Chapter 279 Mammon 3

But the King of Lust did not stop walking toward the King of Pride. After reaching his throne, he looked at the monster named King of Pride.

What would have happened if the King of Lust himself was on the side of Mammon, the King of Violence one thousand and a hundred years ago?

What would have happened if the King of Lust rejected the request of the King of Pride for help and helped the King of Envy instead?

The King of Lust embraced the King of Pride. The King of Lust thought that he made an impossible assumption again. The King of Lust never could disobey the King of Pride.

The King of Pride was a monster that had survived by taking the flesh of his descendants for thousands of years. He was a maniac who made himself the best by treating his descendants like dogs and cows for a thousand years. He was a slaughterer who killed and ate his flesh and blood over a thousand years.

Nevertheless, the King of Pride did not covet the King of Lust's essence and Sin.

In fact, the King of Pride didn't even think of it, just like the King of Lust himself could not leave him at the end of the day.

The door of the celestial door was opening again. In the south were Mammon's 12 Spirits and Sitri, the Queen of Sloth who had experienced several kings' betrayal a thousand years ago. Because of this, they could not even think of anything like a great alliance to deal with their public enemy, the celestial world.

The celestial door was like a time limit. It was good to compare it with the water that rose up to one's ankle.

They had to end the fight before the time was up.

'When this fight is over...'

What was the next task after they defeat the southern forces and close the celestial door completely?

Would the King of Pride be satisfied with that situation? Could he shake off Mammon's shadow and smile again?

The King of Lust thought no more. He buried his head in the King of Pride's arms. He pressed his face against his warm chest then closed his eyes. He dreamed about the future instead of recalling the past.

***

The Garden of Life was quiet because the skeletons that were farming day and night under the blue sky disappeared.

There was no Skull's hearty laughter, and there were no dragon soldiers who tried to slack off whenever they could. There was no sound of hundreds of them plowing the fields under the command of the Death Knights.

It was already one month ago, which was too long for Yuria, who just turned one year old.

Treant, the chief guard of the Garden of Life, waddled to the potato field and stood. He was standing there to make a shade for Yuria, who was absorbed into farming today, just like she was yesterday in the Garden of Life where even Scathach had left.

While squatting down and digging for potatoes, Yuria put down the hoe before she knew it.

Then she looked around, raising her head. It was vast.

When she was with the Skull unit, she had never thought of this, but today, she felt it was too vast and wide.

"Wal! Wal!"

"Whining! Whining!"

Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat looked at Yuria at the same time. Instead of responding to the two, Yuria rummaged through the pocket she had around her neck and pulled out a piece of paper. It was a chicken voucher the baby dungeon Meerkat gave her last time.

She planned to use it immediately when Yong-ho came back, but she couldn't. Even after Yong-ho and his subordinate spirits came back, they were all busy.

Yuria was quick-witted, sensitive to what was going on around her. She also heard something from Uncle John and Ron of the Goblin Ranger, one of the elders of the dungeon spirits of the House of Mammon. Yong-ho and the Mammon family members were facing a big fight that would control the fate of the entire demon world.

So, she knew she should not overstep. She decided to wait quietly until everything was over. She thought when the fight was over, everything would go back to normal like before. She decided to be a little more patient.

"I wish our master could come back as soon as possible."

Yuria showed a big smile on purpose. Baduk and the baby dungeon meerkat smiled like her. The three started hoeing once again.

Treant shook its branches to make a cool breeze for them.

***

Burgrim worked sincerely, as always. After leaving the Labyrinth of Greed and joining Yong-ho's northern expedition, he was finally checking the weapons that the elite forces of the Mammon family would use.

Rikum, the garrison commander of the House of Mammon and the leader of the Black Orc Squadron, sat face to face with Burgrim and inspected his armaments.

Burgrim was reticent by nature, while Rikium said a few words while fighting. Because of this, there was silence between them now.

Burgrim struck the hammer. Suddenly, Rikum raised his head and tried to say something to him, but he immediately stopped and looked at his sword again.

It seemed like yesterday that Rikium stormed into the House of Mammon at the order of Poras, but a lot of time had already passed.

'But I felt pretty close to him back then.'

Suddenly, he recalled the time when he visited the Free City with the master of the Mammon family. He also remembered when he opened his eyes wide, watching the master smashing the Land Worm.

Rikum smiled before he knew it because he recalled the time when he fought against Embrio's large army. He felt he was going to be killed back then.

'It was terrific.'

It was the first time he saw a Bone Dragon. He also watched Yong-ho smashing a Bone Dragon alone.

Yong-ho, his master and the King of Greed.

Rikum shook his head. He got the useless thoughts out of his mind. What he felt long and distant was not important to him. Rikum himself was the proud garrison commander of the House of Mammon. That was enough for him.

Burgrim struck the hammer again. The sound of his hammering was rhythmical.

***

The top of the deck of the giant red dragon Tiamet commanded a view of the camp of the southern forces. Standing alone against the sky that was gradually turning black, Tigrius had a cigarette in his mouth. The wind from the north was particularly cold because of the heavy rain pouring down in the far north.

Tigrius said, "What about Eligos?"

"Eli brother is meeting Yong-ho right now. The night is long. I'll see him later anyway, so it's okay."

Ophelia, standing next to Tigrius, had a cigarette in her mouth as well. Unlike Tigrius's, she was using a short pipe with a classical atmosphere.

Since the days when the Mammon family badly needed a hand, they had been taking care of the housekeeping of the Mammon family day and night. Besides, they worked together to build a fortress city in the unclaimed area in the north, so they were close to each other. In some respects, they had something like a grandpa and granddaughter relationship.

Tigrius politely smoked a cigarette, and Ophelia puffed out a long white smoke.

She said as if she suddenly remembered something.

"A lot of things have changed, and that in a short time, right?"

In the meantime, Yong-ho did exactly what the King of Pride wanted. Just like the northern forces, the southern forces were on the march to the place where the celestial door was opened a thousand years ago.

They would arrive there in several days. In a few days, the fate of the demon would be decided. Fixing his eyes on the north, Tigrius opened his mouth.

"History…" He blurred at the end of his words.

Ophelia looked at Tigrius, who then made a gentle smile worthy of an old gentleman.

"I thought I could see it in a history book."

Ophelia also laughed. Chuckling like a girl, she grabbed the short pipe again.

"I agree. Who would have thought that the hostess of a remote southern tavern would be here with you?"

If her father, Enderion, saw her with six horns, what would he say? Would he be happy, saying he was proud of her? Or would he be jealous, saying he wanted to be like her?

"Don't you think we have met a very good master, do you?"

Although they were forced to join the House of Mammon in the first place, they didn't feel like that later.

"I can't deny what you said."

Tigrius put the cigarette he smoked on a portable ashtray and turned.

Since he was about to go down in the history of the demon world, he wanted to keep his name firmly known in the history books.

"Wow, you still look young. Look at that muscle!"

Looking at Tigrius's solid build, Ophelia shouted then put down the short pipe.

She looked at the northern sky where there was the celestial gate.

***

The arena spirits, one of the main forces of the Mammon family, were chatting, gathered in one place. They numbered over one hundred, but they were from different races over a thousand years old. Even if they could not feel the passage of time in the arena, a thousand years was enough time for them to build a strong bond among themselves.

The former masters of the House of Mammon stood out among the arena spirits because they liked to group together, in particular. While they were chatting away, Yukrasion, the master ten generations ago, raised her head. She blinked her big eyes under her gray hair.

"Are you Kaiwan?"

Instead of answering, Kaiwan waved lightly and approached the former masters.

Yukrasion tilted her head and said, "Why aren't you staying with our master, full of desire?"

Another former master quipped, "Aren't you feeling emotional if you have an upcoming battle and want to act cute before your lover?"

Their voices were cheerful unlike when they were in the arena.

Kaiwan replied, "Can you please stop paying attention to me? The battle is around the corner."

Then she sat down by her favorite ancestor, Yukrasion.

She looked around quickly and asked, "How about Gusion?"

"Of course, she is flirting with her lover now."

"Don't look for him now. He will be greatly embarrassed."

"Were you dumped by our master?"

The former masters began to tease Kaiwan again. When they were in the arena, they just zipped their lips, but as soon as they were freed from the arena, they were so noisy.

"Please don't talk nonsense! I'm just staying away from him. Besides, he has someone ahead of me. Don't worry, I'm going to go back to him at night and have a great time."

Grumbling like that, she lifted up one of the empty glasses before Yukrasion. Instead of filling her cup, Yukrasion opened her eyes wide and asked, "Has Yong-ho really dumped you?"