Chapter 301

〈 Chapter 301 〉 Part 1, Chapter 13, 18

The Taj Mahal was engulfed in a massive blaze.

The great mausoleum that had stood firm for centuries was now surrounded by towering flames. The park in front of the tomb was ablaze with red fire, and the majestic building’s exterior began to blacken.

Was it due to the dry weather? Or the intense sunlight? Or perhaps because the firefighting systems were all destroyed by the rampaging monsters?

The sunlight shining down from the heavens was stronger than ever, and even the fire trucks couldn’t make a dent in the inferno.

WHOOSH!

The flames devoured the entire Taj Mahal.

The fire was uncontrollable, and an old monk who barely escaped the tent village could only stare blankly at the inferno.

“O Sun God…”

The flames rising on thermal currents looked just like a phoenix ascending to the heavens.

* * *

SHIIIII-

Moisture gathered in the air. Centered around Usa’s raised staff, a giant cloud began to form.

“Old man!”

“Got it!”

Tempest Lady ran around in sync with Usa while Wind Master jabbed his stick into the cloud. The cloud began swirling around the stick, churning violently.

“HAA!”

Usa and Wind Master simultaneously unleashed their magic power, hurling the spinning cloud towards the flames. The cloud covered the flames like a boomerang and immediately exploded upon contact.

SPLASHHHH!!

Water jets erupted in all directions as the cloud burst, dousing the flames like a rotating sprinkler thanks to the combined efforts of Usa and Wind Master.

“No! This is taking too long!”

Though Usa gathered more magic power, the flames spread faster than she could contain them. Even for such an arid place, the speed at which the flames spread was strangely rapid.

“Damn it! It’s scorching hot!”

Wind Master cursed as he deployed his barrier. By cutting off oxygen with his magic power, he managed to extinguish the flames under his barrier, leaving only embers behind. As Wind Master caught his breath after expending so much magic power, Usa supported him while firing water bullets.

“Snap out of it, old man. There are many people counting on us.”

“Damn shiny bastards…!”

Wind Master glared at the bald monks surrounding them. Though their robes varied, their shaved heads gleamed in the firelight.

“Why do all the psychics in this country have shiny heads?!”

“Probably because there’s nothing but light-speed types here.”

“We can’t handle this alone with our current strength.”

After circling the Taj Mahal once, Tempest Lady shook her head, admitting their limitations. While someone like Snowflake Ling or Rusalka might be able to handle it, A-rank Usa could only extinguish small sections of the fire.

“What’s the Association saying?”

“Still no word. Damn, this is ridiculous.”

Usa stomped her foot in frustration at the Indian Association’s lack of action.

“How can they just let their own land burn like this?!”

Their anger was directed at Mahatma, the representative of the Indian Association who chose to abandon the Taj Mahal.

“The casualties are contained, and the fire is limited to within the Taj Mahal grounds. With our current facilities, we cannot extinguish the fire.”

“So you’re just going to let the Taj Mahal burn?”

“Yes.”

The Executioner thought he must have misheard Mahatma’s firm statement. But no matter how he replayed it in his mind, Mahatma had decided to simply watch as the Taj Mahal faced total destruction.

“Are you abandoning this cultural heritage site?”

“Preserving artifacts won’t save humanity from monsters, will it? Moreover…”

Mahatma’s voice was resolute and cold.

“While we can prevent the fire from spreading further, we cannot completely extinguish it. Fortunately, rain is forecasted in a few hours. Until then, we just need to stop the fire from reaching nearby forests.”

“But there’s a river right above! Anyone can use water!”

“…In Korea, there are many water-controlling psychics, aren’t there? That’s why there’s a joke that there are more water psychics than fire extinguishers in households.”

Mahatma made a wry remark before shaking his head.

“But not here. Most of our psychics are light users, and mobilizing them would collapse our defenses against monsters. We have vast lands to manage, with various monsters settled everywhere. Maintaining the current situation is the best option.”

Mahatma gestured to the heroes following his orders. In the footage, the heroes stood atop the long walls surrounding the Taj Mahal, deploying colorful barriers of light to prevent the flames from leaping over.

“I apologize to the expedition team, but even if we extinguish the flames inside, it would be…”

“…”

The Executioner clenched his fists. He wanted to grab Mahatma by the collar at his pragmatic refusal to extinguish the flames.

“…I understand your decision. However…”

The Executioner firmly declared his stance to Mahatma.

“If it were me, I’d put it out using every means possible.”

With that, the Executioner stormed out without a word, leaving Mahatma with his head bowed, staring at the floor.

BEEP BEEP

As soon as he left, the Executioner called up Suspect #1, who answered promptly.

“Did you do it?”

“……That’s unfair. Do I look like someone who would burn down another country’s cultural heritage?”

Phoenix glared through the screen, protesting her innocence. The Executioner relaxed his gaze slightly, feeling apologetic.

“My apologies. It was a misunderstanding.”

“Apology accepted…”

Phoenix smiled sheepishly instead.

“Actually, it was me.”

“…”

The Executioner facepalmed against the corridor wall, finding some relief in the cool surface against his burning headache.

“…Alright, care to explain?”

“Of course. First though…”

Phoenix wagged a finger at the Executioner.

“Don’t try to extinguish it. The Taj Mahal needs to burn completely, or I’ll have to set fire to another temple.”

“That makes no sense!”

The Executioner couldn’t help but snap back. Setting fire to the Taj Mahal was already a serious crime – threatening to burn other temples if they tried to extinguish it was absurd.

“It doesn’t, does it? But that’s how it is. You see, the monsters coming out of India are all strange. Specifically…”

Phoenix explained everything to the Executioner, who sighed deeply after leaning against the wall.

“Any casualties?”

“Of course not. More importantly, did you finalize the agreement? Handing over the Yasha core in exchange for complete control over Garura and Kinna-ra.”

“…Haa.”

The Executioner facepalmed again, nodding reluctantly. Phoenix grinned and gave him a thumbs up.

“As expected from Baek Hee-a. I trusted you.”

“Next time, please inform me beforehand…”

That was all the Executioner could say.

* * *

“You?”

“Yes.”

Faced with Gaeul’s questioning, I readily admitted my actions. There was no point hiding it, and I felt no remorse.

“Didn’t you know that if a pot leaks inside, it’ll leak outside too? You burned down the National Assembly and turned the Mausoleum of Emperor Qin Shi Huang into a mess.”

“Oh, people don’t know about that yet. Guess it’s exposed now.”

On my way to awaken the Black Flame Dragon, I trashed the Terracotta Warriors exhibit. Since only tomb raiders could access those restricted areas, it would likely take years for the full extent of the damage to the Mausoleum to be revealed.

“But since the grave owner has resurrected, isn’t it fine to destroy his tomb?”

“Did you revive the person entombed in the Taj Mahal as a monster then?”

“…Gaeul, this is quite important.”

I placed a finger to my lips.

“Since it’s going to be completely destroyed in the future anyway, does it really matter if I burn it first?”

“Is that not completely insane?”

Gaeul snorted in exasperation.

“If that logic holds, does that mean you’ll arrange my first love since you’ll take my virginity in the future?”

“What kind of analogy is that?”

“You said it well. Though the underlying intent is despicable, I commend you, Gaeul. It’s a two-for-one deal.”

The encouraging applause from Deokbae beside me was irritating, but I kept my cool. They simply don’t understand why I set the Taj Mahal ablaze.

“If there are three benefits from burning the Taj Mahal, would you understand then?”

“If only you’d explain before acting… The Indian Association rep looked ready to die.”

“…What?”

“Yeah.”

It was the first time hearing that name. Despite the impressive title, it was just an A-rank when checked.

“…I’ll look into this Mahatma later. Let me explain why I burned the Taj Mahal. Ahem.”

“Summarize in three short points. One per reason.”

“…”

Gaeul was asking for something incredibly difficult. Every time I tried to elaborate, she would cut me off sharply.

“First, Karna the Light Channeler lived there, so I set it on fire.”

“Reasonable since the Black Flame Dragon was sleeping in Emperor Qin’s tomb too.”

“He was out anyway, so I figured he might return upon seeing the fire.”

Gaeul added context while Deokbae provided evidence, leaving me momentarily speechless.

“Second, it was going to be the battlefield against Karna, so I prepared in advance.”

“It was bound to be destroyed anyway, huh? Didn’t consider changing the battlefield?”

“…We’ll call Architect briefly if necessary.”

With enough magic power and cores, buildings can be reconstructed. Though all the grass in the park turned to ash, the structures could be rebuilt. The structures only.

“But no one died, right?”

“Would I set fire where there are people?”

“True. Even if no one died, those trying to extinguish it are having a hell of a time.”

Chaeongnyeon’s specially arranged room only had two officers – Gaeul and Deokbae. The Black Flame Dragon was sleeping in my earring, and Yu I-shin was ordered to guard Park Ra-on.

“If the heroes discover you’re the arsonist, what will you do?”

“I’ve taken measures to avoid suspicion, so don’t worry.”

“Still, both you and I visited there, right?”

“We were disguised, remember? They won’t know. Probably. And you’ll understand once I explain the third reason.”

I extended three fingers, wiggling the middle one.

“Do you know how Garura, an S-rank fire attribute monster, appears?”

“How would I know? It doesn’t even show up on Hero Wiki.”

“Exactly. There haven’t been any incidents yet.”

Just as I was about to continue explaining, Baek Hee-a contacted me.

“Yes?”

“Did you do it?”

“…”

Feeling wrongfully accused from the start, I jokingly replied only to receive stern looks. Using this opportunity to explain to both Baek Hee-a and the other officers, I described the “Garura emergence conditions”.

“When the Taj Mahal is completely consumed by fire, the next day, upon receiving sunlight, an S-rank monster called Garura will be born from the ruins.”

So I both lured Karna’s attention and fulfilled the conditions to summon Garura.

“Isn’t that efficient?”

A two-for-one strategy – hunting an S-rank monster while also drawing out the ultimate target Karna.

Received criticism to inform beforehand next time.

If informed, perhaps greater actions would be permissible.

Regardless,

“Whoever set it doesn’t matter – it burned down beautifully! Fufufu.”

The Taj Mahal was completely incinerated. Tomorrow, Garura will be born, and Karna will rush back upon seeing his home aflame.

“So we just wait until tomorrow?”

“What are you talking about? We need to hunt Yasha first. If there’s time in the evening, we’ll go after Kinna-ra too.”

“…You’ve packed the schedule tight for this tour agency.”

Time was crucial.