Chapter 249

Chapter 249 – Winter and Spring

Aster quietly scrutinized Lucifer for a moment.

The gust brushing against his hair carried a chill, yet the sunbeams illuminating the narrow passageway felt cozy.

Even so, the single query Lucifer had left hanging in his mind felt remarkably piercing.

• If there is a distinction, speak it. How do you differ from Decullan, who cares nothing for the tactics utilized to reach his objectives, and the Tower Lord who executed the syndicate leaders?

To be completely honest, it was a question he had never anticipated.

‘Myself and Decullan… what separates us?’

In reality, discovering the solution to that inquiry was not terribly challenging.

They were distinct entities.

Countless aspects set them apart.

Was it truly necessary to verbalize those distinctions?

Yet, he found himself unable to articulate a response immediately, precisely because the topic had arisen so entirely without warning.

He had never suspected that Lucifer, out of everyone, would voice such an interrogation.

As he drifted in that state of mild bewilderment, the sound of Lucifer’s voice dragged Aster back to the present moment.

“Are you unable to reply?”

“……”

Unable to reply?

No, that was inaccurate.

He possessed the words. He could speak them, but……

“Since you cannot answer, I ask for your understanding as I depart from the Tower.”

Lucifer gave a brief nod of her head and began to walk forward.

Just as Lucifer was about to step past him and completely exit the alleyway, Aster finally broke his silence.

At that moment, the realization struck him.

The critical matter at hand was not delivering a declaration of ‘different’ or ‘identical.’

His hesitation to respond did not stem merely from the abruptness of Lucifer’s interrogation.

What was the true reason, then?

• First of all, we originated as orphans from the Black-White Slums. We had nothing. No proper garments, no real sustenance, no education. Out of all that, what strikes you as the most tragic?

The Lucifer from that specific period.

“……”

And the Lucifer standing before him today were fundamentally separate people—a reality that finally settled deeply within his consciousness.

With that understanding clear, he recognized the precise words he needed to offer Lucifer in this moment.

It would not be an argument over whether they were ‘different’ or ‘not different,’ but rather a fundamental lesson.

And so, Aster began to speak.

“A while back, I posed a question to you regarding what constituted the ultimate misery.”

Lucifer paused in her tracks and turned her gaze toward the Tower Lord.

“……Yes.”

“I will provide you with that solution now.”

“……If your intention is to alter my mind, save your breath. The objective of the Tower is honorable, but the methods of the Tower Lord are unrighteous.”

This was not an argument regarding some idealized notion of ‘morality.’ It came down to whether Lucifer could tolerate the reality, and she simply could not reconcile herself with the Tower Lord’s deeds.

Because of this, Lucifer had solidified her choice, yet the Tower Lord merely shook his head.

“Depart if you wish. If your devotion has already faded, dragging you back would serve no purpose. This is merely to fulfill the commitment I gave on that day.”

“The commitment from that day……”

“I stated that if you chose to accompany me, I would reveal the solution.”

“……Ah.”

A soft murmur escaped Lucifer as the memory of that pledge slowly resurfaced.

The Tower Lord immediately pressed on.

“What is the ultimate misery? It happens to connect directly to the purpose of the Tower as well. In my view, it was ‘the absence of education.'”

“The absence of education…… is that what you mean?”

“Precisely. Let me present a scenario. If you urgently required funds, what action would you take? State the first thing that enters your thoughts.”

Lucifer fell into deep contemplation.

If she required money immediately.

Then, what path would she pursue……

“Depending on the required sum, perhaps begging, picking pockets, or outright thievery.”

“For what reason?”

“Excuse me? For what reason? Well……”

Lucifer attempted to explain, but the words quickly stalled in her throat.

Even to herself, the response felt baffling.

‘……Why did those thoughts surface?’

During her days as a vagrant, begging and minor theft were second nature, but such desperation was long gone.

Though she had not pursued education for its own sake, she possessed the knowledge granted by the Decullan Family.

Why, then, had those base methods occurred to her first?

The Tower Lord supplied the clarification to the bewildered Lucifer.

“Because those are the only methods you truly know.”

“……Ah.”

“You were never taught how to exist correctly. Granted, that does not absolve wicked deeds. There are certainly individuals who discover the upright path despite identical circumstances. Yet if your instincts lean toward pickpocketing and thievery, the explanation is heavily tied to never being taught the proper path.”

Lucifer remained quiet.

An internal realization was dawning upon her, and through her silence, the Tower Lord pressed forward.

“Consequently, if you stray onto an unrighteous path simply because you were never taught the correct one, does that make you an inherently evil individual?”

“That is……”

“You would indeed be considered wicked. However, the point I am making is this: What caused you to become wicked? Reflect deeply on that origin.”

Instruction widens the paths available to you.

The upright route and the unrighteous route.

A path of greater righteousness versus one of slight wickedness.

Imagine a scenario where a hundred unrighteous paths exist alongside a single upright path—which one is simpler to travel?

Naturally, the unrighteous one.

Now, consider an alternative.

Imagine that individual learns the upright route, receiving instruction until they comprehend a hundred upright paths.

Faced with a hundred unrighteous paths and a hundred upright paths—which selection becomes simpler?

Having articulated this premise, the Tower Lord directed a query toward Lucifer.

“Which option do you believe would be less difficult?”

“That is…… I cannot say. Would it not be an equal split?”

“No, the unrighteous path would remain the simpler choice.”

“For what reason……”

“It is unrelated to statistical likelihood. It is a matter of basic human instinct. An individual who has been acquainted with a greater number of unrighteous paths from the beginning will naturally gravitate toward them. Because that has been the reality of their existence.”

“……Ah.”

A soft gasp slipped from Lucifer’s lips.

The Tower Lord paused for a moment to allow her time to organize her reflections, then resumed speaking after a brief interlude.

“The scenario I provided presumes fortune allowed you to learn and select from a hundred upright paths, but an uneducated person is never even granted the opportunity to traverse them. Reaping prosperity, renown, grandeur, and comfort from extensive learning is completely secondary.”

That is precisely why……

“The absence of education is the ultimate misery for this exact reason.”

“……”

“Because you are denied the chance to determine your own destiny—you merely exist according to circumstance.”

Certain individuals might argue.

That plenty of people manage to walk an upright path even within such environments.

Yet the subject he was addressing now did not concern those extraordinary, exceptional instances.

He was speaking of ordinary human beings who occasionally falter before temptation, who sometimes fall into despair amid hardships, and who occasionally trip and tumble.

“I am nothing extraordinary.”

“……”

“You are no different.”

“……”

“Therefore, for individuals like ourselves, the ultimate misery is remaining uneducated. You lose the ability to perceive wickedness as wicked, or righteousness as righteous. In that state……”

The Tower Lord’s declarations resonated forcefully within Lucifer’s ears.

“Can you truly claim to be piloting your own existence?”

“……”

“That is precisely why an absence of education represents the ultimate misery to me.”

Therefore……

“Seek knowledge.”

Having delivered those words, the Tower Lord strode past Lucifer.

This served as the Tower Lord’s—or rather, Aster’s—ultimate parting from the Lucifer of his former existence, and his final guidance as Tower Lord to the Lucifer of this current life.

Following Aster’s departure.

Lucifer remained anchored to the spot for a long duration, silently observing the empty alleyway.

Without moving, she simply watched.

Upon exiting the alleyway.

Aster made his way to the rooftop of Svetlana’s sanctuary and surveyed the vast expanse of the Black-White Slums.

It was not long before a figure materialized beside him.

“Are you truly content with that outcome?”

“With what?”

“It is not as though I was spying out of personal desire…… but you simply permitted someone you invested immense energy into to walk away.”

“What investment.”

Aster offered a casual smirk as if it were trivial, though Shine narrowed his gaze with a look of pity.

However, that expression quickly dissolved.

“In truth, it is for the best.”

“……?”

“Provided you remain breathing, the Tower will expand with each passing day, and a conflict of this nature was bound to surface eventually. It is preferable that it transpired now.”

He spoke with total sincerity.

In all honesty, he had been irritated.

‘Since when did that fellow adopt such a righteous persona…… Tsk.’

Why willingly shoulder that sort of spiritual burden.

Aster then spoke up.

“It is a parasite.”

“……What?”

“It is a dilemma devoid of a clear solution regardless.”

“……”

Aster proceeded in a tranquil tone.

“The tasks I despise performing are equally despised by others, yet regrettably, someone must undertake them. I simply chose to handle it myself. Surely you are not suggesting I should have shifted the burden onto someone else.”

“……No.”

“Merely view it through that lens.”

With those words, Aster redirected his gaze.

The panoramic view of the Black-White Slums appeared tranquil.

Concurrently, a specific reflection drifted into his mind.

‘Perhaps I truly am treading the exact identical path as Decullan.’

Yet that reflection did not linger.

Aster quickly came to a realization.

Whether he was genuinely identical to Decullan or entirely distinct was of minor consequence.

What did it matter either way.

At that exact moment, a sudden gust of wind played with Aster’s hair.

‘Indeed, springtime has arrived.’

The version of Lucifer that the past-life Aster had known had endured a harsh summer, bypassed a mature autumn, and entered a desolate winter.

However, this current Lucifer was in the absolute prime of spring.

Thus, permitting her departure was the correct choice.

He could only offer a silent wish.

That the Lucifer who had squandered her spring without producing a single blossom in her previous existence might flourish spectacularly this time around.

The vernal gust that swept past Aster drifted through the network of alleyways until it encountered Lucifer.

Lucifer, who had remained stationary in a daze for a considerable period, abruptly raised her gaze as the breeze brushed against her hair.

A solitary uncertainty emerged within her thoughts at that moment.

‘Perhaps……’

Failing to learn the correct path and consequently failing to walk it…… might not apply solely to her.

The uncertainty delivered by the vernal breeze quickly directed Lucifer’s movements.

And by the time her stride brought her back to Svetlana’s sanctuary.

Lucifer’s gaze aligned with that of the Tower Lord, who was looking down over the Black-White Slums.

“……”

“……”

A brief, silent convergence of looks.

Lucifer tentatively spoke.

“Is it still miserable?”

The Tower Lord replied.

“It persists in that manner.”

With that solitary phrase, Lucifer cemented her choice.

“Regarding my earlier statements…… could we place them on brief suspension?”

“……For what reason?”

“That is……”

Lucifer found herself unable to easily verbalize her reasoning.

Yet within her core.

……If the Tower Lord was an individual suffering the torment of deciding between a hundred unrighteous paths and a single upright path……

At the very least, until he managed to comprehend a hundred upright paths, she would observe. A final verdict could be deferred until that period arrived.

Did he grasp her underlying meaning?

A subtle grin seemed to touch the borders of the Tower Lord’s mouth, and he soon spoke.

“In that case, drop to your knees.”

“……Excuse me?”

What was the meaning behind that command?

As Lucifer struggled to comprehend the statement immediately, Aster’s voice began to resonate through the open air.

Rather, it attempted to resonate.

“A penalty for showing skepticism toward the majestic Tower Lord…… Gahk!”

A tremendous force collided with his crown.

Shine pressed his foot firmly down upon the collapsed Aster while unleashing a volley of reprimands.

“You absolute idiot! I commanded you! To halt! That wretched behavior! Intentionally!”

“Gahk, gahk…… Ack!”

“……”

Lucifer contemplated.

‘This…… was truly the correct path, correct?’

No individual possessed the solution just yet.

……Not a single soul.