Omniscient First-Person’s Viewpoint
Chapter 349: The King Who Kills Others, The God Who Kills Himself (5)

“I am in awe of Your Majesty’s teachings! At first, I thought it was merely a ploy to drive me away… My faith was lacking! Please forgive this foolish one for his ignorance!”

At first, Elric thought it was just a crude prank.

She believed it was a simple attempt to amuse her with some cleverness.

So instead of scolding him, she played along.

But soon enough, it became clear that her disciple’s discovery was not only real but also a profound truth.

“As Your Majesty foresaw, all things are, in truth, one. Just as blacksmiths use different kinds of steel, yet steel at its core remains steel, so too are all things made of a single essence! Everything is composed of a pure form of matter! Naturally, it can be transformed!”

The disciple firmly believed that Elric had already grasped this truth and had only posed the problem to share her insight with her disciples.

Thus, every time he saw Elric, he would passionately explain his newfound understanding.

However, Elric had no idea what he was talking about.

From a rational perspective, it was nonsense.

How could one turn steel into gold?

Steel could be forged into weapons.

But even then, steel would remain steel, merely shaped into a weapon.

Even when different types of metals are combined to create an alloy, it’s like mixing flour into dough — it’s still dough.

Turning it into rice or back into wheat is an entirely different story.

That isn’t technology. That’s called fraud.

As one with the Authority of the King, Elric understood this perfectly.

But what her disciple was explaining went far beyond her understanding — no, it went beyond all the knowledge humanity had accumulated up to that point.

“When I lacked faith, I couldn’t even fathom it, but with Your Majesty’s teachings, my eyes have been opened! Perhaps it’s an incredibly tiny mass, so small it can’t be seen, or maybe it flows like water. It might be so minuscule that it bears no resemblance to any form we’re familiar with. After all, even the finest grains of sand can flow like water between the cracks of stone!”

She didn’t understand.

In a world where everything was clearly divided into possible and impossible, an intruder suddenly appeared.

She didn’t understand.

No matter what bit of knowledge she called upon, she couldn’t grasp even the smallest fragment of what her disciple was describing.

However, as someone who had ruled for a lifetime, Elric didn’t dare to openly declare, “I don’t know.”

To do so would be to deny the authority and legacy of the name “Elric” that had been passed down since ancient times.

Yuria Elric quickly composed her crumbling expression and spoke.

“You have grasped it well. I too had a similar suspicion, though I had not explored it as deeply as you.”

“It’s only natural. Your Majesty has far too many duties to attend to. I am simply honored to be the first of Your Majesty’s disciples to understand Your Will!”

Not at all.

That wasn’t her intention in the slightest.

The disciple had simply misunderstood everything on his own.

“Can you show me that form?”

“Ah, well… I have thought about it, but… To separate that pure form, we would need a furnace several hundred times hotter than a blast furnace used to melt pure steel… Perhaps Your Majesty could…”

There was no need to say more.

As one with the Authority of the King, she already knew the answer.

Impossible.

It was beyond the reach of human technology.

“Impossible. Even if you achieved the necessary temperature, the furnace itself would melt.”

“As I feared… Then the only option is to use Unique Magic as a makeshift measure. Your Majesty’s profound truth can only be revealed to the world through Unique Magic.”

If the only method was Unique Magic, then Elric could not do it.

Elric shook her head.

“I cannot. It is nearly impossible for those with the Authority of the King to master Unique Magic.”

It was the truth.

Those born with the Authority of the King were historically incapable of mastering Unique Magic.

The overwhelming power of the King’s Authority consumed the ability to manifest one’s “Spiritual World” — the core of Unique Magic.

But that truth also served to obscure another, deeper truth.

Elric couldn’t even begin to comprehend the principles of a Spiritual World, let alone practice it.

It is said that a king cannot fathom the hearts of their subjects, but the reverse was also true.

The subject who revered, adored, and yearned for their king could not comprehend the heart of the king either.

Not knowing the true meaning behind his king’s words, the devoted disciple shouted with unwavering determination.

“Th-then I shall become Your Majesty’s Unique Magic myself!”

“…Will you?”

“This too is the majesty you have bestowed upon me. To repay that grace, I shall dedicate my life to wielding this power for Your Majesty’s sake!”

Elric let out a small, hollow laugh.

She had never learned it nor taught it, but her disciple had reached it on his own, driven by a mere misunderstanding.

Surpassing even the Authority of the King, he had reached a realm untouched by any human before him.

Perhaps her previous feelings of boredom had been an extravagant luxury.

Compared to the helplessness, inferiority, and petty satisfaction she now felt…

“I shall permit it.”

“Thank you, Your Majesty!”

“And from now on… spread your discovery far and wide, Demo.”

Having received the recognition of the king he revered, Demo bowed deeply with a beaming smile.

“I shall obey, Your Majesty!”

Years later, the alchemists of the Golden Empire emerged.

Technicians who had studied under Demo succeeded in transforming steel into gold.

The alchemists naturally came to wield wealth and power, rising as the true powers of the Golden Empire.

But with the presence of light comes shadows that lurk in its absence.

As the alchemists prospered, the blacksmiths and artisans who had been the backbone of the Golden Empire endured difficult times.

No matter how skilled they were, they could not compete with those who could literally “create gold.”

But no one cared.

The gold produced by the Golden Empire flooded the world and wealth poured back into the kingdom in kind.

Even the scraps that fell from the alchemists’ wealth were enough to let commoners indulge in luxury.

Renowned artisans, once proud of their craft, abandoned their skills and drank away the years.

The growing cracks in the kingdom’s foundation were hidden beneath the dazzling glow of gold and silk.

The Golden Empire fell deeper into indulgence and decadence.

Until one day…

“We… we no longer accept gold at our shop…”

The collapse arrived as quietly and decisively as always.

“Th-there’s too much of it. We have more gold coins than grain. Please pay us in something else…!”

Who could have predicted it?

Gold.

It had been a symbol of wealth for centuries, a precious metal recognized as currency everywhere in the world.

As a catalyst for mana, it was highly sought after.

It is only natural that everyone sought after gold.

But once the alchemists produced more gold than stone, humans began to treat gold like common rocks.

Economic logic overturned thousands of years of tradition.

For the first time in history, it happened without warning or preparation.

No one had a solution.

Chaos spread uncontrollably.

“Please, someone buy my gold!”

“I have so much gold, so why can’t I use it?!”

“Thieves attacked? Hire mercenaries! Pay them all the gold they want… What? They won’t take it?!”

A tower built on gold crumbled in an instant.

The moment trust in gold was lost, every gold coin in the Golden Empire became a worthless burden.

This was a feat that no alchemist could have achieved.

People who lost everything without any tangible change descended into riots.

No one fought with gold anymore.

They picked up steel instead.

The craftsmen who had lost their power to the alchemists now wielded steel.

Their first targets were the alchemists themselves.

Deemed the root cause of the disaster, the alchemists were slaughtered and their fortunes seized.

Despite all their trust in gold, despite all their wealth, neither gold nor their hired guards could save them.

Across the kingdom, alchemists were hunted and executed.

Gold stained with blood scattered across the ground.

Soon enough, the storm of blood swept through the entire kingdom.

“Demo, you are a traitor to the kingdom. For plunging our nation into chaos, you are beyond forgiveness.”

Even the first alchemist, Demo, could not escape his fate.

“Chain a shackle to his neck and bind him to a steel ball. Then scourge him and make him wander the kingdom. Let his punishment be meted out by the people of the Golden Empire.”

Even the founder of alchemy itself would be stoned to death by the people’s rage.

From her cold, golden throne, Yuria Elric, the King of Gold, gazed down at Demo with her icy eyes and declared his death sentence.

***

Yes, I felt it.

This memory is similar to the memories I saw in the depths of the Abyss.

There’s something called residual thoughts.

When a person who has reached a certain level dies, the mana and Qi they accumulated in life continue to linger even after death.

Sometimes, it even moves their body, re-enacting habits from when they were alive.

Whether it’s through cremation, burial, or some other funeral rite, residual thoughts disappear if the corpse is damaged or loses its form.

But if, for some reason, the original form is maintained, they remain.

Like at the bottom of the Abyss.

And… like in this Golden Palace.

The question is, why am I sensing the thoughts of King Elric instead of those of the Golden Lord?

“Tyr. How about you? Do you sense anything…? Tyr?”

Huh?

Where’s my bodyguard?

She was definitely walking beside me just a moment ago, but now she’s gone.

What’s this about?

I scanned my surroundings for thoughts and sensed her presence nearby.

But… something feels off.

I walked through a cornfield, so why is there an open clearing here?

Even though the corn stalks were towering, just a moment ago, all I could see beyond them was more corn.

But after pushing past just one more stalk beyond where I defeated the Fireblastarch, I suddenly stumbled upon an open clearing.

It’s an idyllic sight.

There’s a large community center, which also seemed to double as a storage house.

Its plain, undecorated appearance gives it a homely charm.

Behind it lies a small hill, with a stream trickling down in the background.

The sound of a water wheel turning echoes faintly.

It was a rural village scene that could be found anywhere.

Naturally, none of this was visible from the outside.

It’s as if I’ve stepped into another world.

As I look around, I see farmers emerging from the cornfield behind me.

They trudge forward, their arms full of corn, and head toward the storage house.

Without a word, they pile the corn inside and head back to the field, like worker ants following a routine.

… There’s no sign of life from them.

I can’t sense their thoughts either.

All of them are… Homunculi.

“Y-You! How did you get into the Golden Palace!?”

An elderly man wearing a straw hat spots me and his face twists in shock.

It’s Hector, the Dominarch.

As expected, this guy is deeply tied to the Golden Palace.

“How did you get here?! You shouldn’t have been able to see it from the outside!”

I can hear his thoughts, which means this one’s the original.

I followed your thoughts to get here.

“You said you’d give me a day’s grace, didn’t you? This is a breach of contract!”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I was just exploring the cornfield and happened to wander in here. I didn’t even know this was the Golden Palace.”

“Wha…!”

Hector was momentarily flustered, but he quickly gathered his thoughts and shouted.

“Don’t lie! How could you claim it’s a coincidence that you wandered into this wide cornfield and found the Golden Palace, which is guarded by a guardian!? That’s ridiculous!”

His mind works fast.

But so what?

What are you going to do about it?

All you can do is accuse me of lying, but what else can you do?

If you can’t prove it, it’s not a lie, right?

“I’m telling the truth. I was just scouting and I just happened to end up here. If you’d told me where the Golden Palace was, I wouldn’t have wandered in at all.”

“You were planning to come here from the moment you started scouting, weren’t you!?”

“Nope. Did you crawl inside my head to check for yourself?”

If he could do that, he should be the Human King, not me.

When I doubled down on my defiance, Hector ground his teeth, unable to say anything further.

And at that moment—

“It’s fine. Let them come.”

The doors of the community center opened, and a woman stepped out.

Her hair gleamed like melted gold, tied back in a simple ponytail, as if wasting such brilliance on a decorative style would be a crime.

She wore a fitted outfit, but it wasn’t to emphasize her figure — it was purely functional, ensuring no loose fabric got in the way of her work.

She wore leather gloves and boots that reached up to her ankles, and her sharp, piercing gaze scanned me like she was dissecting me on the spot.

“Are you the Golden Lord?”

“No, but you surely have something to say to me.”

“I came to propose peace to the Golden Lord, but first, who even are you?”

The woman placed a hand on her chest and introduced herself.

“I am Yuria Elric, the Goldenarch, ruler of the Golden Empire and the Sovereign of Understanding.”

The King of the Golden Empire and the Sovereign with the Authority to understand and reproduce all of the world’s technologies.

She is also the King who was supposed to be devoured by the “Monster of Logic”.

“And also… the one who rules the Fallen Dominion… and the Golden Palace itself.”

With resolute composure, the Homunculus of King Elric declared her dominion.