The Villain Is Destined to Die: But as the Creator, I know All Endings-Chapter 225: Day – 1: Exploring Karnak, and Meeting with the Order [1]
’My twin sister?’
It was genuinely Rumi’s first time hearing that she had a twin sister. The question itself was valid. She had been born from the densest concentration of mana, a singular existence. So how could she possibly have a twin?
Leon inwardly sneered and explained.
’If you think logically, you and she were born from the same affinity. And more importantly, both of you came into existence at the exact same time. You are basically sisters.’
’...You seem oddly confident about our age, Haru.’
To that, Leon simply reminded her.
’Well, I made you all.’
’....and yet you are unaware of most of the NPCs you yourself created...’
Rumi’s response carried a faint edge to it.
Leon paused. He had noticed it for a while now, that lately there’s been a bit of a taunt in her words. Maybe she had picked up the habit on her own.
’Anyways,’ Leon warned her, ’keep your senses up Rumi. Just like you sensed her, she might have sensed you as well.’
’Yes. I am already doing that. But tell me,’ Rumi asked calmly, ’doesn’t this hinder your current plan?’
The True Spirit of the Frost Tower would surely inform Lady Aisha the moment she detected Rumi’s presence. If that happened, Leon’s arrival in Karnak would no longer be subtle.
Leon responded without hesitation.
’Even if she appears in front of us right now, she won’t harm us.’
’Why are you so sure?’
’Because to her, I am still Den Cooper,’ Leon replied. ’A merchant from Merlin who happens to be in possession of a True Spirit.’
And unlike Leon and Ethan, she did not possess the ability to check another person’s status window. His real name would remain hidden. More importantly, his Light affinity would stay concealed as well.
Even if she grew suspicious, Leon could simply play along.
A merchant traveling for business in Karnak, and doing deals with fellow merchants...
It was easy.
Besides, his identity was already registered as an authentic citizen of Merlin Kingdom. The Twilight Order had made sure there were no loopholes in any of the documents.
Even if Lady Aisha decided to dig deeper, and she would, it would take her months to find any inconsistency in the records.
’You are assuming she will stop at surface-level verification,’ Rumi pointed out. ’That alone is already a flaw.’
Leon clicked his tongue.
’I know this, and I also know that she will check. Of course she will,’ he admitted. ’But she will prioritize another important thing right now, and she wouldn’t have the luxury to deal with a Merchant.’
’And if she decides to personally verify you?’
Leon replied calmly.
’Then I let her.’
Rumi fell silent for a moment.
’You are relying heavily on confidence,’ she said.
Leon smiled faintly.
’No. I am relying on my information about her.’ Leon smugly replied, ’I understand this arc more than anybody, I understand what her and her priest’s role would be here. I know her inside out, even more than she does.’
As they continued their conversation telepathically, Ethan suddenly spoke up.
"Now that we’re loaded," he said, "I think it would be good to find a more secure inn. No?"
Leon’s thoughts with Rumi halted. He looked at Ethan and nodded.
"An expensive inn?" Leon replied. "Yeah, we can do that. In fact, it’d be a great choice."
Even if they had never encountered the bandits, Leon had already planned this. From the beginning, he intended to secure a place that was private, isolated, and far from unnecessary attention.
He had already decided on one.
Leon glanced out the window.
They were nearing the cross-section of Karnak’s porch zone. It was the part of the city where luxury inns, high-end restaurants, and private lodges were clustered together, built specifically for wealthy merchants and traveling nobles.
Leon leaned slightly forward and spoke to Cyan outside.
"Keep going straight," he said calmly. "Stop at the red-walled hotel at the square."
"Got it," Cyan replied.
As they drew closer, Ethan leaned toward the window and stared outside.
"...Wow," he muttered. "This entire area looks like it exists just to drain gold from people."
Wide roads paved with polished stone stretched ahead. Tall buildings lined both sides, their designs were elegant. Decorative lamps, trimmed trees, and guarded entrances made it obvious that this was not a place meant for ordinary travelers.
The carriage slowed as it approached a massive four-story building made of deep red stone.
Several carriages were already lined up near the entrance.
With a single glance, Ethan could tell. It was a place meant for people with far too much money.
Because of the sea, nobles from different parts of the world often visited Karnak just to enjoy the coastal breeze and warm sun by the shore.
Leon’s eyes swept across the entrance.
He spotted several well-dressed men accompanied by their wives, stepping in and out of the building.
At the base of the red wall, a clear nameplate was carved in an artistic script.
[Blackstar Resort]
The carriage slowed further and came to a stop. They didn’t open the door themselves. A butler stepped forward immediately and opened it for them.
"Welcome to Blackstar," the man said with a graceful bow. "You may leave your carriage with us while you proceed inside. Honorable guests."
Leon and Ethan responded naturally, stepping down without hesitation.
At this point, with their attire and demeanor, they could easily pass as wealthy merchants. In a place like this, no one would question people whose pockets were clearly heavy.
Leon glanced at Cyan, who had begun picking up his luggage.
’What is he doing...’
Leon sighed.
"We won’t be going through any verification here," Leon said quietly. "Leave the items with them. They’ll take care of it."
Cyan paused, then straightened slightly.
"Oh. Alright."
The three of them stepped away from the carriage and walked toward the entrance.
Alongside Ethan, and Cyan, Leon had booked three separate rooms for each of them for two days and one night.
After paying the deposit they were led to their respective rooms.
Leon was led to his room.
"Please call me anytime, Sir Cooper," the maid said with a polite bow before closing the door behind her.
Leon didn’t even glance at her. His eyes moved across the room instead.
It was elegant.
The layout reminded him of his room back at Valentine’s Dukedom. A large double bed sat at the center, the pillows were neatly arranged. A fireplace was against one wall, with a small seating area beside it. Past that, a balcony opened up to a clear view of Karnak City.
It was everything a guest could want.
"...Better than a love hotel," Leon muttered with a sigh.
The main reason he had chosen this place wasn’t just the luxury. Although it looked like any high-end resort, Blackstar was known for hosting high-profile individuals. Because of that, every room was layered with enchantments. Sound insulation, barrier spells, detection interference. Just name it, and one could find all the magic formulas around every single room.
Security here was tight as hell. No one could approach another guest’s room without being noticed.
"That’s enough sightseeing," Leon said quietly. "Let’s take a bath first."
He removed his clothes and headed into the bathroom.
A large tub was already filled with warm water and soft white foam. A faint sunflower scent lingered in the steam.
Leon stepped in and slowly sank into the water.
"Haaah... this feels nice..."
For once, he could relax. Because after this, he wouldn’t even get the time.
Once they were refreshed, they would regroup in Ethan’s room and discuss their roles within Karnak City.
Leon leaned back against the edge of the tub, letting the warmth ease the tension in his body.
His thoughts drifted.
’Rumi,’ he called out telepathically. ’Can you still sense her?’
’Yes,’ Rumi replied almost instantly. ’And I believe she has sensed us as well.’
Leon rested his head against the tub.
"Aisha will be paying us a visit soon," he sounded sure.
If everything followed the plot, she would send her priest to Evana City.
Just like Leon, Lady Aisha had access to a prism now.
The other Calamity Heads were aware of Evana’s existence, but none of them knew its location. They didn’t even have a method to track it.
But Aisha did.
’I suppose her priest must have seen the cocoons inside Endless Reality that day,’ Leon thought.
Just recalling it made his stomach tighten.
"Well," he sighed softly, "this is what happens when you go against a Calamity."
Even the most advanced civilizations were helpless against one.
In the end, Lancaster and Silvermoon had to step in together just to stabilize Evana City after Dreamweaver’s spell nearly tore it apart.
"All three Calamities at once..."
Leon let out a quiet chuckle.
"It’ll be interesting."
— — —
Knock Knock–!
As Leon stepped out of the bath, he heard a light knock on the door.
"Hm?" Leon halted, "Room service?"
But Leon didn’t call anyone.
Still in his bath apron, Leon approached the door and peeped peeps from the door hole.
He saw Ethan, and Cyan standing outside with their altered features.
"Haah..." He sighed and then opened the door and said fatly to their faces. "You both are early."
Ethan and Cyan traced him from head to toe before entering.
Ethan stepped inside first, followed by Cyan.
Both of them paused.
Leon stood there in his bath robe, white hair still wet, loose strands clinging to his neck and shoulders.
Cyan blinked. "You were bathing this long?"
Ethan crossed his arms. "It’s been thirty minutes. We already changed and dried our hair."
Leon frowned. "Is that so?"
Ethan’s gaze dropped at Leon’s bath robe for a split second.
Leon noticed it.
He immediately clenched his robe shut at the front.
Ethan’s eye twitched.
"...What are you," Ethan muttered. "A woman?"
Leon sighed and walked past them, dropping onto the couch. His wet hair brushed against the cushions as he leaned back.
"So?" Leon said lazily. "Aren’t we supposed to meet in your room?"
Cyan clicked his tongue. "We were, we even waited. But someone didn’t show up. Turns out he was busy bathing."
"Yeah. So we came to you," Ethan added calmly.
Leon narrowed his eyes. "You two are really impatient."
"..."
"..."
The nerve!!
They stared at him.
Ethan pressed his tongue against his cheek before speaking.
"Now that you’re finally done, shall we begin the discussion?"
Leon waved a hand. "Alright. Sit anywhere, and get comfortable."
They took their seats.
Ethan projected a faint holographic display from his prism.
"For Karnak City, our objectives remain the same," Ethan said. "We’ll take it slow and do this as clean as possible."
Cyan nodded. "I’ll focus on gathering information about high-profile nobles visiting the city. And those who would be sailing on the same route as us."
Ethan would handle the information gathering on the ships. It’s routes, captains, schedules. Especially those passing to the south east of the Sea of Mist.
Leon listened quietly.
Ethan will sell the bandits’ items, and gather more funds.
They all agreed.
After finalizing the details, Ethan and Cyan stood up.
"Alright. Then we should move separately," Ethan said.
Leon nodded.
Once they left, the room grew quiet again.
Leon leaned back on the couch, head tilted upward, robe still loosely draped around him.
"Let’s finish Eula’s task first," he muttered.
He stood up and walked to the desk.
From his dimension pouch, he took out a long rectangular steel briefcase. It felt heavy to hold.
Leon placed it on the table and opened it.
Inside lay a sword.
It was as black as a starless sky. And the Dark mana coiled across its surface.
Leon’s fingers hovered above it.
It was the sword once wielded by the Primordial Demon Lucian.
The Soul Eater.
The same blade that had clashed with Leon, Ethan, and Eula during the Shinra Incident.
"...Long time no see," Leon said softly.
A grin slowly spread across his face as his fingers hover over the blade.
.
[A/N: Support with Power Stone. 100 PS in 24 hours for 2 extra Chapters]
