Chapter 1063

“Hmm….”

For the first time in my life, I lifted another human’s body. It was so light it felt as if it might float away, and so soft it seemed it might crumble, making it hard to move my arms.

“Your expression is awkward. That won’t do… Ugh!”

Mother frowned and pressed a hand to her temple.

“Still, it’s useless. All you can do is watch!”

Soul Conversation. Unlike me, Mother couldn’t completely devour a soul, so conflicts like this with the body’s owner would occasionally arise. Of course, that resistance never lasted long.

“Can you do it?”

After confining the body’s owner to the depths of the soul, Mother grabbed my shoulder.

“Of course.”

I ignored the foul stench smoldering from deep within my chest. Burning with the desire to see Mother’s smiling face again, I nodded.

===

I headed for Zieghart with Martha. It seemed the memory fragment had properly taken hold, because she regarded me as her savior.

“U-um, is this really the right place…?”

Martha’s hands trembled, perhaps frightened by the massive gate that towered as if it touched the sky. I felt the same, but with Denier’s memories and emotions wrapped around my mind, I nodded calmly.

“It will be fine.”

I held Martha’s small hand tightly, passed through Zieghart’s enormous main gate, and entered the audience hall where Glenn was waiting.

Northern Extermination King Glenn Zieghart. The man regarded as the strongest among the leaders of the Six Kings and Five Demons truly possessed an aura and presence so chilling it made one’s skin crawl.

It felt as if his sword might fall on my head at any moment, sending a shiver down my spine.

“That child?”

Glenn first asked about Martha.

“She is a child who lost her village and parents to the White Blood Cult. I rescued her from a dangerous situation while she was tracking the cult alone and brought her here.”

I explained that if I had left her alone, she would likely have been killed by the White Blood Cult.

“Her talent for the sword is not bad, and her Nature of the Soul is pure, so I wish to take her in.”

Just as Mother had told me, I bowed my head and said that I wanted to adopt Martha as my foster daughter.

“M-my name is Martha.”

Sensing that it was her turn to speak, Martha knelt beside me.

“…….”

Glenn silently stared at Martha and me.

“Denier.”

“Yes.”

I raised my head, feeling a heart that wasn’t mine pound as if it would burst.

“It is a heavy responsibility. If you intend to do it, take responsibility to the very end.”

Glenn nodded as if granting permission.

I had prepared several answers fitting Denier’s personality, expecting that he might refuse, but Glenn granted permission without another word.

It didn’t seem as though he had done so out of annoyance. Rather, it felt like he trusted me. No, he trusted Denier.

“I understand. I will definitely take responsibility to the very end.”

Responsibility. I nodded without knowing how heavy that word truly was.

===

The Black Tortoise Palace was filled with warm people, fitting for a place led by Denier.

However….

“Get lost!”

Martha couldn’t open her heart to the people of the Black Tortoise Palace.

She cursed at the maids, shoved away the butlers, and always wore a frown.

It wasn’t because she was an evil child. In her eyes, everyone in the world looked like a White Blood Cult follower hiding their true identity.

“It’s okay. It’s alright.”

I tightly hugged Martha as she cried and lashed out at others, telling her that it was okay.

Perhaps Mother’s memory manipulation had worked properly, because Martha followed only me.

Sometimes she seemed shy or awkward, but she never avoided my touch.

The warmth of a person was warmer than the heat of a furnace. Through Martha, I came to understand humans a little more.

It was a happy time, as I found my own joy while also carrying out Mother’s tasks.

At the same time, the pain of deceiving Martha and everyone in Zieghart crept into my soul. It felt like a spiritual thing humans called conscience.

Living as Martha’s father and as the master of the Black Tortoise Palace, I visited Mother whenever I went out on a mission.

I handed over Zieghart’s information and drank Mother’s blood and the blood of martial artists, accumulating the power and experience befitting the 13th Apostle.

“Magnificent!”

Mother always praised me. That smile dulled the blade of conscience ever so slightly.

“Father!”

Whenever I returned from a mission, Martha would come out to the main gate to greet me.

It felt as though I had truly gained a daughter, filling me with pride, but the blade of conscience that Mother had dulled only sharpened again and stabbed into my soul.

Just as those wounds in my soul kept growing, I heard that Martha had been defeated and brought back by Raon.

I went to comfort her, but contrary to my expectations, she didn’t get angry. Instead, with a relieved expression, she cut her hair.

From that day on, Martha changed. She began to trust Raon, found a master she could follow with all her heart, and gained friends with whom she shared true camaraderie.

My insides churned so badly that I couldn’t sleep.

I was irritated that my daughter, the precious daughter I had raised without ever letting even a drop of water touch my hands, was placing her trust in people other than me.

Jealousy. For the first time, I felt the emotion called jealousy. Though I was angry, it also meant I had become a little closer to being human.

Since I considered myself Martha’s true father, that jealousy didn’t last long, and I simply wished for Martha to live happily.

I buried deep within my memory the fact that Martha might one day become Mother’s new vessel.

Whenever Martha smiled, I felt a joy as if I had truly given birth to that child.

My arguments with Karoon, Balder’s foolish remarks, seeing my subordinates follow me. All of it was enjoyable, and all of it gave me a sense of fulfillment I had never known before.

Living in Zieghart, I was becoming a person, not the blood lump once called Number 4404.

However, the more attached I grew to Zieghart, the deeper my anguish became.

I loved Mother, but I had also come to love Martha and this family, so I could no longer decide what I was supposed to do.

A life as the 13th Apostle, a life as Denier, a life as a father, and a life as Number 4404.

Born a monster and raised a monster, I had learned society through human memories, so I didn’t know how to find an answer.

While spending my days in endless anguish, I happened to overhear a conversation between Raon and Glenn.

Truthfully, I had been a little jealous because of Martha, but I held no great interest in Raon himself. To act like Denier, I merely gave him the occasional pitiful glance.

Even when the three-way war between the White Blood Cult and Zieghart broke out after Raon was kidnapped by Eden, I was carrying out other missions and didn’t think much of him.

But when I heard Raon’s goal, I was deeply shocked.

Sylvia’s reinstatement as a direct descendant.

Anyone in Zieghart who heard those words would burst into laughter.

And rightfully so, because prestigious families place tremendous importance on the distinction between direct and collateral lines, making it an absolutely impossible barrier to cross.

Especially since Sylvia had left the direct line of her own accord and then returned, I thought it was something that could never happen.

But Raon spoke of that impossible task, worked for it, amassed achievements that even the direct descendants who disliked him had to acknowledge, and ultimately reinstated Sylvia as a direct descendant.

It was astonishing. The common sense I knew as part of humanity shattered completely.

I admired the way Raon moved first and thought later, without even bothering to worry.

From the day Raon became a direct descendant, I began to watch him constantly.

“Raon Zieghart has become a direct descendant of Zieghart. And the information from the Flying Swallow Guild is….”

For the first time, I gave Mother false information.

It was fortunate that there were no White Blood Cult spies among Zieghart’s upper ranks. If there had been a Rage Wyrm inside me, I would have died long ago.

“Well done.”

Mother nodded and smiled at me after hearing the lie.

Strangely, unlike before, that smile didn’t seem satisfied. It looked empty, as if it held no emotion at all.

“Ah, there’s one more thing. This time, from the True Martial Palace….”

I continued speaking and fed her more information.

“I see. Then I should pull the cultists back from that side. Well done.”

Mother smiled again, but that smile was empty as well. It was merely a smile shown to me.

‘Come to think of it….’

At some point, Mother had begun to say nothing to me except “Well done.” I had never once heard the words a real mother would say.

As I looked at Mother’s empty smile and heard her empty words, Martha’s face came to mind. Martha, who always greeted me with a bright smile.

The contrast between them was so stark that my chest ached bitterly.

From that day on, I began manipulating the information I gave Mother, staying just within the limit where I wouldn’t be found out.

Living two lives was extremely difficult and painful, but Martha’s smile washed all that pain away.

I devised a martial art that could erase Blood Energy and drive Mother’s soul out, then passed it on to Martha. It was difficult, but Martha followed along well.

“Martha.”

After finishing her swordsmanship training, I called out to Martha while we were eating.

“Yes?”

Martha smiled with her eyes. There was pasta sauce smeared at the corner of her mouth. It was a smile she showed only to me.

“It’s….”

I wanted to tell her. That I wasn’t the real Denier Zieghart, but an artificial life form created by the White Blood Lord.

And that I still thought of her as my real daughter.

“No.”

I smiled faintly and shook my head. The thought of Martha’s smile toward me turning into anger and disgust left me unable to open my mouth.

“You’re eating blandly.”

“I eat a little blandly.”

I changed the subject with meaningless words and secretly bit my tongue.

I was somehow enduring it for now, but what would I do if Mother summoned me as the 13th Apostle? It was too painful and too frightening.

I was a coward who didn’t want to see either Mother’s disappointment or Martha’s disappointment.

Not knowing that the war with the White Blood Cult had broken out today was actually a blessing.

If I had known, I would have agonized endlessly over whether I should tell Mother or not.

Truthfully, I didn’t even want to participate in the war itself, so I had honestly felt relieved when Glenn didn’t call on the Black Tortoise Palace.

But when I saw Martha screaming as she cut down Blood Demons, my soul roared violently.

“Martha….”

Martha wore the face of a demon, but inside, she was crying. It was an expression only I, who had raised her since childhood, could recognize.

Watching Martha wail, I finally concluded the choice I had agonized over for so long. I realized where I had to go.

Glenn Zieghart. The man who, though he had not given birth to me, treated me as his son and sent me and the Black Tortoise Palace to the battlefield with trusting eyes, telling me to definitely help Martha.

I recalled the words he had spoken when I adopted Martha.

‘Responsibility.’

Right. As her father, I had to take responsibility.

I helped Martha so she could face the 10th Apostle, and in the end, Martha achieved her revenge with her own hands.

“I want to say I’m sorry….”

The 10th Apostle looked at Martha and me, said he was sorry, and collapsed. It seemed he was apologizing not only to Martha, but also to me, who had to live a false life.

After closing the 10th Apostle’s eyes, I rushed with Martha to the battlefield where Mother and the Transcendents of the Five Emperors were fighting.

Mother was locked in a far more dangerous battle than I had imagined, and because of Raon, she had even been pushed into a serious crisis.

In order to avoid death, she spoke the words she had originally prepared for Glenn. The words I absolutely never wanted to hear.

“Come!”

Words that summoned me as the 13th Apostle. Mother called me over to kill Lecross, the greatest threat here and now.

Whoooosh!

I finally cast off Denier’s shell, became the 13th Apostle, and stabbed Lecross through the chest from behind.

Truthfully, Balder’s dagger had been too slow to hinder my sword. My failure to kill Lecross had been my own choice.

I threw the dying Lecross toward Raon, then seized Martha, who might do something reckless, and paralyzed her.

‘I’m sorry. Truly sorry.’

I couldn’t properly meet my daughter’s eyes, which were full of shock and sorrow, but I also couldn’t turn away.

Holding Martha by the collar, I retreated behind Mother.

“Give Martha back!”

Raon and the Transcendents of the Five Emperors were terribly strong. They fought against Mother and me, who had drunk the White Soul Elixir, burning not only Aura and Mana, but even their life force.

Raon Zieghart in particular grew while fighting, displaying growth beyond the bounds of humanity. I had expected many things from him, but even I hadn’t expected that.

After suffering heavy damage from Raon, I forced blood that had spilled onto the ground into my mouth so I could somehow recover enough stamina to survive.

In the end, Mother pushed back both Raon and the Transcendents of the Five Emperors, but she seemed unable to move, as if her body had reached its limit.

Contrary to my expectations, Mother declared that she would seize Martha’s body here and now. All of my preparations had become useless.

“You, I’ll kill you!”

Martha spat out the curse she had been holding back at me.

My daughter’s cry struck me too painfully, but I still had to keep moving forward for her sake.

I handed the cursing Martha over to Mother.

As if she were trying to confirm whether soul growth had truly been achieved, Mother shed only a few drops of blood and began suppressing Martha’s soul as she seeped into her body.

Seeing the determination in Raon’s eyes as he refused to give up until the very end, I steeled my resolve.

Turning my back on them, I forced blood into Martha’s mouth, then thrust my sword into Mother’s heart as she tried to suppress Martha’s soul.

Thud!

Because she had formed a spiritual connection, Mother couldn’t react to my sword and simply offered up her chest.

“Ah…?”

The moment Martha opened her eyes, they widened at the sight of my sword embedded in the White Blood Lord’s heart.

“Cr-crazy….”

Mother grabbed the sword that had pierced her heart and frowned at me for the first time.

“What is this!”

“Family and memories are too precious to people. We are evil demons who steal them.”

I shook my head, saying that I could no longer live like this.

“Fool! Do you think I did not prepare for something like this?!”

As Mother’s eyes flashed, a dreadful pain struck me, as if my soul were being crushed by a boulder.

“Kuh-hack!”

I vomited black dead blood and gasped for breath. Seeing fragments of my internal organs mixed in with the blood, it seemed she had engraved a spell into my soul to sever my life.

Honestly, I had expected it.

“What you just did has no meaning whatsoever.”

Mother frowned, saying that it was nothing more than wasted time.

“No. It has meaning. Because I, who was born a monster….”

I released the paralysis on Martha’s body and held her hand tightly, just as I had whenever she suffered from nightmares.

“…can die as a human.”

I looked not at Mother, but at Martha, and drew a smile filled with Denier’s life.

“Martha. Now it’s your turn.”

(T/N: Denier really pulled a Professor Snape card here. Damn. )