Tomb Raider King Chapter 49: The Monarch of Destitution's Artifact

Lo and behold, Irene's heart was beating wildly in shock.

'T, time and body?'

There was no way it was what she was thinking, right?
However, Ju-Heon made them even more shocked.

"I won't make it hurt so you don't need to worry about that. Please come to the officetel I rented for now."
"E, excuse me?"

Yoo Jaeha who was listening gasped and looked toward him. Ju-Heon had told him about breaking Irene's curse, but time and body?

Even if Irene's face and body was top notch, how dare he use the curse as an excuse!

'Damn this bastard, I'm jealous but this is terrible.'

There were still things you could do and things you shouldn't do.

"Hey…. No, Captain-nim! Please chat with me for a moment!"

However, Ju-Heon said something unexpected as Yoo Jaeha tried to grab his collar.

"Please come to my officetel and get some training with this punk on how to use artifacts."
"………Huh?"
"………Excuse me?"

Both of their eyes turned wide after hearing that comment.
The first to speak was the confused Yoo Jaeha.

"T, training?"

Ju-Heon then glared at Yoo Jaeha in confusion.

"Yes. It'll be a bit loud because of some talkative farmers, but it shouldn't matter."
"Ah……"

Both them smiled in embarrassment after realizing they had the wrong idea.

"Captain-nim, please don't use words that are easy to misunderstand."

Irene cautiously asked at that moment.

"Umm, but when you say how to artifacts… The reason I cause disasters is because of that artifact, right?"

Ju-Heon nodded his head and Irene who wanted to move as far away from the artifact as possible quickly asked.

"Then wouldn't the issue be resolved if the artifact is destroyed? Even without learning how to use it……as long as it is destroyed……"

However, Ju-Heon sternly cut her off.

"That's not possible."

It would be easy if Irene's artifact was an item. He could destroy it as she mentioned or take it from her.

However, it was a parasitic artifact.

"I don't like beating around the bush so I will tell it to you straight. There is no way to remove a parasitic artifact until you die. So, please just accept the artifact."
"Is there no way to destroy it? Maybe if you gouge it out……!"
"I'm happy to do so if you are fine losing your arm and your breast."

Irene who realized what he meant started to shake.

"I, is there really no other way?"

Her fear was understandable. However, Ju-Heon was cold.

"There is no other way. However, please don't worry. If you learn how to use it like I tell you to do, your family will be able to get out of the disaster."
"Only my family…?"
"Only them for now. The artifact is too strong. You'll be able to prevent it from harming anybody in about five years. Anyway, I will take responsibility and train you properly as I have received an item worth 500 million dollars from you.

However, Irene's face turned dark.

"……Umm, then can you just destroy the artifact?"

Ju-Heon sighed as if he was annoyed at this repeated question.

"Please feel free to do so if you want to live handicapped for the rest of your life. I won't do it."
"Then…is there no way to coerce the artifact to leave on its own? I saw the news yesterday… There seemed to be people who could talk to artifacts and force them out."

Ju-Heon started to frown.

She seemed to have seen something weird on TV. However, did she really have nothing to compare him to that she was comparing him to such quacks and scammers?

"I've been telling you since earlier that there is no other way. I guess you don't trust me at all."
"Excuse me? N, no, that's not the case. It's just that the method you told me is not something I…"

Ju-Heon who was thinking about something got up without any hesitation.

"I understand."
"Excuse me? Ah, then!"
"Please go look for those people if you don't like my methods. I will make sure to return the 500 million dollars within a week."
"Uhh…excuse me?!"

Irene was shocked.

However, Ju-Heon who had made up his mind was firm. There was no reason for them to be together if she didn't like his methods.

Ju-Heon did need a financial backer, but he wasn't going to suck up to a monopolizer he despised in the past to hang onto her.

"I hope you are able to find someone who can give you a better solution than I could."

Irene became anxious and teared up a bit after seeing Ju-Heon stand up and start to leave the cafe.

"Ah, hold on!"

To be honest, Ju-Heon was the only person she could trust. The shocked Yoo Jaeha started to shout.

"Hey, you terrible Captain-nim! That's too cruel! How can you think about breaking the contract without even negotiating it at all?!"

Ju-Heon looked at both Jaeha and Irene in disbelief.

"Negotiate? I gave her the best option I had for her but she didn't like it so I'm helping her out by destroying the contract. What's wrong with that?"
"T, that is true, but!"
"Then don't hold me back."

Irene who was holding back her tears desperately started to shout as Ju-Heon tried to leave.

"Umm, I'm sorry if I upset you! I'm really sorry! That wasn't my intentions at all, it's not that I don't trust you, Mr. Ju-Heon……! No! I'll just do as you said!"

Ju-Heon who stopped walking smiled as if he had never been upset from the start.

'Good. That's it. I was waiting for those words.'

Honestly speaking, Ju-Heon had no intentions of leaving. However, it would be difficult for him to train her in the future if she had useless thoughts on her mind.

'Irene needs to follow me in order for the entire Holten household to follow me.'

That was why he had scared her a bit, but she had become extremely apologetic.

Ju-Heon then acted as if he was doing something he didn't want to do as he asked.

"There is something I can't understand. Why are you so focused on getting rid of the artifact?"
"Why? ……I just don't like the fact that I'll be harming people for at least five more years even if I learn how to use it. I thought that it would be better to harm myself a bit to destroy the artifact right now than to do that…!"
"……"

It was a reasonable question, but Ju-Heon was shocked at the unexpected response.

It could not be helped.

'………Is this really that Monarch of Destitution?'

She was too different. She was too different than the Monarch of Destitution he knew. Was this really the Monarch of Destitution who didn't care if innocent people committed suicide and caused the IMF and the fall of the World Economy without any scruples?

He had felt that something had been off since the beginning, but it looked like something must have happened in the past prior to her becoming the Monarch of Destitution.

'Mm……I do remember seeing an article about how her family had died……'

Was that perhaps the reason she changed so much in the future?

'In that case…'

Ju-Heon who came up with a good idea responded in a refreshing manner.

"I understand. It might be a bit difficult, but let's look for a way to make it take less than five years."
"E……excuse me? Really?"

Irene looked toward Ju-Heon in shock. She was even more shocked because Ju-Heon had seemed like he would not look back once he made his mind up about something.

That was why her tears subconsciously started to flow out from feeling relieved. That was how desperate she had been.

"Thank you very much. And I'm really sorry. I feel like I was being stubborn when you were telling me a method to get rid of it, Mr. Ju-Heon. I will do my best to learn whatever you teach me. I can even come to work every day!"

He was planning on helping her even if she didn't do that, but he smiled thinking that she was commendable. After dealing with terrible artifact-users in the past, he didn't mind an idiot like this.

He would teach Irene. He would get the Holten household to owe him one in the process.

'Let's teach her properly to turn the entire Holten household to be on my side.'

You could not avoid the power of the wealthy in this capitalistic society.

That was why he said the following.

"However, your artifact is extremely strong. In order to completely submit such an artifact, we need to find an artifact that is its natural enemy…or something else."
"Like what…?"
"That is why I need to take another look at your tattoo before we look for it. I couldn't see it clearly through the picture…"

Irene tried to take her clothes off right away.

"Then I will show it to you right now!"

The two males became shocked after seeing her covered white skin start to reveal itself. Yoo Jaeha's eyes turned wide after thinking that he saw her slender waistline.

'Her waistline, then above that is her br…!

However, Ju-Heon quickly grabbed Irene's thin arms and stopped her.

"I understand you are desperate, but we are outside. Please show it to me in private later."
"Oh my, ah…yes! I'm sorry."

Irene who snapped back to her senses was extremely embarrassed, but Yoo Jaeha who was next to Ju-Heon started to frown.

'Why did he have to do something so useless?'

However, Ju-Heon didn't care about Yoo Jaeha's reaction as he started to think while looking at Irene.

The Monarch of Destitution's artifact was probably the < Hand of Midas >.

That was the most likely case.

It would bring the user significant amount of wealth but cause others misfortune. In the end, that might cause misfortune for the user as well.

Even King Midas who had helped out Dionysus and earned the touch of gold had gained a lot of wealth but faced misfortune in the end when he turned his own daughter into gold.

In the end, the myth says that the curse left him when he washed his body in the river Pactolus and filled the river with nuggets of gold.

Because of that…

'It should be resolved if we go into the tomb of the Midas artifact and she goes into the river.'

However, this was the first issue.

'Since the Midas artifact is out in the world, that tomb should have already collapsed.

However, this wasn't too bad. There might still be traces of it that allowed them to still go inside.

However, there was a second issue.

'Even I don't remember where the Midas Tomb is located…'

That was indeed the case. The tomb with the Hand of Midas had not appeared in the world. That was why he had no way of knowing where it was located.

Of course, there was still a way to find it.

'I need a < map-type artifact > in a situation like this…'

He needed a map-type artifact such as Columbus or Magellan's < Sailing Log >, the < Hereford Mappa Mundi >, or the < Honil Gangni Yeokdae Gukdo Ji Do >. [1]

But Ju-Heon could only sigh.
'Why?'

It was because of the bastards who had the map-type artifacts.

'The < Monarch of War > should have monopolized all of them by now.'

That was indeed the case. The Monarch of War.

She was one of the Four Emperors who were difficult for Ju-Heon to handle. These four who were called the Four Pillars were the ones with the strongest factions among the fifteen monarchs. Chairman Kwon was able to join that top 4 thanks to Ju-Heon's help.

The Monarch of War was the face of the US government, a female General in the US army who was extremely hostile and strong.

Furthermore, the strategic US had used thosed map-type artifacts during this time to figure out where tombs would appear. They used them to secretly enter into tombs without other nations knowing about it.

That was why he would need to run into the Monarch of War in order to get a map-type artifact.

This was something that even Ju-Heon who was arrogant around Chairman Kwon did not want to do.

'Damn it. I barely killed her in the past.'

Honestly speaking, it had been about 90% luck and quick thinking that allowed Ju-Heon to kill that woman in the past. But to deal with that woman again…

'I'd rather go back to the army ten times.'

He was planning on meeting her as late as possible.

'What should I do? Is there no easy way to swindle a map-type artifact?'

It happened as Ju-Heon was deep in thought.

"Ahhh! What happened to my stocks?! F*ck, they all drastically fell!"

Yoo Jaeha who was checking his stocks was foaming at the mouth.

'That stupid idiot.'

He seemed to have only just confirmed the Monarch of Destitution's curse. He did seem to deserve his title as a monarch candidate as he just got a stomachache and didn't faint, but Yoo Jaeha was about to go crazy after seeing his fallen stocks.

Ju-Heon looked toward him and chuckled.

'Sorry, but I'm the only one who can avoid the Monarch of Destitution's disaster, you little punk.'

Yoo Jaeha was screaming when someone called him on his phone.

But the problem came after that.

"Huh? Ju-Heon? You want to talk to the Captain-nim?"

An unexpected individual had contacted Ju-Heon.

1. Different types of historical maps

Chapter end