Chapter : 180

“Haha.”

How utterly powerless.

Lying on the bed, half dazed, I stared out the inexplicably present window. Why even make a window when it was blocked by a wall?

“…X-bal.”

This was enough to make a person dry up and die.

Of course, I thought Iris would undoubtedly bring about the world’s destruction. She was the kind of person who would.

But to think that she had chosen the curse herself from the very beginning with the intention of swallowing Ouroboros, it was a truly insane idea, though it was a fresh one. And because it was Iris’s idea, and no one else’s, it was also plausible.

Why did it hurt to use such a brilliant idea to benefit the world?

“Alright, let’s stop eating sweet potatoes here.”

If I kept digging this well, I would become a pseudo-Lucian.

Anyway, Iris left the room without setting any restrictions, right?

Although she did threaten to destroy all my precious things if I escaped.

“Keuuk!”

I tore at my hair and writhed in pain.

The situation where I couldn’t move easily was more frustrating than I thought.

“Albedo.”

《Didn’t I tell you that a foolish spirit is of no help?》

“It’s not that bad.”

I gently stroked the feathers of Lou, who was still sound asleep in my arms.

Thanks to him, I was able to open my eyes anyway, and I had no intention of scolding him just for his identity being revealed.

It was also Iris who had encountered Lou before. She could have easily guessed that Lou had some special power.

《That snake was practically drooling.》

By snake, was he referring to Iris? Well, since the curse was visible at a glance, she was probably closer to a snake than a human now.

“I know, right. But, can a mere human really swallow the power of Ouroboros?”

The reason I called Albedo was to ask this.

If he said it was impossible, then no matter how much Iris Viden tried, it would be truly impossible.

Compared to Albedo, what I knew about Ouroboros was like a feather from Lou.

I had only managed to glean a little information from Mordegar before. I should have gotten more information from that guy!

“If it comes to it, you can take a few more of my memories.”

《Do you have no intention of cherishing what is yours more?》

“It’s just a memory, what’s the big deal.”

《Just a memory? Do you think the reason I take memories as the price for information is because of the information contained in your memories?》

Wasn’t that it? Struck by the truth, I looked at Albedo with a puzzled expression.

If not, then what meaning did my memories hold that he would willingly give me information that was difficult for modern humans to know?

I quietly waited for Albedo’s answer.

《Memory is the very foundation of a person. If you were to lose all your memories of living as ‘Theo’, would you still be Theo?》

“……”

I couldn’t answer that question.

Even to me, the answer was too obvious.

If not a single memory of living as ‘Theo’ remained, then I could not be ‘Theo’.

《Memory is the very foundation and root of the soul. Do not take the loss of memory lightly.》

“I’ve never taken it lightly.”

If I were to lose my memories, rather than the few memories I had as Theo, I would rather lose the ones from when I lived in the Republic of Korea—

“Huh?”

I blinked my eyes blankly for a moment.

《Theo?》

Even at the voice calling me, no words came out.

“Uh, uh?”

My name, my name in the Republic of Korea, didn’t come to mind.

* * *

The moment of the world’s second destruction.

The moment I accepted the father of this body as my real father and decided to live my life to the fullest as Theo Lisitoel.

At that time, could I have even imagined that I would completely forget my own name?

《Theo, Theo!》

I barely came to my senses at the voice calling me.

My lungs quickly filled with air, and my blurry vision became clear.

Ah, I had even forgotten to breathe for a moment.

To think that the memory I had given up on myself was none other than my name. A name I had used for over 20 years.

《Are you alright?》

I’m not alright. I barely managed to swallow down the faint truth that almost slipped out.

“Yes.”

For a lizard, his expression was quite serious.

Well, it was too obvious a lie.

“…The memories taken as a price, can they never be recovered?”

《That’s right.》

So there wasn’t even a glimmer of hope.

《Was it a precious memory to you?》

“In a way?”

So that’s why Albedo told me to cherish my memories.

The unexpected blow really made my mind go numb.

《Theo.》

The voice calling me again was tinged with concern.

For a demon that was said to corrupt humans, his voice was surprisingly gentle, and a smile finally came to my lips.

“It’s okay, it was my choice anyway.”

It was my choice to offer my memories as a sacrifice to find a way to save Lerwon.

I have no intention of regretting it now and eating sweet potatoes.

“So, is it really possible?”

《You….》

“Just think of it as me being that desperate.”

If Iris really swallowed the power of Ouroboros, the world wouldn’t be destroyed.

“Even if the day comes when everyone in this world swallows the power of Ouroboros, Iris alone must not have that power. You know that.”

The ancient demon, Baal, had certified that the purely corrupted human was Iris Viden.

When such a human gained the power to destroy the world, wouldn’t the catastrophe that would follow be obvious?

“That woman will become another god of this world.”

《That is truly, a terrible thing.》

“So, hurry up and think of a trick to pass on some information!”

《…….》

Despite my urging, Albedo remained silent.

It seemed that conveying ancient information to a modern human was a really difficult task.

And yet, there were already two humans, Lerwon and Iris, who had committed ancient taboos.

I wanted to grab the mastermind who was carelessly spreading such information by the collar and shake them.

《I will take the price.》

At those words, my body twitched for a moment.

A moment ago, it would have been welcome news, but at the point where I had forgotten my name in the Republic of Korea, the idea of offering a piece of my memory was a bit reluctant.

At my reaction, however, Albedo smiled as if pleased.

…A smiling lizard, how annoying.

《However, I will take it as a useless memory of daily life.》

“Really?”

《Instead, I may not be able to help you for a while. It’s as if I’m paying the price with you.》

“You don’t have to go that far, Albedo.”

The reason Baal made a contract with me was for one thing, ‘amusement’.

Also, I had promised Albedo that I would not covet the ancient truths, but I had already broken that promise once.

If a price had to be paid, it was right for me to pay it in full.

《I just agreed with your words. One annoying god, Lucius, is enough for this world.》

“Is Lucius annoying?”

《He’s the most annoying being I know.》

Albedo shuddered as if the mere thought was unpleasant.

At his reaction, I became even more curious about what kind of god he was.

《You remember the method, right?》

“Yes.”

A magic circle I had seen before appeared from Albedo’s body.

Like last time, I placed my hand on the magic circle and quietly waited for the light to appear.

I slightly furrowed my brow at the sensation of something being sucked out again. It really is unpleasant.

《It’s… done.》

As if the words that he couldn’t help were true, Albedo’s eyes began to flutter.

“Albedo!”

《I’m alright anyway… so, you must… stop her.》

With those words, the white lizard’s body went limp. His body was still warm.

I put Albedo and Lou in my arms and calmly traced the memories that had been passed on to me.

“Ha, damn it.”

A human swallowing the power of Ouroboros.

Theoretically, it’s impossible, but practically, it might be possible.

Theory and practice were always different, and Iris was the most skilled at exploiting loopholes.

I looked down at my powerless body.

‘Let’s recover first.’

I’ll use all my energy to recover.

Escaping is a story for later.

‘It’s okay, I can do it.’

Just as Iris used a trick to try and swallow the power of Ouroboros, I will use any means necessary to stop her.

* * *

“To make a dungeon a hideout, that’s really a headache.”

Was it even plausible to think of using a dangerous dungeon as a hideout? Beatrice, seeing the path leading inside, swallowed a dry breath.

“What’s the situation in the capital?”

Beatrice asked Evan, who had just arrived in front of the dungeon and was checking his messages.

Evan said with a stiff face.

“The Sword of Doctrine has issued a summons for the Heretic Inquisitors.”

“That’s, well… surprising.”

A summons for the Heretic Inquisitors.

The Heretic Inquisitors of the Church of Light, scattered throughout the Empire, concealing their identities and hunting down hidden heretics.

A summons that even the Pope could not issue had been given.

“Indeed, it lives up to the name ‘taboo’ that I’ve only heard about.”

In the Empire, the two words, taboo, meant only one curse.

In the days when God still interacted with humans.

God conveyed a message to the Hero of the Holy Sword and had it spread far and wide.

「O, being who commits the taboo and seeks to destroy the world, the price will be harsh.

There will be no rest for you.

For you who have abandoned God, there will be only God’s curse.」

Over time, those words became an open secret known only to the Imperial Family, the Church, and a very few high-ranking noble families who had served the Imperial Family since those days.

The reason why the Heretic Inquisitors, whose power had been greatly reduced due to a major past transgression, could still exist to this day was the existence of the taboo itself.

“Shouldn’t you be helping the Heretic Inquisitors gather?”

There were very few magicians who could use teleportation magic.

In particular, Evan was practically the only magician who could use large-scale teleportation magic and remain unscathed.

“I have given them an artifact that allows them to be summoned to one place using summoning magic, so it’s fine.”

Evan, who answered indifferently, reached out his hand towards the dungeon.

But pajik! lightning flashed and the dungeon blocked Evan.

What? Evan asked Mordin, who was still bound, with his eyes.

“It seems the dungeon’s gate has been closed.”

“Is that possible?”

“If one becomes the master of the dungeon.”

Since that was impossible for a human, it meant that Iris Viden had completely deviated from the category of human.

Beatrice stepped forward in front of Evan and lightly reached out her hand to the dungeon.

She, too, was repelled like Evan.

“Mordegar, you?”

Mordin, who slowly walked forward while bound, was also repelled.

“It seems I can’t get in either.”

In this situation where every second counted, they couldn’t even enter the dungeon.

“…We’re screwed.”

Beatrice, grabbing her throbbing head, muttered softly.

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