Chapter 149
Chapter: 149
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>Translator: penny
>Chapter: 149
>Chapter Title: The Eve (4)
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The night of the social gathering at the townhouse.
Riccardo was discovered in the garden, covered in blood for some inexplicable reason.
They say there was enough blood around him to fill several liters.
But since the young master's body itself was unscathed without a single wound, the question of whose blood it was remains a mystery to this day.
‘…No way?’
When Dasha first told him the story, only one person came to Seongjin's mind.
A human who could not only heal wounds but regenerate lost blood in real time.
‘Nah, no way. That guy was in the palace at the time…’
In any case, from that evening onward, Riccardo began showing severe mental delusions and received intensive treatment from physicians.
Seongjin himself had been busy tending to Cadmos and preparing for the birthday celebration, so dealing with the bastard had been continually postponed.
But still.
-I don't want to die like that.
Could he really just let the guy who made such words come from his little one's mouth go free?!
[Sigh. Even after your father warned you, why do you always end up creating these sudden situations?]
As he approached the townhouse while suppressing his presence, the Demon King let out a deep sigh and grumbled.
‘Don't talk nonsense. This is still within the expected range. This might even be the perfect timing.’
[Huh?]
Listen, Demon King.
The day before a major event begins—is there any other day when everyone is this distracted by one thing?
They're all busy with birthday preparations or personal social gatherings. Even now, irregular banquets are probably happening simultaneously all over the capital, including at the Scarzapino main estate.
[…Uh, yeah?]
As Seongjin predicted, with security focused on locations where key figures were gathered, the approaches to the townhouse were actually more lightly guarded than usual.
[I can't believe it! From you, of all people, Seongjin!]
What are you on about? As I said before, I'm pretty thorough with preparations.
It was just a lack of time; I was always ready to take down Riccardo whenever.
Of course, he did occasionally run into a few night visitors dressed similarly to his group.
"Those are our agents."
Dasha sent a hand signal from the darkness and said so.
Hmm, somehow it felt like this would go straight to the Holy Emperor through intelligence channels.
‘No, that lord probably knew we left the palace already…’
[Two soul terminals presumed to be Arenza have been tailing us since earlier.]
‘Oh, as expected.’
But it's fine. I have zero intention of causing an incident tonight.
[…This isn't an incident?]
In the meantime, Dasha, who had been busy exchanging signals here and there, quickly caught up behind Seongjin with a distressed look.
"Your Highness. Don't tell me the investigation into the Scarzapino family's security setup you ordered not long ago was all for today?"
"Well, among other things."
The matters under investigation were quite sensitive. He had assumed that for smooth progress, sneaking around at night like this was the only option.
You couldn't just barge into the openly operating Millo Merchant House or the solidly entrenched Scarzapino family using public authority.
Moreover, it was questionable whether public authority would side with Seongjin in the first place.
Try complaining that Riccardo was colluding with the Dark Church and sending people to other dimensions. Seongjin himself might end up summoned to the Heresy Tribunal for investigation.
‘The time we went to catch the Western Secretary with the capital guard was the best.’
The thrill of having public authority on his side was something else.
The Scarzapino townhouse.
Just before full infiltration, Seongjin double-checked the vials neatly tucked into his belt. They were potions he'd recently learned to use from Dasha.
This one's the truth serum, this one's the sleeping potion, this one's…
Dasha, watching the amount Seongjin had, looked queasy.
"Your Highness, are you planning to use those? What on earth are you going to do with them?"
"No, don't worry. Just think of them as tools for a peaceful conversation."
If the guy was truly showing mental delusions, it might be a headache.
But if it was an act to avoid interrogation, he'd probably get thoroughly shaken down tonight.
"It's a shame. If I had holy power too, I could've beaten him to my heart's content, healed him perfectly, then beaten him again."
He muttered that, and Dasha freaked out.
"He's the young master of House Scarzapino, Your Highness. This will definitely cause problems later!"
"It's fine, Dasha. As long as our identities aren't exposed, it's not a crime."
"…My goodness!"
Dasha, stressed to the max by the situation, tore at her hair.
Regardless, Seongjin chugged one of the prepared potions and pulled his mask up over his face.
"Don't call me Your Highness from now on, got it?"
Whew. Leaving Dasha's long sigh behind, Seongjin boldly stepped into the mansion.
Thanks to his recently improved aura concealment, he easily passed the yawning guards who noticed nothing.
Soon, he infiltrated Riccardo's room.
"Look at this bastard…"
They said he was having mental delusions, but the sleeping guy's face looked more peaceful than expected.
This punk. After putting his little one through that mental torment, he was sleeping soundly with limbs sprawled?
Seongjin grabbed his collar outright and effortlessly lifted him using aura.
"Wha…"
Before Riccardo could even regain his senses.
Thud!
He slammed his face back down hard onto the bed. Riccardo, suddenly choking, flailed and let out a muffled scream.
"Guhk…!"
Before the sound could fully escape, Seongjin pressed his head deep into the pillow and whispered low in his ear.
"Shut your mouth quietly."
"……!"
"Thanks to you, our cult has been tailed by intelligence. You prepared to take responsibility?"
Seongjin's voice was currently hoarse and raspy. Thanks to the voice-altering potion from Dasha.
It worked by temporarily swelling the vocal cords or something, but with his nose stinging and tears flowing nonstop, he worried it might be causing acute allergies.
Surely no respiratory distress would hit suddenly?
"Scream, and you die right away. But handle this properly, and I'll spare your life."
"……."
Riccardo rolled his eyes quietly with a terrified expression.
His attitude seemed quite different from when he was bragging about being the Dream Demon King?
[Pulse is skyrocketing. He really looks scared.]
‘Hmm.’
Seongjin held him and observed for a bit, but no blue butterfly flew in again.
Had Sigurd Sigurson really abandoned his avatar and fled?
After he stopped resisting, Seongjin cautiously released his head, and Riccardo asked in a trembling voice.
"Did the cult send you?"
He'd bluffed by mentioning the Dark Church insignia he'd sent to Orden, thinking he might know something. But no way was this guy directly in contact with the cult?
"I have no business with you. Call that storyteller quick."
"Wha… Who the hell are you? The Archbishop wouldn't mention the [Puppeteer] to just anyone, surely?"
He referred to the storyteller as the [Puppeteer].
Fitting nickname, considering the guy manipulated avatars like puppets.
"Did he decide to ally with the merchant lord outright?"
Probably referring to the Millo Merchant House's lord.
"Who knows. Think whatever you like."
Then Riccardo, who had been slyly gauging him, suddenly leaped off the bed and bolted for the door.
Of course, Seongjin, who had anticipated it, easily tripped him.
Crash!
He tumbled loudly across the floor, but even extending his senses, no presences stirred nearby.
Dasha had handled things as planned.
"Kughhh…"
Riccardo, who had face-planted, clutched his bleeding nose and rolled on the floor.
In the meantime, Seongjin slowly walked to the tea table in front of the bed and laid out the vials he'd brought.
Clink, clink.
Hearing that, Riccardo belatedly lifted his head, trembling as he asked.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
Next came small daggers of various lengths, and iron probes that looked destined for gruesome uses.
Riccardo, rolling only his bulging eyes to watch, went pale in an instant.
"Why are you doing this to me? As the cult already knows, the [Puppeteer] left me! He erased all the plans from my head! I-I don't know anything!"
Tears like chicken droppings fell from his eyes.
"He abandoned me just like that. Left me alone in this vast universe! How, how could he do that!"
Who knew if he was terrified or grieving abandonment.
‘Demon King?’
[Yeah. Seems true he has no memories. Looks like he really wiped them and bolted.]
Too bad. Would've been great if this guy was Sigurd Sigurson.
Seongjin sighed and opened his mouth.
"Don't worry. You don't have to say a thing."
Riccardo's eyes widened.
"Th-then what are those for…?"
"Theory alone makes you want to try some practice sometimes. Sadly, looks like I won't even need these on you."
"What do you…?"
"Well, think of it as payback for hanging with that bastard."
Crack. Seongjin cracked his knuckles alternately and said.
"Relax. Fortunately, I don't see enough value in you to torture you long. So I'll just beat the crap out of you."
"Eek!"
Riccardo, sitting on the floor and scrambling back, hit the wall with a thud.
Observing his terrified face for a moment, Seongjin picked up one particularly long, thin probe from the table and held it to the faint moonlight as he continued.
"And at the end, I'll jab this into your side. Infuse it with aura and stir your guts around a few times."
"…Huh?"
"No visible wounds on the outside, but your ruptured organs will slowly fill your belly with blood? No external bleeding, but by morning, you'll definitely die from massive internal hemorrhage. Cause of death: unknown."
"……!"
"You'll die slowly by morning in excruciating pain from twisted intestines, unable to call for help from anyone."
Locking eyes with his, shaking like an earthquake from extreme fear, Seongjin curled his lips.
"Now, choose. Liver? Spleen? If I try, I can hit the kidneys too. All rich in blood vessels."
Flash. Staring at the probe reflecting light, Riccardo looked on the verge of losing his mind.
Splash. Suddenly his muscles relaxed, and he soaked the floor with terrified piss.
"S-sorry… I was just his… puppet… kuhk! Never, never meant to harm the cult… hup!"
His chattering jaw couldn't form proper words.
"Last chance. Where's the [Puppeteer] now?"
"Gulp! Uhk! P-probably… to another puppet…!"
"Who's the other puppet?"
"I… I don't know. Really, I know nothing!"
Gurk, gurk. Wailing like his throat was strangled, Seongjin looked down at him pityingly.
Truly a shame.
If this was the guy, I could've made him vividly feel what slow death toward morning is like.
Bam!
"Gak!"
A light kick to the jaw sent his head slamming back into the wall, and he toppled forward.
"Kuhk! I told you everything I know, why?"
Why? What do you mean why?
I told you from the start: beating you is the real goal.
After that, it was just a brutal beatdown.
Thud! Kek! Kraek! Woohuk!
Each time Seongjin struck, juicy screams filled the room. As the violence seemed to intensify, Dasha, who had been guarding outside, came rushing in horrified.
"You—!"
Nearly calling him Your Highness, she lowered her voice to a whisper.
"Didn't you say earlier you wouldn't resort to violence…?"
"When did I?"
I said I prepared tools for smooth conversation. Never said I wouldn't beat him after.
In that short time, thoroughly pummeled Riccardo was a swollen mess sprawled on the floor.
"This is House Scarzapino's heir! This will blow up for sure!"
"Don't worry. I came prepared."
Seongjin pulled a small medal from his pocket.
A crude copper medal engraved with a spider. The Dark Church insignia from Orden.
"He won't exactly go blabbing that remnants of the Dark Church attacked him."
From what he said earlier, the cult, Millo Merchant House, and Scarzapino were eyeing each other suspiciously now.
If this made them turn on each other, even better.
Placing the medal carefully by Riccardo's head, Seongjin twisted his lips and muttered.
"Go ahead and kill each other now."
[Such an evil bastard…]