Chapter 382: The Gardener of the Withered Flowers (4)
“Would you take care of this garden?”
The first to react to my words were neither the director nor Mr. Kim Yul, but Ester, who had just parried Silvia’s hammer. She exclaimed in shock.
“Lord, that’s impossible!”
I looked at Ester. My family’s advisor immediately offered his counsel.
“Firstly, Kim Yul has prior commitments. The Holed-Up Head Librarian didn’t wish for Kim Yul to be a librarian, did he? Recently, Kim Yul has been absent frequently, which has already caused dissatisfaction from the Holed-Up Head Librarian. Moving Kim Yul’s residence completely would send the wrong signal to him.”
At these words, Silvia was taken aback.
“What the hell? Since when do you sound like an advisor?”
“That’s because I am an advisor. You’re the Head Maid, so you do the cleaning, cooking, and tea brewing.”
“If cleaning the household is the maid’s job, then cleaning you up should be my top priority…”
“The first thing you should clean is yourself. Shall I swallow you up?”
Before they could start measuring their killing intent against each other again, I quickly spoke.
“The advisor’s words are worth considering. Someone I know well once said that if a Constellation harbors poison, all sorts of strange things can happen.”
The Guardian Spirit snorted from behind, arms crossed. Ester, unable to see him, sighed and rested her chin on her hand.
“Yes, strictly speaking, the Holed-Up Head Librarian is no longer a Constellation, but…”
“He’s still one of those who require caution and care. Even if it’s not just for preventing dangers, I have a responsibility to him. You’re right.”
I nodded.
“Let’s address that immediately. What’s the next issue?”
“…Wouldn’t it be a bit too burdensome for your elder, Lord?”
The tone was cautious.
Even the director, who had been listening silently, agreed with this.
“Can I handle it?”
With a voice tinged with suppressed emotion, the director spoke.
“Gong-Ja, I am weak. I can’t use martial arts skills like Aura or Ki, and I can’t use magic either. The only sword I know how to handle is a kitchen knife.”
“And you weren’t even that good with it.”
I remarked.
The director smiled faintly, then continued in a slightly lighter tone.
“Right. Blades have always been difficult for me to handle. The flat side of a spoon was about the only thing I could manage without much trouble.”
“The rice you mixed and the apples you peeled were delicious.”
“Thank you… but the skills required to protect your house aren’t those, are they?”
The director’s voice grew heavy again.
It wasn’t hard to see that the heavy stone pressing down on him was a profound sense of powerlessness.
‘The director has seen how violence happens.’
The very first flower that was planted in this world was a friend that the director couldn’t protect.
Moreover, as the master of this world, I was once a child that the director had to protect. There were many who targeted me. Even if we don’t mention the Constellations, Pillars, or hunters from other worlds, a significant number of media outlets on the 1st floor were banding together to beat me down.
As Anastasia and I had discussed, this was necessary. If there’s one thing I agree with the Tower Master on, it’s that there are many people in the world who need a target to point their fingers at.
The Tower Master chose to become such a target out of his own will and necessity.
But the saints, the Pillars, would feel heartache seeing such a Tower Master.
A similar thing must be happening to the director. Even if you think you should live with the responsibility for yourself, can a parent’s heart be so easily settled, reading critical articles about their child every morning?
I decided to start with what needed to be said first.
“Director, I’m fine.”
The director’s expression relaxed a bit.
I continued.
“And it’s okay if you can’t use a sword. What I expect from you isn’t violence.”
On the contrary.
I hoped the director would always keep his distance from it.
“I’ll make sure you never have to hold a sword.”
I put that into action.
First, I looked at Kim Yul.
“Mr. Kim Yul.”
Kim Yul was also looking at me. Ever since he cut himself, the world reflected in his eyes seemed clearer.
I spoke to the world reflected in his eyes.
“Would you be able to protect the director and this garden?”
“I’ll do my best.”
Kim Yul responded immediately.
Looking down at the snowdrop flower he had been, and beyond that to the friend who stood across from it, Kim Yul declared.
“I’ll protect what needs to be protected.”
“Yeah.”
I accepted his words… and drew the Holy Sword.
‘Shiny.’
Since acquiring it in the Aegim Empire, I had never let go of the Goddess’s Holy Sword, which had always been in my hand. I drove it into the center of the garden.
Light erupted.
[The Goddess of Protection manifests!]
The Goddess of Protection, Hwiya, revealed herself.
Wings made of light unfurled. The rusty sunsets seemed to whirl in the wind, dyeing the entire garden a crimson hue.
“Hwiya.”
Though the flower was withered, it was still a flower. Though the red light dominated, the world originally full of blooming flowers lacked no color from beginning to end.
The only thing it lacked was brightness. All the petals were faded, drained of color, or thinly spread. Light filled such a place. Petals coated in pure white brilliance became distinct one by one. The flowers existed in this world not through twinkling, but through flickering.
“Yes, Hero.”
“I want to entrust you with the care of this garden too. It would be great if you could assist Mr. Kim Yul.”
Referring to the person she had once summoned and wielded, I continued.
“Would that be alright?”
The Goddess of Protection, Hwiya, looked at her old partner, who had torn her into five pieces and sealed her away. As when Leafanta Aegim was first mentioned, there was no resentment in her gaze.
“Sure.”
But there was worry and concern.
Her gaze, holding both emotions, swept over Kim Yul and then settled on me.
“Would that be alright with you?”
I smiled bitterly.
“It’s regrettable.”
“That’s right, you’ll need to find a new sword. Have you considered which one…?”
“There is, but it’s not just about the sword.”
I bowed my head.
“Thank you for being with me all this time.”
Hwiya smiled. Her smile was bright and pure.
“Why such grand words? It’s not like we’re parting forever.”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
“Then it’s alright. I am, after all, a guardian.”
The Goddess of Protection said, spreading her wings like a true goddess.
“I will protect your home.”
Hwiya slowly turned to Kim Yul. The light from her gradually closing wings was no longer illuminating the entire world but was now focused solely on Kim Yul.
“I ask for your kindness once again, old Hero.”
Like a stage actor facing the spotlight for the first time, Kim Yul faltered. A complex expression rippled across his face before settling.
“I should be the one saying that.”
Just as the director and Kim Yul had a long story to tell, Kim Yul and Hwiya would also share a lengthy tale. Hwiya and the director could have their long conversations as well.
But that could happen at any time, not necessarily in this moment.
I turned to Ester.
“Advisor, I want to entrust you with the security of this place as well.”
Ester, who had been looking at Hwiya and Kim Yul with a complex expression, hesitated and then looked at me.
“Me?”
“Why? Didn’t you want to be a gardener? If it’s in a garden you’re protecting, then you’ll be more powerful than–”
“Upon reflection, that seems like a rather embarrassing idea.”
Thus, the world’s light novel readership decreased by one. Ester, shaking her head like a Pomeranian shedding water from its fur, hesitated.
“I am… in many ways different from these two.”
“That’s exactly why.”
“I suppose from your perspective, Lord. But please consider mine as well.”
A former Demon King who brought down the empire established by Leafanta Aegim and destroyed the world guarded by the Goddess of Protection was desperate. Not even a cat resisting a bath could struggle more.
“I’m asking you.”
“……Uh.”
Ester hesitated, sighed, and shrugged her shoulders. Eventually, she let her arms fall.
“……If you commanded me, I might feel more at ease.”
“I’m asking you.”
“Understood… Yes. Gardener. Upon further thought, it doesn’t seem too embarrassing… I have a village to take care of, so I’ll be taking a lot of holidays, but well, an advisor should be at the family’s main residence anyway… in any case.”
Ester took a deep breath and then bowed slightly towards Hwiya and Kim Yul.
“Please take good care of me.”
“Welcome.”
Hwiya greeted her with flapping wings. Truly a dazzling goddess.
Perhaps it was because Leafanta Aegim had spared Hwiya’s life, not just out of gratitude for old times. Kim Yul, too, nodded in welcome to Ester.
Their welcoming gestures seemed to make Ester even more uncomfortable. Like a snake placed on a snowy field, she twisted and turned before finding a target.
“Come join us.”
Silvia, who had been watching Ester with a villainess-like smile, was taken aback.
“Eek. Me too? To be in this… this place that feels like it’s going to drain my SAN (Sanity) points in real-time based on how long I stay?”
“If the Chamberlain isn’t guarding the family’s mansion, where else should she be?”
“Uh… I have a crucial mission to brew tea for the Silver Lily Duchess…”
“Shall I ask for your opinion? Brewing tea for her or cleaning this garden. Which do you think the Silver Lily Duchess would prefer more? To put it more plainly, which feels more like you’re being screwed over?”
“Damn it…”
Silvia sighed.
Ester, with the greatsword resting on her shoulder, lifted her chin.
“But you were named after a flower, weren’t you? Then shouldn’t you belong in a garden?”
Silvia made a grunt. Then she grumbled back.
“……That’s an old story.”
“Even more fitting since it’s decayed. Come on.”
“Damn it…….”
In the end, Silvia surrendered. She trudged over to stand beside Ester, looking just like one of the flowers that had sprouted in this world.
Okay.
With that settled, I turned back to the director.
“As you can see, others will be wielding the swords.”
“…….”
“Everyone here is in need of help.”
It wasn’t just about the flowers.
Excluding Hwiya, Kim Yul, Ester, Silvia, and others who would come from the King of Death’s family were all in need of help. Shadows deepen with the depth of wounds, and only those wounded by the world can deeply engrave the doctrines of shadows within themselves.
“I hope you can help.”
I spoke as the Vice-lord of the Demonic Heaven.
“Because that’s something the director can do well.”
The director’s silence was brief.
His response, too, was like that of a friend, brief and to the point.
“I’ll do my best.”
With that, everything was in place.
[Deputies will be appointed to your world.]
Quietly, the declaration rang out.
[The 89th floor has been cleared!]
This place,
Where the rusty sunset is draped over the red sea.
Where petals, exhausted from enticing bees,
and leaves, never possessing such tricks,
droop and fall asleep.
The land guarded by the Goddess of Protection and the Demon King of Autumn Rain.
A garden tended by my mentor and his friend.
The resting place for my family to take root.
[From now on, the withered Flower Garden will become a sacred space that gathers wails from the heavens.]
[May fortune be with you all.]
And, the path to the 90th floor was laid out in my world.
As always, there’s an epilogue to this story.
“No, no, no, no! This is too much, isn’t it!”
The Holed-Up Head Librarian flapped his sleeves like a butterfly flapping its wings.
“I object! Firmly object! If Kim Yul leaves, who will take care of the books? I’m going too! I must!”
“Oh my! The Librarian is flapping about!”
“Out of the way! I’m going to be the first to take a shot this time!”
Beside the Holed-Up Head Librarian, the Assistant Writer from the 50th floor and the Librarian’s stalkers were causing a commotion. What a mess.
As if adding a Shiba Inu to that mess, the manager of the cafe, the Medicine King, yelled out.
“Ah, if you’re going to make a fuss, go outside! There’s a limit to disrupting business!”
“Sorryyy…”
“Always these young ones. Eh. How come they’re just like me when I was young…”
“But I’ve said it many times. There’s not a single person here younger than you. When will you finally get that into your head?”
As the Librarian’s stalkers faced off against the Medicine King and started growling at each other, it was yet another day’s usual affair here.
The Holed-Up Head Librarian pushed his stalkers aside and looked at me. His eyes were filled with sorrow.
“Look at this. See the miserable state you’ve put me in.”
“Strictly speaking, it’s a mess you made for yourself.”
Hamusutra was one of the few who could address me so informally. One would think he wouldn’t be pleased to be treated similarly to Yoo Soo-Ha by me, but Hamusutra seemed somewhat appeased as he averted his gaze and grumbled.
“Hmm. Well, yes, but even so, taking Kim Yul away is too much, isn’t it…?”
“Don’t worry.”
I stirred Hamusutra’s frappuccino and handed it to him.
“Strictly speaking, you don’t want to employ Kim Yul as a librarian. You just want to be with Kim Yul.”
“Well, yes, but… uh… um? Ah, indeed. Then I could be one of the gardeners in that garden–”
“No, that won’t work.”
If I wouldn’t let Raviel into my sanctuary for fear of the flowers becoming mere exhibits, there’s no way I’d let this voyeur in.
“Then…?”
“I’m planning to link a path to my sanctuary in this library.”
I briefly explained the structure I had in mind. As a high-ranking Constellation who had played around with floors in the Tower, the Librarian quickly understood.
“So… you mean to use this place as a sort of cafeteria?”
“More like a lounge.”
Basically, it was like fitting out a building.
In that architectural plan, my sanctuary would be the garden set up on the rooftop. The 20th floor, where I originally resided, the paradise where Ester lived, and the 22nd floor where my teacher’s grave was located, would become the floors leading up to that rooftop.
A tower within the tower.
Thus, this planetarium, where the Holed-Up Head Librarian resided, would serve as a lounge where gardeners and visitors could rest and recuperate.
“Hmm… in that case, I could see his face at least once a day.”
“Right. Not bad, is it?”
“If I said I had no complaints, it would be a lie, but… I understand.”
The Holed-Up Head Librarian glanced at Yoo Soo-Ha, who was wrapped around my neck, with a somewhat jealous look, then sighed.
Sipping the frappuccino I had handed him, Hamusutra had been silent until now but suddenly asked.
“Why exactly are you climbing the tower?”
It was a sudden question.
“To be honest, I’ve been curious since I heard you had reached the 80th floor.”
“…….”
“Kim Gong-Ja, you have proven everything you needed to. As a complete Constellation, you’ve corrected almost all the injustices in your tower to your liking.”
The Holed-Up Head Librarian leaned his chin on his palms and gazed at me intently.
“Do you know what a Constellation in such a position usually does?”
“They stop challenging the tower?”
“Exactly. From this point on, they focus solely on gathering followers safely, increasing their divine power, and collecting items. If they see another world that seems easy to plunder, they might even join a raid.”
The Holed-Up Head Librarian stirred his frappuccino with a straw.
“Then, when they feel there’s no more content to explore or they’re tired of living in rented spaces, they start building their own sanctuary. Climbing from the 81st floor to the 90th floor to create a sanctuary.”
“Indeed.”
“That’s the difference between a top-tier Constellation and a regular one. Just that. Nothing more… but it’s not like you can’t live without your own house, right?”
The sounds of the Librarian’s followers arguing with the Medicine King continued. Hamusutra glanced at them, then looked back at me.
“You could’ve spent the next 20 million years dressed in sweatpants, dipping fries in a shake, sucking your fingers afterward, and no one would’ve said a word, but you deliberately chose to challenge yourself. And I heard that because of that, you nearly died, or worse, ended up in a situation worse than death. Was it worth taking such a risk?”
Perhaps it was a natural question.
The Holed-Up Head Librarian looked deep into my eyes and asked.
“For the sake of becoming a Pillar?”
“Who did you hear that from…?”
“I still have a few connections left in the world, so I hear things, albeit annoyingly… Anyway, what about it? Or is it…”
Was it for the Tower Master? Even the Holed-Up Head Librarian seemed to keep those words within.
I said.
“In your opinion, wouldn’t a me not climbing the tower be unlike me?”
“From a character-selling perspective, of course, it’s better for you to climb the tower, but fans’ feelings and reality are different.”
He spoke calmly, then, ah, pressed his palms against his cheeks.
“Hmm. Of course, if you say here, [For you… For my fan, to make you happy, I decided to climb the tower…!] then I’d be overjoyed and faint right away—”
“I made a promise to someone.”
The Holed-Up Head Librarian paused.
I told him.
“To climb the tower.”
“…….”
“If you’ve been paying close attention to my book, you’ll know who I made that promise with.”
I stood up.
The Holed-Up Head Librarian stared blankly at me, then his eyes widened suddenly. His gaze was directed at a man who, though invisible to him, was undoubtedly by my side.
“Indeed.”
He murmured as if sighing.
“Indeed, so that was it.”
That’s right.
“Let’s go.”
With only the duct-tape-wrapped dagger at my waist, the man who had taught me swordsmanship since those days accepted my words.
“Let’s move on.”
The next step would be the 90th floor.
Only 10 floors left to the very top.
And only 9 floors left until the realm where the Sword Emperor had met his despair.
