Ch-43
—
**To dare spout such insolent drivel before the White King!**
He was someone not even tearing apart limb from limb would be enough punishment for.
He might have passed the Mythical Coffin, but a single accomplishment like that could never place him on equal footing with the White King.
The myths the White King had achieved were so many they were beyond counting.
*‘The die is cast.’*
Now, there was truly no turning back.
It was arrogance so cringeworthy one’s fingers and toes curled, but even the White King couldn’t simply ignore it.
He had ignored it once before and suffered for it.
Both the Four Pillars and even the White King had suffered humiliation worse than death at Wilhelm’s hands.
The White King looked at me.
I, too, smiled faintly.
Two gazes collided in midair, sparks seeming to fly from the fierce impact.
“Interesting. Yet… I suppose it isn’t wrong.”
As the White King gave his tacit acknowledgment, the gazes of the Four Pillars shifted once more.
*For the White King to say such words to a mere corpse-raven!*
The White King was an absolute being who never uttered empty words.
If he saw it so, then that was the truth.
Which meant—
*‘The White King sees the corpse-crow as his equal…’*
The same thought struck all Four Pillars at once.
Equal.
Not a mere corpse-crow, but a true transcendent species.
“I’ve no wish to cause a scene either, caw.”
…This was the moment to step back.
The White King had yielded.
And likely to the very limit of what he would.
If I pushed even one step further, it would be war.
And once war began, I would likely die before even realizing it had started.
This much exchange was enough.
Stepping any further would be sinking into the mire, swallowed by the act.
“In return—should you uncover what lies beyond that ultimate mystery the Star Guardians seek, will you tell me what it is?”
“Is merely telling you enough, caw?”
“I will not be greedy beyond that. I am simply curious. Whether another star truly exists.”
It was nothing more than that.
Curiosity.
For that alone, he placed a coronet upon my head.
There had been a minor commotion, but all things considered, this was settled cleanly enough.
“Does anyone oppose Randolph becoming the Fifth Pillar?”
The White King looked around at the Four Pillars.
“I oppose.”
“As do I.”
Grand Earth Dragon and Gunggi voiced their opposition.
Two votes against.
“Then who approves?”
“Well, since he’s of the same domain…”
“…”
Death King and Medusa cast their approval.
Same domain—meaning one who handled corpses.
And as for Medusa, she likely approved to keep a closer eye on me.
“Two for, two against.”
The White King laughed loudly as if amused.
Indeed, unanimous approval would have been boring.
More importantly—
*‘If he can truly destroy even Unique-grade Mysteries, it would be a waste to make him an enemy.’*
He had honestly been half in doubt.
Whether this corpse-raven could truly destroy even a Unique-grade Mystery.
Anything bearing the name *Unique* was something even the White King could not take lightly.
If he failed, then that would be the end of it.
Even after witnessing the end of a Mystery—if it proved impossible, then there was no need for caution.
But if the corpse-crow truly *could* destroy even Unique-grade Mysteries, then the White King had no desire to make him an enemy.
At the very least, it would prove that his words about Cramdel’s destruction were not empty.
And if he could persuade those stiff-headed Star Guardians, having such a person close would only be advantageous.
Watching him a little longer before deciding would not be too late.
“The decision is made.”
The White King placed his hand on my shoulder.
With this, three approvals, two oppositions.
“Randolph. From this moment on, you are the Fifth Pillar.”
…Just like that.
So abruptly, I became the Fifth Pillar.
One of the true rulers of Cramdel.
A corpse-crow standing at the apex of monsters.
*
*
After the White King departed, I felt the peculiar gazes of all Four Pillars turned toward me.
“Fifth Pillar, stay in my fortress for the time being. We will have to build a fortress suitable for you soon enough.”
Death King approached.
The King of the Dead.
Master of Necrovalley, and the one whose intentions were hardest to read.
A massive body composed of an enormous skeleton. Smaller than the giants, yet radiating far purer magical might.
His black robe was ominous at a glance.
Yet he had cast his vote in my favor.
Proof that at least for now, he was not an ‘enemy.’
“I won’t refuse, caw.”
“Good. Tomorrow morning, the birth of a new Pillar shall be announced. Until then you are an honored guest, and I shall attend to you personally. Is there anywhere you wish to go?”
An escort from the Death King.
That was rare.
*‘Perfect.’*
From the beginning, I had intended to approach the Death King.
I never expected things to unfold like this, but if he was acting friendly, I might be able to dig even deeper.
“As the King of the Dead, you must also conduct corresponding… ‘experiments,’ do you not, caw?”
“Of course. Experiments on corpses are the very purpose of my existence.”
“Then I would like to see your ‘laboratory,’ caw.”
“…I welcome you.”
The Death King’s voice grew faintly excited.
The one who handled death. His experiments were so ‘perverse’ that even the other Pillars clicked their tongues.
There was no powerful being of the same domain with whom he could truly share this.
The weak pretended to understand, and the strong lacked the eyes to appreciate his art.
But this corpse-crow… perhaps—
“Then let us go. To my sanctuary.”
*
*
Outside the White King’s Hall, Isaac and Isabella waited anxiously.
*‘Insane… The White King?’*
Isaac felt as if he might suffocate to death.
To think they were actually going to meet the White King!
Most monsters in Cramdel died without ever seeing him once in their lives. Isaac had been here a year and had never seen the White King.
But the star-bearer had gone to meet him within such a short time.
*‘This must be a dream.’*
He pinched his cheek, and the sharp sting told him otherwise.
This pain was real—meaning everything that had happened was real.
Meeting the star-bearer at the hot spring, being brought to the White King’s Hall by the Four Pillars—
*‘…We need to run. There’s no way he’ll meet the White King and survive.’*
If this was reality, the feeling was bad.
The Four Pillars were one thing, but the White King was a cold, merciless monster.
An insurmountable wall.
Even Abyssal Lords avoided him!
No matter how he thought about it, this was madness.
But what happened next was truly insane.
“…!”
Isaac’s eyes grew wide as saucers.
Two figures were exiting the White King’s Hall.
*‘T-The Death King!’*
The Death King!
One of the Four Pillars, and the cruelest and most terrifying among them.
A monster who seized souls and bodies alike, enslaving them.
Once caught, there was no escape.
And he was walking alongside the star-bearer.
“You will be satisfied when you see my sanctuary.”
“I look forward to it, caw.”
“You may indeed.”
…And somehow, they looked *friendly.*
Definitely a dream.
If this were reality, those two would never stroll together like that.
Then the star-bearer pointed at the two of them.
“You two, come with us, caw.”
…Damn it.
There was no escaping now.
*‘I shouldn’t have taken that Cataclysm Talisman.’*
For a moment, he wondered if quietly living out his life in Cramdel wouldn’t have been better.
And he knew he could never go back.
He was already in the eye of the storm. The moment he accepted that Cataclysm Talisman, his future was sealed.
Thus, Isaac prayed desperately.
That he would live to see tomorrow’s sunrise.
*
*
The Death King’s laboratory—
A secret area beneath his fortress.
The moment Isaac stepped inside, he instinctively grabbed his nose.
“Urgh…!”
He barely suppressed the urge to vomit.
The smell was terrible, but even worse was—
*‘I’ve never seen such vile tastes in my life.’*
Corpses of all kinds were gathered in all manner of positions.
Hanging from the ceiling, impaled on the walls, strewn across the floor.
Even Isabella, who rarely showed emotion, faintly knit her brows.
It went far beyond grotesque.
“Magnificent, caw.”
…*That* was magnificent?
But it didn’t sound like flattery.
There was genuine sincerity in the star-bearer’s tone.
“You see it so?”
“There is an artistic sensibility here, caw.”
“Hahaha! As expected of one in the same domain—you truly appreciate it. If there is a particular piece you desire, I shall present it to you.”
*A piece?*
*THIS* was art?
These corpses?
Isaac could not comprehend their artistic tastes.
Nor what they were laughing and conversing about.
Skkk—
Sskkk—
And some of the corpses, thought to be inanimate, twitched unnervingly.
They were alive.
*An undead den…*
It was easily the most horrifying sight Isaac had ever witnessed.
He could not understand why the star-bearer had come here.
He looked to Isabella, but she slowly shook her head.
Just follow quietly.
Then the star-bearer pointed toward one corner of the laboratory.
“Then can you give me *that* one, caw?”
The Death King stopped instantly.
The playful atmosphere vanished as though erased.
What Randolph pointed at—
What he asked if he could have—
Was one of the Death King’s most treasured works.
“…It seems you truly do know how to see.”
The Death King’s voice grew earnest.
As if everything until now had been him testing the waters, he grew solemn.
For not even other corpse artists had recognized his art.
They pretended, or forced reactions out of fear.
And such people had their eyes plucked out immediately.
To stand before sublime art and not react was a sin.
What use did those blind to art have for eyes?
He had assumed the corpse-crow was the same.
Even if the White King acknowledged him, art was an entirely different realm.
*‘To think he would pick that one immediately.’*
He had shown no interest in anything else.
Randolph had chosen his most prized masterpiece.
He wasn’t pretending—this corpse-crow truly recognized his art.
Truly understood it.
The corpse bound to the wall.
The shape of a human woman, yet without a face above the neck.
And that corpse was the most dangerous experimental specimen he possessed.
Its exterior was plain, yet it was his greatest masterpiece.
“That is my finest work. I captured a human who was once an Eldritch and created it. A body containing such dreadful curses is a rare material indeed.”
The Death King spoke with overflowing pride.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
At that moment—
Armor materialized around the corpse, vibrating with curses and magic as the existence attempted to shatter its seal.
“Khhaha… As expected of my masterpiece. To think it would try to break even the warhorse’s sealing sphere!”
Hearing that, I quietly clicked my tongue.
*‘A step too late.’*
Priest Andrew’s daughter.
The corpse bound there was Andasar.
…And Andasar was now an undead—one of the headless knights, a Dullahan.
*Inviolable.*
Two years ago, during the White King Hunt—
I had already known then that the Death King had captured Andasar for an experiment.
*‘At the time, I thought it was some special event.’*
A cursed grimoire had turned Andasar into an Eldritch; I assumed her becoming the Death King’s specimen would trigger a unique event.
And I had been preoccupied kneeling the Four Pillars and luring out the White King.
My entire focus had been on the White King, and Andrew had never asked me to find his daughter.
*‘Back then, she still had her face.’*
Now she did not.
A Dullahan—headless knight. Enhanced by the Death King, her strength needed no explanation.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Her body thrashed violently, trying to break the sealing sphere and escape its bindings.
“As you can see, she has yet to stabilize. I did speak my word, but I cannot give you an unfinished piece.”
The Death King had intended to present her gladly—
As a greeting gift between artists of true vision.
But this Dullahan was incomplete.
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