GalaxyTL
Chapter 387: Towards the end of the story
After parting ways with Egostic.
“…Hmph.”
In her office, Celeste smiled and looked at the ring on her finger.
This ring is the Sun God’s holy relic…and it was given to her by Egostic himself.
She didn’t know if she liked it because it was a relic of the Sun God, or because he had put it on her. Celeste stared at the ring, which glittered with sunlight.
It’s a precious artifact, so she won’t be able to wear it outside but she could always look at it inside her office.
As Celeste fiddled with the silver ring, she thought to herself.
Suddenly, she remembered what Egostic had told her.
“That ring… According to the old texts, it’s called the Ring of Jealousy, and there’s a spirit inside it.
“A spirit…”
Celeste stared at the ring in disbelief.
“The spirit in this ring,” explained the Egostic, “is the spirit of jealousy.”
It seeks out the wearer’s jealousy and entices the wearer to secretly dispose of it. And then, without telling them the price, they make a deal.
It’s a trap.
‘After that, the wearer is killed. The price of the contract is actually your life.’
Afterward, the ring is said to be passed on to the object of the former wearer’s jealousy.
This person is then enticed to eliminate the object of his jealousy, made to make a contract, and killed again.
This would fulfill the previous wearer’s contract: “Kill the jealous one.”
And on to the next target.
“…..hmm.”
…Though she was a little curious as to why this beautiful ring, a relic of the Sun God, would have such a strange spirit in it…Celeste decided not to overthink it. Well, the Sun God must have meant it all for good, otherwise he’d be evil, heh, heh, heh, that can’t be right.
“Hmm…A spirit of jealousy.”
‘Well, it doesn’t matter to me, I’m not jealous of anyone.’
With that thought, Celeste leisurely strapped on the ring.
At least, I should see the spirit’s face.
“…”
…But how do I summon this thing?
“…Ugh.”
Celeste struggled for a long time, and then, just as she had done in front of the statue, she felt a force inside her chest…She realized that she needed to channel the power of the sun.
Finally, she succeeded in summoning the spirit.
Soon, smoke began to rise around the ring, and the golden gem turned pink. Simultaneously, pink light radiated from the ring.
And then it popped out of the ring.
“Hmph. Greetings, Master.”
A pink spirit, looking like a ghost, connected to the ring from within.
“…Yes. Hello.”
Celeste greeted the spirit that popped out of it.
It was the first time she had ever seen one of the Sun God’s artifacts speak, so it was a strange feeling.
As she observed the spirit with interest, it introduced itself with a smile.
“My name is Invidia, and I am the one who removes the object of your jealousy.”
It spoke the exact same words as Egostic had described.
Celeste continued to stare at the spirit in wonder…for she wondered why the Sun God would create such a creature.
It didn’t even seem to recognize her as a Saint of the Sun God.
‘Well. I’m not jealous of anyone anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’
Celeste thought lightly.
It’s understandable. Celeste, she was always the pinnacle, the one who would always be on top of everyone else, the one who had no one above her.
That’s what she was thinking at the time.
“…But you. Are you jealous of someone?”
“…?”
Celeste frowned at what the spirit was saying to her.
What was this spirit talking about?
“What are you talking about?”
Celeste asked, frowning.
The spirit laughed, and then spoke a shocking statement.
“You’re jealous of a woman named Stardus, aren’t you?”
“…What?”
Hearing those words, Celeste was shocked beyond belief.
Stardus, the S-class hero of Korea, the one with the power of the stars?
Why on earth was she feeling jealous of her? There wasn’t a single thing she lacked compared to that woman, Stardus.
When she thinks about it, she doesn’t even think about her that much.
Even when she watches the news, she turns it off when she sees Stardus and Egostic together.
Even when she looks at Stardus’ activities, which are reported by people below her, she get a bad feeling when she sees her strangely involved with Egostic, and stops.
She never really cared because she stopped him from talking about Stardus in the first place, but when he does, she gets annoyed and tells him to stop.
‘…Something must be wrong with the ring.’
Celeste could only conclude that.
Even the Sun God could make mistakes sometimes. Celeste was a faithful servant of the god, and even his mistakes would be quietly overlooked out of devotion…
“What? It’s obvious. Every time someone mentions that woman Stardus, you get all annoyed and—Arghhh!”
“Sigh… Let’s go inside and rest for a bit.”
With that, she forced the spirit back, sighed, removed the ring, and left it on her desk.
So much for that. She could keep this ring, along with her other holy items.
Except…
“…Stardus.”
Celeste pondered the name for a moment, then closed her eyes in silent thought.
…I see. She definitely has the power of the stars, so it’s only right to be careful. She’s also rumored to be one of the strongest heroes in recent times…
And I’m also a little, very, very curious about her relationship with Egostic….
“I’ll have to find out for myself.”
Celeste murmured, opening her eyes again, her cool golden eyes shining.
And just like that, no one knew.
Celeste, leader of the Cathedrals, has scheduled a tour of Korea.
***
“…Hmm.”
Something is sending chills down my spine.
~Egostream Mansion~
After returning from my date with Celeste, I sat in a chair at the table with my legs stretched out, thinking.
I don’t feel like I’ve ever felt this way after hearing Stardus’ true feelings, but whatever.
“…Celeste, I think that’s enough.”
I muttered, looking at my journal.
My first objective for Phase 4. Flirting with Celeste.
…Or, more precisely, get her on my side. To make her dependent on me, to make her choose me over the Sun God of doomsday.
My grand plan, it seemed, was coming together.
‘…I think it’s safe to say that Celeste is on my side now.’
After all, she was the one who doubted and distrusted everyone in the original story, and now I’m the only one she trusts and relies on.
Especially after seeing her reaction to me in front of the statue once again…Perhaps, if I speak well, she won’t destroy the world like in the original.
So now, I can focus on other things.
With that thought, I silently looked at the calendar.
I had just over a month to go before the declaration of destruction.
There was less than a month left until the day when God would personally and kindly inform every human on earth, “I’m going to kill you all. Prepare yourselves and wait.”
In other words, after this declaration of doom, here’s what happened in the original story
Before the Sun God even arrives, the world almost destroys itself.
So, what can be done to stop this?
‘…First, the social system must be corrected.’
After Sun God’s declaration of judgment, even the world’s leaders and heroes fall into extreme fear because they are only human after all. They run off with their fortunes, commit suicide…
As the top of society collapsed, the bottom naturally began to collapse as well. The citizens, who had lost their leaders, were thrown into chaos with nowhere to turn.
I had to stop this from happening first.
To do so, I would need to enlist the help of Lee Seola and the Association.
My goal was to meet with the control centers of all the Associations, the International Association Chancellor, and the Board of Directors.
And before that.
“….”
I stared at my mansion, and fell silent.
Slowly, finally, the story is coming to an end.
As such, I must explain what’s coming first to the Egostream members who have been with me all this time. They will, after all, play the most important role in our country.
“….”
So, slowly, I must tell them my truth.
With that thought, I looked outside my door.
Tomorrow I was going to tell them everything.