Chapter 350:
Celeste, the #1 ranked villain in the world and the right-hand man of the Sun God in the original game, she is the final boss.
Wooing her was a very important task.
In fact, you might say, why don't I just shoot her right here and now?
‘No, I can't.’
It was a bad idea.
Because killing her here doesn't change the fact that the final boss is the Sun God. The only benefit of killing Celeste is that it prevents her from acting later on, right?
But what if instead of killing Celeste, I turn her to my side?
The benefits are far greater than just killing her. I don't think the Sun God would think that Celeste would betray him. Come to think of it, would the Moon God assume that Eun-woo would betray him, or the Star God assume that Stardus would betray him? Probably not.
In fact, there was no way Celeste would ever betray him, as she was a devotee of the Sun God, but what if I, an Irregular from another world, came along?
It was a fight worth fighting, especially since I knew everything about Celeste.
With Celeste on my side, I would plant a spy in the Sun God's inner chambers and thwart his judgment.
That was the big picture of my plan.
To do that, I'd prepared for a long time to get Celeste on my side. Become a villain, enter Cathedral, contact Celeste, unlock information, create a faction…
Of course, there was still a risk.
If I failed to win her over to my side in the first place, the whole thing would be for naught. I might as well kill her here.
‘I wonder what it would be like if Celeste were a man…?'
I almost wistfully thought to myself.
Everyone knows that women have a much lower sense of caution toward members of the same sex than they do toward men.
If she was a man I would have already succeeded in getting him halfway over the line. I've had great success in the past with projects all over the world where I've been able to bring people together that way.
Anyway, still, killing Celeste would spoil the original story, so I focused on making sure she couldn't kill me, even if I was flirting with her, that insurance was an angel.
Anyway, this was the event of the day that I organized to get closer to Celeste.
Entering the ruins where her ability cannot be activated with Celeste.
It was a shame to waste a gimmick ruin like this one right away, but I have to have a trick up my sleeve to get close. What I'm aiming for is a swinging bridge effect. To make Celeste, who has always been on top of the world and forgotten what it means to be weak, helpless.
My plan is to build her trust by showing her that I won't touch her when I could touch or even kill her.
It sounds a bit clumsy, but I thought what would happen if I covered it up with my acting skills and directing skills after five years of living as a villain.
The result.
I finally succeeded in getting Celeste to sit right next to me.
"It's no big deal, it's just machinery."
I replied as I telekinetically crumpled the white mechanical lion guarding the ruins.
This is the one that was growling earlier.
As I suspected, these creatures were made from the power of the sun, so they were very compatible with my own stellar origins. It's probably because they're made of ‘purely' solar power, which is not comparable to normal abilities.
I knew from the original that they were weak.
Anyway, feeling like an S-class powerhouse even with this flimsy telekinetic ability, I hunted down the scattered goons guarding the ruins.
And all the while, Celeste stayed close to my side.
"Ugh…"
It had been a long time since she had looked so human, always with her eyes closed and dressed in her pure white saintly robes, giving off an aura of mystery.
As she opened her eyes and looked around anxiously with her golden pupils, I smirked.
"Everything seems to be in order around here, so you don't need to be so anxious."
"…Who said anything about being anxious, it's just in case, ridiculous."
Celeste said with a slight blush, but then her golden eyes flashed at me as if she realized something.
"And now that I think about it, if I'm God's legitimate apostle, why are they so against us? Isn't this all because of you?"
At her suddenly pointed question, I shrugged and replied.
"What are you talking about? By that logic, you wouldn't have lost your powers earlier either. Perhaps this is a place of trial."
I replied and indeed, it was true.
This is the place where the sun god gives holy relics to selected warriors after undergoing trials.
It's supposed to break them out of their comfort zone and make them fight with their bare hands… The problem is, I'm not a Sun God apostle, and I'm cheating since I didn’t lose my powers.
"Okay, so let's just go for it."
"…Okay."
With that, I walked with Celeste deep into the ruins.
Perhaps she was more used to it than before, but she was now walking with a relaxed air even beside me.
Perhaps she's more confident that I won't hurt her, which is a good thing. It means she trusts me.
"Hmm… I'll have to come back later with a contingent and study this place more closely."
As she said this, her golden eyes gleamed as she looked at the murals painted on the white corridors.
"That's a good idea."
"….."
Seeing me nodding beside her, she turned to look at me for a moment, a look of puzzled appreciation on her face.
And so we walked down the long hallway together in silence.
As we did, I realized that now would be the perfect time to speak up.
"Celeste, do you not believe that I am a faithful follower of the Sun God?"
"…What?"
She looked back at me as if she didn't understand what I was saying.
I took the opportunity to look at the mural and spoke with an expression of emotion.
"…I suppose it's not unreasonable for you to think so, since I have the power of Star God."
"But let me take this opportunity to tell you, I am indeed a follower of Sun God. It was in my childhood that I came to follow his doctrine."
"…."
Celeste was listening to me in silence so I began to furiously wipe my mouth.
How I was an orphan without a family name, living in fear, until I stumbled upon a book containing the doctrine of the Sun God, and how I heard the voice of God. From then on, I became a firm believer in the Sun God.
…Of course, it was bullshit, and I was raised with both my parents still alive and well, but…I don't actually have a family register in this world, so it wasn't exactly a lie. At least, not according to Celeste's research.
As I rambled on, she listened in silence.
…Probably because I could shoot her if I wanted.
"…Anyway, I recently heard the Sun God's voice again, and I've been following his lead, and this ruin is also something he led me to in a dream. Hah, here we are."
We walked through the labyrinthine ruins, dealing with the junk, and finally came to the last room.
In the center of it all, a white sword floated in midair, glowing with brilliance.
It was Luxuria, the holy relic of the Sun God, the legacy of a god whose name is now forgotten.
…In the original, someone else got it, but whatever.
It's useless to me anyway.
I smiled at that thought and turned to Celeste.
"Come on. Celeste. You can have it."
"…Really?"
I smiled and nodded at her, who hadn't been able to look away from the sword since the moment she saw it earlier.
…It's useless anyway. The conditions for that sword are too demanding. Same goes for Celeste. In the original, it's destined to be just a decoration.
Especially since Celeste will probably take it away once she regains her powers, let's give it to her first to increase her favorability.
"…Thank you."
As she said that quietly, I could only smile.
With that, Celeste reached out and grabbed the sword as our tour of the ruins ended.
After all that happened, I moved back to Korea.
~My big house. My room~
There I was, plotting my next move.
"…Now for the next event."
It's about time.
‘I'll finally be reunited with Stardus after all this time.’
I thought to myself, quietly.
…The anticipation of seeing her again is growing.
‘It must be an illusion.’
I thought to myself quietly.
…Until then, I don't know what will happen.
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