The Founding Monarch Became the Mastermind

Chapter 3

– Live your own life.

Stella’s last words had a profound impact on Si-on.

Perhaps it was her wish that her immortal husband, who would never die, would live freely, unbound by family or the duchy.

Or maybe it was a gesture of gratitude for her husband, who, as a member of the Hero’s party, the king’s brother-in-law, and a supreme duke, had remained steadfast, never bringing another woman into his life until the day she died.

However, her final words reached Si-on in a slightly different way than she might have intended.

A life solely for himself.

For Si-on, that kind of life was not here.

He was a citizen of 21st-century South Korea, and those twenty-odd years spent there were his true life.

Of course, that didn’t mean his time in this world was false.

After all, Si-on’s love for his wife and children was too deep to dismiss as fake.

But the undeniable truth was that Si-on’s roots were not here.

Thus, in following his wife’s last wish, Si-on decided to find his “own life.”

That meant discovering a way to return to his original world.

It wasn’t that he desperately wanted to return; he just wanted to know how.

The decision would come after learning the method.

So, right after quietly passing his wife’s urn to his eldest son, Si-on began planning.

The plan was simple.

He would uncover the legends and mysteries of this world one by one.

If some inexplicable force had brought him here, then the answer to returning to his original world must also lie within such an inexplicable force—simple yet logical reasoning.

And legends and mysteries represented exactly those inexplicable things.

Ancient temples haunted by ghosts, swamps where secret meetings of witches were held, vampire castles, werewolf legends, assassins with mysterious powers akin to supernatural abilities, religious cults said to have existed since ancient times, and so on.

Si-on sought out every person, group, and place shrouded in mystery, whether it was an old legend or a mere rumor.

Si-on was an immortal, time was on his side.

So, ever since his wife’s death, he roamed various places, searching for countless legends and mysteries.

Just like when he had gathered masters to grow stronger in ancient times, he didn’t stay in one place for long.

At the shortest, three or four days, and at the longest, six months, he would personally investigate each mystery he set his sights on.

Of course, there were many dangers and threats.

However, with the overwhelming strength and the vast experience Si-on had gained, solving these problems wasn’t too difficult.

His methods were usually physical.

But in cities where many eyes were watching, he acted discreetly to avoid drawing attention.

Even here in Exon, where he had been investigating the identity of a secret religious cult before hearing news of his eldest son Theo, it was the same.

* * *

“……”

Si-on glanced around at the people surrounding him.

About thirty figures wearing cone-like white hoods were encircling him.

These cultists were armed with a variety of weapons, from swords and axes to clubs.

On their hoods, a black snake was drawn.

One of them, the only one not wearing a white hood but a red one, stepped forward.

“Brother Jang, we’ve already noticed you were a suspicious character. For what purpose did you join our sacred brotherhood that worships the holy serpent?”

“……”

Seeing Si-on remain silent, the red-hooded man seemed to think Si-on was either shocked or had given up and continued speaking in a confident tone.

“Coming back was a bit unexpected. I thought a clever brother like you would have just run away.”

“……”

“Did you go to meet those who sent you here? Did you pass them our cult’s information? Who are they?”

The more the red-hooded man spoke, the more the atmosphere among the cultists surrounding Si-on grew hostile.

Several began to wave their weapons aggressively or pointed their swords at Si-on, as if eager to execute the traitor on the spot.

“Heh! You don’t need to answer right away. The night is long. We’ll take our time finding out.”

The red-hooded man sneered and jerked his chin left and right.

At his signal, the cultists raised their weapons and began to tighten the circle around Si-on.

“You’d better stay put. I’ve told them to keep you alive, but a limb or two might get smashed. Not sure if you know this, but that’s a lot of pain to endure.”

“Pain? Pain, huh…”

Hearing a low reply at last, the red-hooded man’s eyes narrowed slightly.

Si-on’s voice carried neither fear nor tension.

More than that, Si-on was smiling.

As if this situation was no threat at all.

“I know it well. Very well. There might not be anyone who knows pain better than I do.”

“What…?”

“You lot don’t know real pain. Oh, and you asked why I came back? Originally, I was going to leave quietly… until I realized what a bunch of low-life frauds you are.”

“You, you damn heretic! How dare you!”

The red-hooded man’s shout at the word “fraud” made the cultists even more hostile.

“If you’re frauds, then you should’ve just stuck to scamming people out of their money and exploiting ignorant fools. If that was the case, I wouldn’t have had any reason to return.”

“You…”

“That’s right. I came back on purpose. You’re not total idiots, are you? It seemed obvious you’d gather up in a mob like this to deal with a traitor like me. So you’re not entirely stupid.”

*Sreung.*

The red-hooded man snapped his mouth shut as Si-on drew two blades from behind his waist, concealed beneath his cloak, crossed in an X.

The blades, over forty centimeters long, resembled kukris from his original world.

“Normally, I’d ignore cheap frauds like you. There’s just too many of you to deal with every single one. But scum who kill people for human sacrifice? I can’t just let that slide. Especially not when I’ve seen it with my own eyes.”

“You, you vile heretic! The Immortal Holy Serpent that governs death commands it! Kill that man! Kill him!”

Unable to hold back any longer, the red-hooded man screamed, and the cultists charged at Si-on with shrill cries.

The distance between them and Si-on was only four or five meters—just six strides would close it.

But.

“!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Without any warning, as if in a lie, the cultists charging at Si-on froze in place.

“Gah!”

“Kuhak!”

As if by some unspoken agreement, they all dropped their weapons to the ground and collapsed on the spot.

A thick murderous aura filled the air, and its master, the true immortal, delivered death to the fake immortals who dared to call themselves divine.

* * *

After slaughtering the leader and key figures of the heretical cult known as the Sacred Serpent and rescuing the women and children who were to be sacrificed, Si-on left Exon that very night.

He didn’t kill the regular cultists who hadn’t directly tried to kill him.

Without their ridiculous leaders—the Cult Master and the so-called Four Pillars—these sandcastle-like fools were bound to scatter.

Even if one of the sharper regular cultists tried to rebuild the cult, that wasn’t Si-on’s problem.

“In the end, these guys were just worthless fakes. Tsk.”

Si-on clicked his tongue as he exited Exon completely through the route he had prepared in advance.

Ever since his wife passed away, he had been earnestly searching for legends and mysteries.

Unfortunately, most of them, like the Sacred Serpent Cult, were insignificant.

Of course, there were a few “real” ones among them.

However, even those “real” ones did not align with Si-on’s goal.

None of them had anything to do with leaving this world and returning to his original one.

Magicians were all swindlers, and even after delving into the world’s most influential religions, as well as cults worshipping fake gods like the Sacred Serpent, he found nothing.

“There must be something that truly deserves to be called a god…”

Otherwise, his own existence—summoned from another world and possessing immortality—could not be explained.

That belief kept Si-on hopeful.

One day, he would surely find something that would answer his questions and fulfill his purpose.

“So, what’s left now?”

Seated on his trusty horse, Blackie, Si-on pulled out his notebook and map.

Since most maps of this world were a mess, Si-on had spent nearly 40 years traveling and creating his own map.

Although the distances and specific terrains were inaccurate, Si-on’s map was still a priceless asset given the civilization level of this world.

Si-on made a small mark on the map to indicate Exon’s location, scribbled something in Korean in his notebook, and looked at the map again.

“Hmm?”

His brows furrowed momentarily.

Tilting his head, Si-on carefully examined the map.

As he alternated between his notebook and the map, he muttered in exasperation.

“Only three left?”

After decades of pursuing various mysteries and secretive organizations, only three remained.

Of course, there might be others to find somewhere, but the most famous and well-known legends and mysteries boiled down to these three.

“Eltis Island, the Northern Great Snow Mountain, and the Dragon’s Wasteland.”

These three were the oldest and most famous mysteries in the world. Perhaps he should have explored them first.

But Si-on had placed them at the very end of his list.

The reason was simple—they were all incredibly difficult to reach.

Eltis Island was located somewhere within a vast inland sea resembling the Mediterranean, and no one had ever returned from it.

It wasn’t that no one had the money to build ships or hire sailors, nor were people lacking the courage to venture into the unknown, but none had survived to tell the tale.

Sure, a few claimed to have visited Eltis Island, but under Si-on’s polite(?) interrogation backed by physical force, they all admitted to lying.

The Northern Great Snow Mountain and the Dragon’s Wasteland were no different.

Although those two were on land rather than at sea, they were still places no one could reach.

Even Si-on, as strong as he was, couldn’t venture into these trackless, potentially deadly wildernesses without meticulous preparation and a firm resolve.

Thus, Si-on had reserved these three locations for the last.

But now, the time had come.

“Hmm.”

Eltis Island would have to be the last of the three.

Since there were no ships heading there, he would have to either buy or build one, which would take significant time and expense.

Money wasn’t an issue, but even if he bought a ship quickly, he would need to hire a crew.

The moment he revealed the destination, rumors would inevitably spread.

In the end, preparing for this venture would involve many annoyances, so it would be best saved for last.

“And the Northern Great Snow Mountain…”

While he could hire a guide to get to the entrance, he could proceed alone after that, making it more feasible than Eltis Island.

But this location also had an issue preventing him from going right away.

“The season is the problem.”

Except for the two summer months, not even the herbalists and hunters living at the entrance dared approach the Great Snow Mountain during other seasons.

Ultimately, he had to plan his exploration for summer, but unfortunately, it was already early autumn.

Considering it would take three or four months just to reach the mountain, he’d be forced to enter it in the middle of winter, which would only bring unnecessary hardship.

That left only one option.

“The Dragon’s Wasteland…”

Si-on looked down at the eastern region on the map.

The vast area took up nearly a quarter of the map.

It was almost entirely empty except for a small drawing of a dragon with outstretched wings.

Despite some who had ventured in and returned, unlike the other two places, nothing was drawn because the Wasteland had no notable features like mountains or rivers beyond wilderness and desert.

Such features might exist, but according to those who reached the deepest parts and “came back alive,” there was nothing there.

Those who went further never returned, so that was the prevailing belief.

Even so, every few years, new people appeared, determined to venture deeper into the Wasteland.

“That’s because some claimed to have seen a real dragon.”

Though not all, some people reported witnessing a dragon.

Of course, they hadn’t seen it up close but claimed to have spotted it from a distance.

“Hmm. Seems like I have no choice.”

Like the Northern Great Snow Mountain, the physical distance had kept him from prioritizing this place, but now it seemed it was time to go.

It would take over half a year just to reach the edge of the Wasteland, and who knew how much longer it would take once he entered?

Furthermore, there was no guarantee of encountering a real dragon, and even if it existed, there was no certainty he would find it in that vast wilderness.

“Still, I have to go. No matter how long it takes, I need to see for myself.”

Si-on had a hunch that this journey would involve a lot of hardship with possibly disappointing results, but with only three remaining faint possibilities, he set off to find one of them.

And 14 months later, Si-on finally met the dragon.