As I stroked her, still tightly embraced in my arms, I thought about it.

...This feels a bit like having a high-maintenance little sister.

Anyway, that's not what's important.

I separated her from my embrace as she was still sniffling, and said to her:

"So, you've really decided to join us?"

"Yes... but, because of my curse, the cult leader... no, the cult leader can still monitor me... Actually, even now..."

She looked up at me anxiously and said that.

Seems like she can still hear the cult leader's voice.

"Yes. Of course we need to remove that. Just a moment, please."

After saying that, I teleported away.

Where to? Right to where our Ego-Battleship was.

"Ugh."

"Da-in oppa!"

As soon as I arrived at the ship, Lee Ha-yul ran toward me.

"Oppa, what happened? Helicopters are flying around everywhere..."

"Ah. Since I'm going to start broadcasting soon anyway, all the attention will be on us. Don't worry."

I said that while checking her outfit.

She was neatly dressed in a white robe, giving off a somewhat mystical aura. Good. It's her first debut, so she should look pretty.

"Alright, let's go right away. Can you use your healing ability now?"

"Yes."

"Good. Let's go."

I grabbed Ha-yul's hand and teleported back to the center of the storm.

And as soon as we arrived, we heard a chilling voice.

Child. What exactly are you doing! Answer me quickly!

"Eek..."

The old man's voice echoing through the storm, and the Moon Priestess trembling violently upon hearing it.

Oh no, has the cult leader already noticed?

We don't have time.

"Ha-yul, hurry!"

"Yes!"

Ha-yul rushed forward and embraced the Moon Priestess, Baek Eunwol, who was crouched down and trembling.

And simultaneously, a white light emanated from the two of them.

Child. Answer me. Child! An. Swer. Me. Ch___

And at the same time.

The chilling voice echoing through the storm gradually diminished until it finally disappeared.

And silence returned once more.

"Haa... haa..."

The Moon Priestess, Baek Eunwol, was panting. After realizing the voice was gone, she examined her hands and murmured blankly.

"...I can't hear it anymore?"

"Yes, Eunwol. Congratulations. The curse placed by the cult leader has been lifted. You are free."

The easiest way to remove a curse?

Just call a healer and have them perform a complete healing. Done!

At my words,

Baek Eunwol, still in a daze, could only say with a slightly tearful voice, as if she couldn't believe it:

"...Thank you. Thank you. Th-thank you...."

Then she alternated between thanking me and Ha-yul.

In the original story, when describing the curse, it was said to feel like having one's mind constantly gnawed at and being under surveillance. She must be feeling the difference now that it's gone.

"There, there. You can thank us plenty later. First, calm down. Stop crying."

"Yes. Don't cry."

As Ha-yul and I comforted her, she reduced her sniffling.

...Meanwhile, Ha-yul was stroking Baek Eunwol with a benevolent smile like a nun, just as I had instructed her. Or maybe she's just naturally kind.

Anyway, after she calmed down a bit,

Looking at me with much more trusting eyes than before, I told her:

"Good. Eunwol, now that you're free from the cult leader's surveillance, you're officially part of Ego-Stream."

"Yes. Oh, yes!"

"Then, to commemorate this, let's do a broadcast together."

"...What?"

We need to turn on our broadcast.

***

The news that Ego-Stream's ship had appeared at the site of the Moon Priestess's terror attack spread across the country in an instant.

Egostic himself must have come to stop the terror. No, how could Egostic do what Stardust and Shadow Walker couldn't? He definitely won't even reach the center. No, if it's our Mango, who knows... and so on.

While people were burning with hope circuits pushed to the extreme,

Flash-

Suddenly, a purple beam of light shot up into the sky from the pink storm.

All eyes focused on this unexpected development.

Simultaneously, the storm began to change rapidly.

Just as people were at their most tense,

[Holy shit lolololol Egostic is LIVE lolololololol]

Egostic's broadcast went live.

*

"Hello everyone! This is Egostic!"