“True Ancestor…”
Commoners and slaves were required to drop to their knees, foreheads touching the ground, when greeting the True Ancestor. Nobles needed only to kneel on one knee and offer a formal salute.
But Sang had grown accustomed to skipping all that. He simply stood there and offered a casual greeting…
After all, the True Ancestor herself couldn’t care less about such rigid formalities.
For some reason, whenever he was away from her, he felt nothing but hatred or disgust. Yet standing before her now, that aversion melted away, replaced by an emotion he couldn’t quite put into words.
“Heh… Little Bug, you’re truly an abnormal human. You’ve risen to nobility, yet you still look so utterly disheveled.”
Her gaze swept up and down his outfit—a sweat-stained shirt, loose trousers, and plain short boots. He looked every bit the ordinary commoner.
Like some kind of deadbeat slacker.
Any other commoner elevated to nobility would be decked out in fine silks, strutting around like they owned the world. Come to think of it, Sang really was an oddity—crass yet refreshing, with a dash of hipster charm.
Sang shot back, “Out of everyone under heaven, you’re the last person qualified to call me disheveled…”
The True Ancestor froze for a moment, then glanced down at the three layers of white cloth wrapped around her chest, private areas, and a section of her thigh. She burst into laughter on the spot.
She had to admit—he’d actually amused her.
“So, are you going to share your insights on noble life now that you’ve become one? Earl Inset An, my little friend~ No, Little Bug.”
At that moment, the black-haired girl lounged as always on the balcony a thousand meters above the ground. Three rolls of white cloth covered her upper body, her privates, and part of one thigh. Her bare feet dangled freely as she spoke, then glanced back over her shoulder. A playful smirk tugged at her lips as she eyed the young man behind her.
Sang’s face filled with helplessness at her words. That bizarre name soured his mood instantly. Inset—what was that if not “insect”? Little Bug all over again?
This was a Dark World that obsessed over race and class.
Commoners had no surnames. Only nobles were granted them…
Back when the True Ancestor had bestowed the title of earl upon him, Sang hadn’t wanted to admit it, but human emotions being what they were, he’d felt a spark of joy. Who wouldn’t want to be a cut above the rest? Especially when it meant reclaiming a surname. He’d promptly given the one from his original world—An.
But no.
This infuriating True Ancestor had defiled that tie to his old life, saddling him with a ridiculous name: Inset.
Deeply annoyed as he was, he still approached with a touch of respect and replied, “I’m sorry, but I’ve only been a noble for a short time. I don’t have much insight into noble life yet… Nothing to share with you.”
“You’re… such a boring little bug. You’ve attained a status others can only dream of, yet you laze about like a dead fish, making no effort to advance.”
You’re the one who’s unambitious…
I never had grand ambitions anyway. I just wanted to go back home, live a quiet life, marry a nice wife, and get by plainly… Who knew you’d pull this stunt!?
The more he thought about it, the angrier he got. Sang couldn’t hold back and blurted out his questions.
“I don’t get it. Why go to all this trouble for something so pointless?”
“Couldn’t you just let me go back home?”
“Why force me to stay near Central as a noble? What’s the point? What am I to you, anyway?”
The True Ancestor faced his three rapid-fire questions.
The black-haired girl suddenly burst into laughter, clutching her belly without a shred of dignity. Her body shook with mirth, and though she was the most beautiful being under heaven, she exuded an aura of deadly peril.
“Humans really are such fickle creatures… Didn’t you ask something similar before?” Her long, slender phoenix eyes fixed on the young man, every smile and frown utterly captivating.
“You always look down on humans…”
“Heh… Little Bug, I won’t deny that. I do look down on humans…”
She paused there, propping her chin on one hand as she pondered. Then, in a soft murmur, she continued, “Still, I’ll answer you… Why keep you close? Because you’re my possession. Even though you used Inu’s wish, I want you nearby. Since you resist the 【Heavenly Key】 so much, I’ll just lock you in a bigger cage… As for making you an earl, that was probably just a whim. I suddenly got interested in you—curious to see how you’d change.”
“So I’m just a lab rat to you?”
“Heh… I prefer the little bug analogy… Little Bug, go enjoy noble life. Come see me every half month, tell me more interesting stories to spice up my endless, boring existence. I quite like hearing about the outside world from you… Just hope that one day, you won’t despair over this world and end up going mad.”
As she spoke, the black-haired girl suddenly looked up, gazing down at the scene below. Her eyelids drooped, and a sorrowful melancholy settled over her—a grief as ancient and silent as a millennium.
After a moment, Sang gave a wry smile and said shamelessly, “Honestly, I thought maybe you were reluctant to let me go, so you were forcing me to stay…”
“Pfft… Hahaha, Little Bug, you really are full of wild fantasies…”
“Uh… yeah, guess so…” What surprised even Sang was the flicker of disappointment in his heart when she denied it.
After laughing for a good while, the True Ancestor finally sobered, speaking offhandedly with a hint of mockery. “I do have emotions, it’s true… But they’re all negative ones. That warm, loving feeling you mentioned? Sorry, not me. I hate humans, despise nobles, feel nothing for any creatures, and I’ve long despaired of this world… If it all ended one day, I’d probably be thrilled.”
Sang felt utterly confused.
The True Ancestor truly hated humans—far more intensely than she did any other beings…
But why?
Though questions still swirled in his mind, their chat was winding down. Afterward, the True Ancestor had the young man keep her company with games—from Flying Chess to Beast Battle Chess to Chinese Chess and Five in a Row. Then she had him cook some human-style dishes for her.
Their meeting for the day came to an end.
As he left, Sang paused at the corner of the Heavenly Pavilion’s staircase and glanced back stealthily. In the afternoon breeze, a spotless white cloth fluttered around the black-haired woman’s graceful figure. She sat eternally on the edge of the balcony, overlooking the masses below in haughty supremacy—like a queen ruling the heavens or a god indifferent to all mortal strife.
She was meant to be that way. So where did such profound sorrow come from?
