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SSS-Class Suicide Hunter (Web Novel) - Chapter 262: Idol Destruction (2)
Chapter 262: Idol Destruction (2)
This chapter is updated by NovelFree.ml
"Feel free to show the truth."I confidently spoke to the princess.
"No, I'm actually pleading you to show the truth. You mean to replay everything I’ve done for our race in their heads as images? My goodness. How could you be so kind?”
"Kim Gong-Ja......?”
While my companions hesitated, my answer came out refreshingly swift.
As if I had been waiting for a chance to say this.
"While I can't claim we raised the best race, we certainly did our utmost in raising them. Ah, I can say this without a single blemish on my heart. Don’t you think?”
"......."
"Anastasia, what are you hesitating for? Are you worried that they'll be shocked to see our true faces? That they'll despair and go mad upon realizing that we are just like them?"
Anastasia didn't answer. But her eyes, the black pupils of my comrade, were clearly filled with anxiety.
Her eyes whispered with unease.
『What if they are disappointed in me?』
『What if they complain that I'm a fake god, curse, and insult me?』
『What then?』
It was a deep concern.
I slowly nodded.
“Of course...... It's natural to feel anxious.”
Parents know everything about their children.
That's why they can say they love without a hint of doubt.
But what about the children?
Children know almost nothing about their parents.
Children are born when parents have already grown up. They don’t know what their parents did before, where they were born, what kind of people they were in their hometown, how they felt leaving it—all those life events are unknown to them.
And they don’t try to know.
Parents only show aspects they want to show their children. Using mature gestures. Smiling. Stroking their foreheads, becoming great angels towering over these little children.
“Anastasia, please look at my face directly.”
"......."
I stood up to meet Anastasia's eyes at the same level. As she was shorter than me, I had to kneel on one knee to face her.
“The director who raised me...... did a lot to raise us. Imagine how hard it must have been to run an orphanage back then?”
I shared my story.
Deliberately light, as if it was nothing.
“When some public official’s grandfather died, the director, unlike herself, would wear black clothes and go to the funeral. It was a person who had nothing to do with us, and she wasn’t even close to the director. But she made sure to show her face at every ceremonial event in the city. Always. It’s all about making an impression. It’s very important in our country.”
"......."
“If there was an event at the district office, she would go right away. Even if there were mountains of work to be done at the orphanage, she would go if called. The district office events were just stalls lined up on the streets, selling colorful pottery, succulent plant pots, handmade wallets, and so on. All supported by the district office. They were trying to revive the local market.”
"......."
“When the director went there, she would stick to the district mayor, always buying exactly three gifts. [Such beautiful work.] Though usually she would pinch every penny... she would casually spend 30,000 or 20,000 won.”
I closed my eyes.
That day, I had secretly followed the director from a distance. The street event was some kind of festival, selling colorful masks too. I wore a mask and pretended to be a child among the adults, sneaking glances at the director moving around with the mayor.
-No, Mr. Mayor. How did you make such beautiful works? Wow, only the best artisans have gathered here. It’s like Artisan Street. It seems like our district has something to be proud of. The kids would love it too......
The director’s face, voice, tone were completely different from when she dealt with us at the orphanage. If any other child had seen the director’s behavior then, it would have been the shock of a lifetime. To us, the director was always somewhat distant, shrouded in a mysterious fog.
-So, all these are handmade products, right? Can we have the people who made these teach at the orphanage?
-Hmm? Teaching at the orphanage…?
-Yes. I'm the director there, and our children are so good. They’re good, but they lack things to play with or learn. Even just having one succulent pot-making class a week would be great for their character development...... Wouldn’t it be a fulfilling thing for you too, Mr. Mayor? The workshops established with the support of the city and district. Now, they’re teaching classes to local children...... It’s a beautiful picture, isn’t it?
-Hm. Then, about the teaching fees...
-Oh, if the district office could support us, that would be great. Then it would become a project led entirely by the district office. Mr. Secretary, you know, don’t you? Our orphanage is very clean. It's one of the cleanest places around here in terms of accounting. It would be easy to work with us.
-…This orphanage is indeed known for being easy to work with. It never had missing or overdue documents.
-Hm.
A middle-aged gentleman, whose name and face I didn’t know and probably would never know, nodded.
-Then Mr. Secretary, take charge of this task. I'll direct the guidelines your way... But, focusing on just one director might look odd. Hey, kindergartens. Wouldn’t kids love playing with sand and mud? Try looking into pottery or handicraft classes.
-Yes, I understand.
-Thank you! Mr. Mayor! You not only beautify the streets but also people's hearts. I feel so relieved when someone like you comes to work with us.
-Haha. Our director here really has a way with words.
The mayor and his entourage gradually moved away. I should have followed, but I couldn’t muster the strength to walk. Seeing the director’s true face had struck me with an immense shock.
‘Embarrassing.’
At that time, the director was my parent. Something even above that. She was our teacher, a counselor for difficult times, the wise lord of the closed world of the orphanage.
Every night, she vividly told us stories from thousands of years ago, and we inherited all our legacy from her voice, tone, and expressions. To grow up with continental-scale ambitions. To always be calm. To be rational. Above all, to be angry at injustice...
To us young children, wasn’t the director a god?
‘Shameful.’
I had learned what face the director put on in the [outside world], how she talked. She wasn’t our kind and wise god. She was just... from afar, when talking with the mayor or officials... just an aunt.
A normal aunt.
"......."
I opened my eyes.
Perhaps due to the strange silence.
Anastasia was quietly looking at my face without saying anything. The Heretic Inquisitor, the Countess, and the Paladin also looked at me. I nodded once and quietly said to them.
“So what if it’s a bit embarrassing?”
"......."
“We’re young. We’re still young. It’s natural for young hearts to feel immense shame upon realizing their gods are just ordinary humans. Ah. The ones who prophetically spoke to us in majestic voices were just... people who knew a bit about aura. We thought they would watch over and protect us with some great miracles, but actually... they were just people, running around and making efforts in places we couldn’t see..."
One day.
A free succulent pot-making class was held at the orphanage.
The children, tired of cross-stitching and caricatures, seemed to find the novelty of playing with clay to shape pottery surprisingly refreshing. Every time a class was held, as many as 15 children flocked to touch the clay.
The pottery teacher was kind, and the children enjoyed themselves.
I did not participate.
Being there felt somehow shameful. It felt like committing a severe disloyalty to the director.
And so, I quietly continued my life at the orphanage without telling anyone what I had seen.
“Seeing our true selves... they might feel quite embarrassed. Probably will.”
Recalling the burns of my childhood, I spoke to my current comrades.
“But that’s it.”
"......."
“With time passing by, when those kids are ready to accept it, they will eventually understand that we strived, worked, and put effort into raising them for what it truly was. They will come to understand that we are humans just like them.”
“Really...? Will they?”
Anastasia hesitated.
“I heard it's tough even in ordinary parent-child relationships. And for us, being like gods to our race..."
“It’s okay. We are neither ordinary parents, nor have we raised ordinary children.”
On the hologram, a giant monster had shrunk to the size of a big mammoth and was lying defeated.
Around the monster, hundreds of thousands from different races celebrated with a festival of colorful auras. They were overjoyed by the fact that they had endured the disaster without any damage and had achieved perfect success under their own command, irrespective of their race.
‘Yes.’
We are not ordinary parents and children.
“Anastasia. We are a group of the finest humans who have entered the tower.”
"......."
“And honestly, our children are far superior to the humans of our world. There’s no reason for things to not work out.”
I withdrew my gaze from the hologram.
Then, I spoke crisply to the [Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages].
“Tell all the children.”
“…Really? For real? You don’t need to ponder over it more?”
“What’s there to ponder about? There's no one better than me to raise them with utmost sincerity. Frankly, whether I am a god, a human, or even an alien monster with a hundred tentacles, those kids will accept me. Just tell the truth to our race now.”
“Wow. As expected of the King of Death. I like that overflowing confidence.”
The princess looked at the other comrades.
“What about the rest of you? Do you agree with the King of Death?”
"......."
“You all started collaborating from the 31st floor. If even one of you disagrees, it puts me in a difficult position. Though, anyone who votes against will be specially barred from accessing floors beyond the 40th…”
“I’ll do it.”
Anastasia opened her mouth.
Her face already showed determination.
“I’ll do it. Whether the children despise me or not, that’s their right. If I was afraid of that, I wouldn’t have chosen a race in the first place. To keep them in the dark forever now would just be... my selfishness. Tell the truth to the Vampiric Tribe too.”
“Ah. I agree as well!”
The Heretic Inquisitor raised his hand.
“I’ve done my best to raise the Mountain Calamity Tribe! Ahahat. My best might be different from others, but compared to parents who don’t even try, aren’t I quite exceptional? The Mountain Calamity Tribe will surely think highly of me. Please reveal the truth to them too!”
“……Setting aside our innocent psychopath for now.”
Paladin sighed.
“Children have the right to know about their parents. Even more so for grown ones. The tribes living on that continent have reached a mature stage. Reveal the truth to the Gill Fish Tribe.”
“......Hmm, hmm, hmmmm."
The Countess pondered. Washing her face several times with her cat-like hands, she hummed and groaned. But after five minutes, she made up her mind.
“Well, alright! At least I kept them from starving to death. Considering how many people in this world die of hunger, I’ve practically bestowed a great favor upon the Fairy Tribe. Once born into the Fairy Tribe, middle-upper class status is guaranteed, isn’t it? Aura and all, this is the biggest scam. I’m proud!”
“You’re agreeing too, Countess?”
“Agreeing, indeed. Show the truth to the Fairy Tribe!”
The [Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages] chuckled.
“Really. Such cute kids. I hope I don’t end up favoring them too much... Well, it’s out of my hands now.”
Clap!
The princess clapped her hands.
“Viper and the Sword Saint, still on stage, have agreed to disclose information. All seven participants in the raid voted in favor, so under administrator authority, I'll disclose the information to all races!”
[The Heretic Inquisitor’s information will be revealed to all of the Mountain Calamity Tribe!]
At that moment.
A buzzing sound began to emerge from beyond the hologram.
-Lime?
-What is this, Lime...? An illusion?
-No, it can’t be a collective hallucination since we are still communicating...
The first to react was the Mountain Calamity Tribe.
With their wrinkled snail shells, now removing the now useless wooden steps and tools, the Mountain Calamity Tribe sensed something strange and raised their antennae.
Just as the [Princess Who Strolls Through Mirages] had announced, [our raid team’s footage] automatically played for them.
-……Tower? A raid?
-Our Great Puppy God, what is this......
But the confusion showed no signs of abating.
Rather, it accelerated.
[The Black Dragon Witch’s information will be revealed to the entire Vampiric Tribe!]
Bats hanging on palm trees in the jungle tilted their heads, saying ‘Ki?’ ‘Kuu?’ The steps built on the monster’s body buzzed, and countless leaves in the jungle stirred.
[The Paladin’s information will be revealed to the entire Gill Fish Tribe!]
The Gill Fish Tribe, transporting food, drinks, and bedding for hundreds of thousands on ships, flinched. Their fluttering tails created splashes, and a few boats tilted due to sudden reckless steering.
And it didn’t stop there.
-What is this!
-You, are you seeing something flash before your eyes too?
-We are… Is this some curse unleashed by the Ki Dragon as it died?
-No. I clearly heard a voice in my head. This is the truth of the great Red Dolphin. Unless some demon is deceiving us...
-Ugor? What’s going on with you guys?
All across the jungle, across the whole world, turmoil began. Everywhere the races had settled, a commotion broke out. Villages. Towns. Cities. Nearly all warriors who had gathered here, even at the very site of the Energy Dragon’s tomb.
[The Countess’s information will be revealed to the entire Fairy Tribe!]
[The Viper’s information will be revealed to the entire Ghost Tribe!]
[The Sword Emperor’s information will be revealed to the entire Pure Humans Tribe!]
And then.
[The King of Death’s information will be revealed to the entire Earth Spirits Tribe!]
The moment that was bound to come, unfolded right then.
