Chapter 340
Chapter 340
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Translator: crow
Chapter Title: EP.71 – Cowardice Isn't Exclusive to Villains (4)
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"Knight, anyway, punishing that noble all at once isn't easy, right? He's a fairly high-ranking noble, and if he dies, all sorts of problems crop up. So instead of killing him outright, wouldn't it be better to just take away that man's 'life'?"
The plan she laid out to him the day before as her "masterpiece" had taken all of thirty seconds—no, ten seconds—to come up with. Would he believe that?
It was an eye-opening reminder that even villainy required quick thinking.
"The gist of this plan is simple. We use Dream Demon's Mystery to 'seize' Count Roengrin's body. Ah, don't give me that look. This isn't some demonic tale about stealing his soul. Think of it simply. When someone commits a crime, they go to prison, right? But if it's hard to judge Count Roengrin by the kingdom's laws, then we judge him instead. We lock him in a prison called his own body. And in place of the prisoner, we make a little use of that body. Wouldn't that be better for the kingdom—no, the world—than letting it go to waste? Hehe."
"...You've been emphasizing 'we' awfully hard, and it's starting to grate."
"Ehehe, for this plan to succeed, I'll need your help, Knight. Honestly, without you, I wouldn't even dream of pulling it off. Even someone like me sees this as a pretty big gamble."
To sum up what that scheming woman was saying:
"You turn that count bastard into a vegetable, then shove your other half into him?"
"That's the gist."
"...There are a million things I want to pick apart, but for now, just one question: Is that even possible?"
"Yes, it is. Though it'll probably cost more than half of Dream Demon's Mystery. And to suppress Count Roengrin's consciousness whenever it wakes up periodically, I'll have to stick by his side constantly. In other words..."
"In other words?"
"I'll have to become his wife, or his sister, or maybe his daughter. We'd have to be together all the time, hehe."
"...If that sounds like your real goal, am I the weird one?"
"Hehe, I can't exactly deny it. I could use a fresh start in life too."
"......"
"D-Don't glare at me like that."
"Tch. At least you're honest. I'll give you that."
"Haha..."
For the first time, Judia revealed her true intentions without denial, offering him a wry smile.
And then.
"Living as a dream demon has its perks, but it's tough too. ...And above all, I know myself pretty well. As long as I have this power, sooner or later, I'll do something evil. Something really evil... I'm a pretty bad girl, after all. A very bad one."
"You've got some solid self-awareness, huh?"
"D-Don't agree with me right now! Ahem! Anyway! I don't hesitate when it comes to doing bad things. And if I get caught by you someday while using my dream demon powers for evil..."
Snip—
"That's when my head rolls. I don't want that. I'd rather live long and well if I can."
She mimed slicing her own throat, then raised both hands as if she'd laid all her cards on the table and extended them toward him.
"So, what'll it be, Knight? ...Deal?"
"......Hold on. I need to get permission first."
"From who?"
"Someone with money and power."
"??"
...Needless to say, he couldn't just charge ahead with this absurd plan on his own. Lee Han contacted the one authority figure who could approve it and handle the fallout.
He figured it'd take a while for a reply, so he braced for a long wait.
"H-He approved it..."
"...?"
"H-He said to contact him after it's done. He's, uh, coming here himself."
"...Didn't I just send the message less than an hour ago?"
"......"
"Is the Duke free these days or something?"
"...Haha."
Luna Bridget laughed, assuming it was a joke, but Lee Han was dead serious.
"You asked Luna if I was free?"
"......"
"Don't misunderstand. Luna's lips are sealed tight. But some of the shadows with her have loose ones."
"Lucky you. Loyal subordinates reporting even the trivial stuff."
"It's my pride and joy. Burdensome at times, though."
"...You're not actually free, right?"
"Insolent pup!"
Duke Galahad, Blake, let out a hearty laugh.
This strangely idle powerhouse was the one handling the cleanup for this mess.
Or rather, he seemed idle every day.
'Is this country gonna be okay?'
Lee Han felt a twinge of concern for the kingdom's future.
"......It's real."
Blake's face hardened as if he'd never laughed, staring at Roseth—or what used to be Roseth.
"...I pay respects to the great lord of Galahad, master of the demonic sword and guardian of the river."
"Hoho."
That Roseth—the wretch even more loathsome than a pest, who had dared to glare murderously—now bowed deeply in reverence.
Blake nearly lost his composure, rubbing his brow.
He'd heard the reports, but hearing and seeing were worlds apart.
"Whew, astounding. I thought nothing could surprise me anymore..."
"......"
"Incredible..."
"......Cough."
Pierre couldn't stifle a groan under the crushing pressure.
Just a glance felt like a red-hot iron searing his flesh.
And the most shocking part?
'N-No killing intent at all...'
No hostility, just a steady gaze, yet this overwhelming.
A monster...!
Like the current head of the Offen family, a sword genius from youth, who after being chosen by the demonic sword didn't submit to it but subjugated it instead, becoming the strongest Galahad in history.
The man rumored to rival superhumans.
...And this proved the rumors weren't exaggerated.
Yet Blake, who'd crushed Pierre, paid him no mind and shifted his gaze to Judia, then to the shadows.
"You've verified it?"
"Here, as you can see from the graphs. The Mystery's wavelength is under 40%. Considering the average for Mystery races is 80%, this is less than half—barely above a normal human's level. Meaning, no more free use of dream demon powers."
"I see."
"Most importantly, absurd acts like creating another personality with dream demon power, or hijacking someone else's body like this, are impossible now. Healthier than average, with a hint of dream demon allure, but subtle. Just a human with good potential."
"What can 40% do?"
"Peek into someone's dreams a bit. Probably can't last five minutes, I'd cautiously predict."
"Chance of regaining power?"
"About 0.03%. The dream demon cells and Count Roseth's body are too fused—like mixing ash into pure milk. Extracting it again? Impossible without a fairy or Merlin returning from Avalon."
"Good news, then. Impossible is perfect."
"Yes. ...However."
"Hm?"
"If this woman and Roseth—no, Pierre—have a child, there's a chance of a strong dream demon being born. Or even generational inheritance boosting the odds."
"Not very positive."
The duke's expression chilled instantly.
He'd lent his authority to punish Roseth, but body-snatching alone was chillingly dangerous.
This verification was essential, and Blake needed thorough proof.
Which made a cold calculus tempting: cut the dream demon sprout now...
"Your Grace, Your Grace."
"...What is it."
"I-I couldn't help overhearing, but I don't think you need to worry about that."
"Why not?"
Blake was magnanimous, but not sentimental enough to let threats walk free.
Still, he listened because the knight had earned respect.
And sure enough, the knight.
"Look at their faces."
"...Hm?"
Offered sage advice.
Only then did he notice: the dream demon woman and man looked nauseous, as if witnessing something horrific, shuddering like they'd caught a vile plague.
Why?
"Their relationship? It's like a playboy and his sister. ...Maybe even worse."
"......"
Duke Blake recalled the siblings he'd practically raised.
Their bond was...
"Hm, I see. No chance of that happening."
Blake nodded, reminiscing about the mischievous kids smashing cherished vases on each other's heads and coming to blows.
"If it's worse than those two, no offspring for sure."
Their adorable squabbles, that is.
"Memories."
"......"
...The shadows shot looks as if to say, "What about when you beat them with a stick for breaking the vases?" But they wisely held their tongues.
Time for rigorous verification.
For a top-three power in the kingdom, the safety check was exhaustively thorough.
But conversely, that's why...
'Top three?'
Arrogant, yet not.
Lee Han suspected the Galahad folk's perfectionism stemmed from the duke's influence.
Then.
"Your Holiness, he's here."
"......Let him in."
Lee Han sensed a familiar presence, and soon after silencing himself.
"......"
An old man appeared.
More precisely, an old priest with a strangely rigid expression.
The newly elected pontiff still wore his tattered robes, but his eyes were stern unlike usual.
Emotions swirled in those eyes, making even Lee Han, the duke, and others glance warily.
But the priest's gaze fixed solely on the man and woman.
"Oh? If it isn't the old man. What brings you here?"
"......"
"......"
"Pierre, look. Your boss is here."
"...Shut your mouth."
"Why are you snapping at me?"
The dream demon, oblivious—or feigning it—shrugged.
"Hoo..."
Priest Raphael's eyes lingered on the girl, then opened sadly.
"Pierre. Is that you, Pierre?"
"......"
"...Or should I call you Count Roseth now?"
"......I'm sorry."
"...Hoo."
An apology laden with meaning.
Raphael gleaned much from that single word.
Lauded for a century of wisdom, he could read emotions from eyes alone, and thus...
"...You're reveling in freedom and joy."
"......"
"When you should feel at least a twinge of guilt."
"......I'm a sinner anyway. One who committed unspeakable atrocities for a human."
"......"
"Did you know? By entering this body, I share the count's memories too. I know his evils better than anyone. This punishment is almost too lenient..."
"That's not for you to judge."
"...Even though this apostate Roseth killed the previous Count Roengrin—your 'murderer'?"
"!?"
"A patricide who slew his own kin because they hindered his plans! Why...!"
Pierre rattled off crimes.
Roseth's sins, including major ones against the temple.
Any revealed would shock the kingdom; some thought sealing them lenient.
"Yes, many sins."
"That's ri—"
"But why do my old eyes see only excuses from you?"
"......"
"...You should've been honest. Sigh..."
Raphael detected no sincerity in Pierre's words.
No priestly duty to God, no inquisitor's zeal.
Just excuses and self-justification.
Like a child caught misbehaving, spinning obvious lies to gullible parents.
"You stole another's life. Yet you show no responsibility. Hoho... You've long forgotten this old man's humble teachings. All of them..."
A hollow murmur.
No anger, no disappointment—just sorrow in his eyes.
Thus, Raphael.
"Judia Pierre."
Snap.
"I hereby excommunicate you from the temple permanently."
"!!!"
"This cross is but a shackle to you. Forget this old man and live freely as you will."
...He snapped off Pierre's cross necklace in one go.
"......I'm sorry for all this time. May your life, shackled only by me, find... no, just inner peace and good fortune."
"......"
Pierre stared at Raphael, who took his cross and wished him luck, but made no response.
He just guiltily watched the priest's back, looking a decade older.
...Even though he had no right to feel guilt.
"......"
"...Hm."
"......"
"...Sh-Should we start from the head?"
"Sigh..."
"...Just get mad already."
Lee Han found adults' quiet anger the scariest thing in the world.