Chapter 43
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 43
Chapter Title: Kingdom Mages Rayleigh and Kina (1)
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Lorangleble Village Chief Alcom was living the sweet life again today.
"That lord truly must be a god."
Yesterday and today felt different.
He could feel his wrinkled skin growing tauter little by little each day.
But today was even more special.
The feeble man he used to be had died away, and today's Alcom had been reborn brimming with vigor.
The reflection in his bronze mirror looked far younger than before.
Noticeably so.
He was over sixty, but now he could pass for forty—no, even thirty.
"Heh heh heh..."
He might not be as strong as he was at twenty, but compared to the sixty-year-old life he'd led just recently, he felt stronger than anyone.
"Village Chief, breakfast is ready. Today I prepared something special that's good for your virility... Oh my."
The widow opened the door and stepped in.
Her eyes widened in shock as she scanned him up and down, taking in his youthful transformation.
"V-Village Chief, how in the world...?"
"I've communed with a god. Thanks to him, I've regained my youth."
"Oh my goodness..."
Greed flickered across the widow's face.
He'd given her such an intense night even in his old body—what kind of fiery passion would she experience with this rejuvenated chief?
Could she even handle it?
With a mix of anxiety and anticipation, she slipped out of her clothes.
"An appetizer before breakfast..."
"Sounds good."
Understanding her intent, Alcom smiled and drew her close.
But...
'She's grown old.'
Through his newly youthful eyes, he now saw the traces of time etched into the widow's body and face.
Wrinkles on her face that he hadn't noticed yesterday—wrinkles he'd once overlooked because she seemed so young.
It repulsed him, like staring at his former self.
His erection, which had stood firm without issue before, now wilted.
No arousal stirred.
The widow, once a symbol of youth to him, had become nothing more than an ordinary middle-aged woman now that he'd grown young himself.
She hadn't changed.
He had.
"Village Chief?"
It wasn't satisfying.
"Sorry about this. I'm a bit tired today."
"H-Ho ho... That can happen."
He'd need to find another woman soon.
The chief thought of the female adventurers who occasionally visited the village.
They battled for their lives in monster-filled dungeons and on the border frontiers—symbols of youth in every way.
'If I seduce the right adventurer...'
As Alcom racked his brain...
Knock knock.
"Who is it?"
"V-Village Chief! B-Big trouble!"
"What's the problem?"
A village watchman shouted urgently.
"Th-The k-ki...!"
"The king?"
"Kingdom mages have arrived!"
What?
Why would kingdom mages come here?
"Understood. Wait a moment."
Alcom hurriedly dressed and rushed outside.
About two hundred soldiers were marching in through the village entrance.
Leading them were two women on horseback.
'Beauties.'
Desire, dulled by the widow, reared its head again.
'Calm down. One wrong move and you're dead.'
"Greetings to the kingdom mage."
"Are you the village chief here?"
Her tone was icy, but her voice was softer than any woman's in the village. Alcom bowed deeper.
Don't be fooled by the voice. These were the ruthless kingdom mages.
"Yes."
"I am Kingdom Mage Rayleigh. We'll be using this village as a base for dungeon conquest for a while. Make it so."
"Dungeon...?"
"The one those adventurers came to raid."
"Ah... But why bring so many soldiers?"
"No need to know. Provide rooms for the commander and me, and help the soldiers set up camp."
"Yes, understood."
Rayleigh addressed the deeply bowing Alcom.
"Chief, do you know a mage named Floa?"
"Not from the name alone."
"Silver-haired mage who came with a short black-haired swordsman."
"Silver-haired..."
Ah, her.
The kingdom mage must be an acquaintance.
"She was here."
"Was?"
"Yes, follow me. I'll show you."
He said she was here.
So why was he offering to guide her?
Rayleigh felt her stomach twist at the chief's words.
Like some unknown colossal force gripping her guts and wringing them.
A nauseating, repulsive sensation that made her want to vomit up breakfast.
She clenched her jaw so hard her teeth nearly cracked, suppressing the bile rising in her throat.
The bitter taste of stomach acid lingered in her mouth.
She grimaced at the burning pain in her chest.
She didn't want to go.
But she knew ignoring it wouldn't make this reality vanish.
"Here it is."
"..."
The chief pointed to a graveyard on the village outskirts.
-Vagabond.
A nameless grave marked only with the word "vagabond."
"So... this is Floa?"
"Yes. She arrived in our village already unconscious. The finder said there were signs of forced assault, and she was out of her mind when discovered."
Rayleigh's gaze chilled as she stared down at the grave.
Could the chief be lying?
The odds of a mere rural chief daring to deceive a kingdom mage and incur her wrath were practically zero.
"If you're mocking a kingdom mage, not only you but every soul in this village will suffer the agonies of an icy hell. I'll freeze your limbs and shatter them, keeping you alive as long as possible."
"W-Would I ever lie?"
"Proof?"
"Well... Not sure if it'll convince you."
Alcom pulled out a B-rank adventurer plate.
A worn B-rank plate, name illegible, but Rayleigh knew its owner.
She heard Kina swallow hard beside her.
Even the ever-optimistic Kina was shocked by this.
"They said it was found beside her. And I remember the man had a scar near his eye."
"Enough. Stop."
"Then..."
Alcom backed away.
"Rayleigh..."
"The Demon King's doing..."
"Rayleigh, calm down."
"It has to be the Demon King. That cursed thing killed Jackal and did unspeakable things to Floa..."
Her head throbbed.
I should have stopped her.
Grabbed her arm and told her not to go—that it was a dangerous dungeon with no confirmed intel.
It's my fault.
My fault for not stopping her, even knowing how fragile she was.
What did it matter if Jackal worked out?
I just needed to muster a little courage and approach him...
Let's kill the Demon King.
Killing the monster who did that to Floa will fix everything.
"Rayleigh!"
Slap!
A sharp sting flared across her cheek.
Her face burned.
Her mind cleared like a lightning strike.
"Huh?"
Kina had slapped her.
"Kina...?"
"What are you doing? Forgot our mission? We're here to assess the situation and confirm if a Demon King is really in that dungeon."
"Ah..."
"Don't talk about killing the Demon King."
Her thoughts must have slipped out.
"Sorry."
"Fine."
"Let's head back. It's definitely the Demon King. Otherwise, Floa wouldn't have..."
"Get a grip, Rayleigh."
"What?"
Kina gripped her shoulders and continued.
"I regret Floa's death too. But we don't know yet. She might've died to the Demon King inside the dungeon. Or maybe ambushed by other adventurers. We can't report back without confirming. We need to stay objective."
Tears welled in Kina's eyes too.
"Mission first. Revenge for Floa comes after."
Ah.
Kina, who always just smiled, was more mature than me.
Rayleigh wiped her tears and nodded.
"Got it. I'll do that. I lost it. Sorry..."
"As long as you understand."
Rayleigh vowed.
After the mission, she'd find Floa's killer and make them suffer the same.
"Kingdom mages?"
"Yes. They've set up camp in Lorangleble with two hundred soldiers."
Yulia's report drew a groan from me.
'Faster than expected.'
Our dungeon's fame was only D-rank.
But that didn't stop the kingdom mages from showing up.
Random encounters at work again.
Damn game always spawned random adventurers, often one or two ranks higher than our fame warranted.
A-rank or higher showing up at a D-rank fame dungeon wasn't rare.
'Come to think of it, A-rank adventurers have been visiting pretty often lately.'
With my growth, I'd forgotten—Frederica and Rebecca both had A-rank adventurer levels.
"Kingdom mages don't show unless you're at least B-rank..."
Dealing with kingdom mages was a pain.
Not their personal strength.
Killing one mobilized the full kingdom might.
They'd assemble troops to subjugate the dungeon, deploy armies.
Worst case, conscript every local lord.
And if luck was really bad...
'A hero popping up is the real nightmare.'
Heros were especially tricky for me.
Bad elemental matchups meant pouring everything—traps, monsters—to win.
I'd even abused glitches to beat one as a level 1 Demon King.
But now? Different story.
I'd powered up, and unlike before, I had capable subordinates beyond just traps and monsters.
"Perfect for a test run."
Just right to see how my stats stacked against the game's.
"They brought their own troops?"
"Yes."
"Then we'll need to prepare big. Gargoyle."
-Grrrk.
"Your time to shine has come."
-Grk grk grk!
The gargoyle spread its arms excitedly.
Time to smash those arrogant invaders.
"By the way, Yulia."
"Yes, Demon King."
"How'd you know? That kingdom mages hit Lorangleble."
I hadn't sensed a thing yet.
"Just in case, I scout periodically."
She bowed gracefully.
Maid outfit this morning—her ample cleavage teasing my eyes delightfully.
"You've done well."
"Anything for you, Demon King."
"Won't even have sex with me."
"Necessary sacrifice for your safety."
"I know. How much you care."
Problem is, it drives me crazier with lust.
Wish she'd just go naked.
That teasing almost-there peek is hornier sometimes.
Like now.
"She still asleep?"
"You spent all day yesterday entwined with her. She's exhausted."
"Still, time to wake up. Emergency. Rouse all the zonked-out ones."
"Yes, sir."
Aslan Kingdom, mid-sized with Dibel Forest in its grasp.
A tedious war of attrition ahead.
Obviously tilted against me.
"What a hassle."
Repel the Kingdom Mages
📍 Target: Rayleigh 0/1
📍 Target: Kina 0/1
Quest popped too.
Now, how should I cook them up?