Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 9
Chapter Title: Unprecedented #3
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If the first audience had been shocking, the second was both shocking and utterly unprecedented.
The Demon King himself had issued a new mission during the audience.
This, too, was an event without precedent.
As soon as the Demon King left, Ingong practically fled back to the waiting room and covered his face with his hands. He sank into a chair, burying himself in it, and let out a long breath he had been holding in.
‘What in the world is the Demon King thinking?’
Demon King Mitra.
The strongest among the Sura, known as the ultimate warrior race.
He was paying attention to Ingong. And not just paying attention—he kept stirring things up.
Ingong wasn't oblivious. The stir in the audience hall when the Demon King assigned him the new mission had been extraordinary. Unlike the first audience, where audible gasps had been suppressed, this time they had escaped from all corners of the room.
The reason Ingong had been newly struck by the Demon King's presence during the first audience was because the Demon King in *Knight Saga* had possessed so little of it. He would appear at audiences and other events, but all he ever did was watch in silence, never issuing any particular missions or commands.
The Demon King's sole purpose was to be the final boss on the Day of Massacre.
But players called him the fake final boss. The reason was that Demon King Mitra's condition was not normal.
The Demon King was suffering from an illness.
It was unclear exactly when it had started, but it was highly likely he had been ill throughout the entire playtime of *Knight Saga*.
The Demon King had reigned while concealing his illness, and almost no one in the Demon King's castle knew of his condition. Even Zephyr, the protagonist of the Demon Realm arc, didn't know about the Demon King's illness until their direct confrontation.
If Zephyr had found out about the Demon King's condition even a little sooner, the Day of Massacre would have come that much earlier.
To Zephyr, the Demon King's children were merely ‘strong opponents.’ He considered Chris and Silvan formidable foes, but he never once feared them.
The Demon King, however, was different. Zephyr feared the Demon King's power. His goal was to surpass that power, and he initiated the Day of Massacre only when he believed he had achieved it.
From Ingong's perspective, as someone trying to prevent the Day of Massacre at all costs, nothing good could come from the Demon King's illness being revealed. Therefore, he intended to keep the Demon King's secret as strictly as he did Caitlin's birth secret.
‘I don't understand the Demon King's intentions. Was withstanding his gaze last time really that big of a deal? Is he trying to raise me as some kind of counter to Zephyr?’
Judging solely by his portrayal in *Knight Saga*, the Demon King wasn't a madman like Zephyr, but he was certainly worthy of his title. He respected the law of the Demon Realm—survival of the fittest—and considered it natural that the strongest of his children would become the next Demon King.
Even in the moment Zephyr plunged a sword into his chest, while he was angered by the murder of the queens and his other children, he went so far as to offer a blessing for the fact that Zephyr had obtained power surpassing his own.
‘I don't know. I can't even tell if this is a good thing or a bad thing.’
Stepping back and looking at the situation, it seemed as if the Demon King was backing Ingong. It even felt like the Demon King himself was supporting Ingong, who had no maternal family and thus no background.
The eyes of the 4th Princess, Anastasia, as she watched him. The gaze of the 3rd Prince, Victor, who stood beside her like a shadow.
And Zephyr. His face, watching him from right beside him with no expression.
The moment their eyes met had been incredibly brief. But Ingong remembered those few seconds with perfect clarity.
He couldn't read any anger or rage in Zephyr. Instead, he saw something akin to pleasure, however slight. It was like seeing the Demon King's face as he had looked at Ingong during the first audience.
“Shutora, Shutora, Shutora.”
Felicia, who had plopped down right next to Ingong, repeated his name. She was like Caitlin, who would have been repeating "Amazing!"
But unlike Caitlin, whose eyes would have been sparkling, Felicia's pale face showed only bewilderment.
She grabbed Ingong's arm and said.
“Hey, um, maybe you've been singled out by Father? Like, he wants to see you get into some serious trouble?”
Ingong blinked. He hadn't thought it could be interpreted that way.
‘Come to think of it, that might be right.’
Anastasia's attempts to keep him in check were now all but certain. The Draconians, Zephyr's maternal family, would surely start making moves soon, and the powerful generals and ministers of the Demon King's castle would decide their stance on Ingong based on their respective factions.
Of course, he didn't really think the Demon King was doing all this just to screw him over.
It was possible he was doing this out of a genuine desire to nurture Ingong.
Ingong cut off his train of thought for now. He lacked the information to guess the Demon King's intentions. For the time being, his priority was to wisely navigate the situation at hand.
“Ever since I started serving the prince, I don't think I've had a proper rest.”
Karak grumbled. It wasn't an exaggeration; Ingong himself had only had one truly restful day in the Demon King's castle—the very first day he arrived.
Felicia, like Ingong, sank deep into the back of her chair, crossed her arms, and spoke.
“Anyway, this is truly unprecedented. It's one thing for Father to assign the mission himself, but for it to go to you, Shutora...”
Her voice was quite serious. Ingong quickly turned to look at her.
“What do you mean?”
Was she saying there was already someone chosen for this mission?
Felicia frowned slightly and continued.
“I told you, a general-level officer already tried and failed, right? Missions like this were almost always handled exclusively by my brother Zephyr. Besides, the general who failed was a Draconian. It would look best if Brother Zephyr, whose maternal family is Draconian, resolved it.”
So that was it. That was why an even greater shock than when his name was called last time had struck the audience.
A mission everyone expected the 2nd Prince, of all people, to take on was assigned to the 9th Prince.
Of course, it wasn't as if a mission already confirmed for Zephyr had been suddenly snatched away and given to Ingong, but there was such a thing as precedent. Just as Felicia said, everyone in the audience hall, and likely even Zephyr himself, must have thought he would be the one to take this mission.
Ingong once again recalled Zephyr's gaze.
His sculpted, pale face beneath dark red hair.
Zephyr resembled the Demon King. He, too, thoroughly concealed his inner thoughts behind a mask of indifference.
Karak, who had been listening quietly, raised his hand as if asking a question.
“More importantly, if even a general failed, doesn't that mean it's an incredibly difficult mission? What rank was this general, roughly?”
“General Kashubal is a mid-rank general, one grade below General Bandal.”
Delia answered the vague question.
The military structure of the Demon King's castle was quite simple.
Five great generals at the very top.
Below them, ten high-rank generals.
And beneath them, twenty mid-rank generals and forty low-rank generals.
Bandal was one of the ten high-rank generals.
After hearing Delia's explanation, Karak scowled. A mission that a mid-rank general could fail was clearly no ordinary task.
Ingong's expression was not much different from Karak's. Felicia let out a long sigh, then lifted her chin and said.
“Well, it can't be helped. I'll go with you.”
“Felicia?”
Unlike Ingong or Caitlin, Felicia had completed her coming-of-age ceremony and had the right to undertake missions on her own without orders from the Office of Meritorious Deeds.
Felicia let out a haughty scoff and looked away.
“It's not just because of you, Shutora. The ancient Dwarf kingdom happens to be a field of interest for me.”
It was such a typical Felicia answer that Ingong laughed out loud. He spread his arms wide and pulled her into a sudden hug.
“Thank you!”
Felicia was startled by the abrupt embrace but didn't push him away. She just feigned indifference and let out an awkward little scoff.
While Delia smiled warmly, Karak pulled everyone in the room back to reality.
“More importantly, why exactly did that general fail?”
It was a crucial question that cut right to the heart of the matter, just like Karak.
Felicia gently pushed Ingong away and turned to Delia.
“Delia?”
“I will find out as quickly as possible.”
Having just arrived at the Demon King's castle yesterday, it was only natural that she didn't know, but her face was filled with self-reproach.
Ingong watched her quietly.
‘I need an informant, too.’
Karak was competent, but his connections within the Demon King's castle weren't just close to zero—they were zero.
He needed someone who could gather all sorts of information from the Demon King's castle for him, like Delia for Felicia or Seira for Caitlin.
‘I have a candidate in mind.’
There was someone he was considering among the children of the concubines. Connections were essential for an informant, so he would have to recruit someone already residing in the Demon King's castle rather than an outsider.
Felicia spoke to Ingong again.
“This time, you should have at least a few days to prepare. Given the nature of the mission, it's not something that needs to be rushed.”
It wasn't a situation where enemies were advancing, like the Red Lightning Tribe subjugation or the Cassius subjugation. It wasn't something to be dragged out too leisurely, either, but it also wasn't the kind of task that required him to leave the moment he received it.
“First, I'm planning to go to the Office of Meritorious Deeds tomorrow. To raise my merit level and get the mission schedule confirmed.”
All missions began and ended at the Office of Meritorious Deeds. Felicia nodded.
“Hmm, you're right. You should be able to use the armory or the blacksmith's forge soon. Good idea.”
In the Demon King's castle, where everything was based on merit, even the Demon King's children couldn't use many of the castle's facilities if their merit level was too low.
However, if he added the merits earned this time, he should have enough to use the armory and the blacksmith's forge, even if the grand library or the magic research lab were still out of reach.
‘Time to get properly armed.’
At the blacksmith's forge, Ingong planned to have his own custom gear made. He had Earthquaker and White Eagle, but that didn't mean he couldn't acquire other equipment.
With his current merit points, he should be able to arm not only himself but also Karak and Karma.
Felicia spoke again.
“Last time, there was no time at all, so no one even tried, but it'll be different this time. There will be quite a few people wanting to meet you, Shutora.”
Inviting him to parties, suggesting he participate in hunting competitions, or even requesting a spar.
The Demon King's castle was home to countless nobles, each belonging to their own faction. Meeting people carelessly could lead to unexpected political crises.
“This might be overstepping... but it would be best if you don't meet anyone this time. Let's go meet people when you have a bit more time. Your big sister here will introduce you to some decent folks.”
The words were clearly born of goodwill. Ingong knew very well that Felicia cared for him.
However, this also meant that Ingong would be forming connections with people from 3rd Queen Silvia Doomblade's side.
‘Well, it's the natural course of things.’
For Ingong, his most reliable allies were, first, Chris and Caitlin, and second, Felicia.
Befriending people from the 3rd and 4th Queens' factions was the obvious move for anyone to see, and they were likely thinking along the same lines.
“I'll just say I'm busy preparing for the mission, and since I will be busy, that's what I'll do.”
When Ingong gave a clean answer, Felicia nodded in satisfaction.
“Alright, let's head back now. I'm completely exhausted.”
The audience was supposed to be a joyous event where she got to wear pretty clothes and receive everyone's attention. But since the last one, it felt like something had changed, and drastically so.
Ingong stood up alongside Felicia. As they walked toward the waiting room door together, Felicia suddenly spoke in a small voice.
“Still, I'm a little envious.”
“Huh?”
“I want Father to call my name, too.”
Ingong blinked, and Felicia's head shot up. As if to hide her slip of the tongue, she opened her fan to cover her mouth and gestured to Ingong with her eyes.
“Let's go.”
As a courtesy to Felicia, Ingong took a step ahead and walked out of the waiting room door.
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“I would also like to join this mission.”