Chapter 134
Chapter 134
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 134
Chapter Title: Military Parade (3)
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“Ugh—having to inspect the military parade is seriously the worst—”
On a quiet balcony, Liza flailed her arms and legs while sitting in her chair as she spoke.
⋯⋯I’d seen it before, but she really was incredibly free-spirited for a margrave.
Her lighthearted vibe and overall demeanor were just like a typical girl her age, nothing more.
Gazing at the streets below teeming with crowds, Liza puffed out her cheeks and continued.
“Oppa, what brings you around here? Even with that kid from last time.”
“I thought I’d let her have a look around.”
Liza’s gaze lingered on Blackie, still perched atop Carlyle’s head.
It eyed her warily. Then, it slowly climbed down from his head and stood on its two legs atop Carlyle’s thigh as he sat in the chair.
⋯⋯It was like it was positioning itself in front to shield him, as if Liza might do something to Carlyle.
“My, how cute.”
Oblivious or not, Liza just giggled as she watched.
“Still, it’s a relief. The capital was in real danger not long ago, right? Now that it’s safe, you’re taking her out sightseeing.”
“It’s not completely safe, honestly. We’ve learned there’s an even bigger threat.”
“Huh?”
“There are groups plotting the manifestation of the Duke of Flies.”
“⋯⋯.”
Liza turned to Carlyle with a hardened expression.
“What’s that? First I’ve heard of it. More importantly, is it okay to tell me about something like that?”
“It’s about one of the seven Archdemons, the one in charge of ‘Greed.’ A total bastard, just like the other Archdemons.”
Liza’s expression grew more aghast by the second.
“⋯⋯What’s an Archdemon?”
“The seven rulers of Pandemonium. Arrogance, Stinginess, Jealousy, Greed, Sloth, Lust, Wrath.”
Each ruler typically required extremely stringent conditions to manifest in the Material Realm.
In every cycle Carlyle had experienced, those conditions had all been met starting with the capital’s destruction, opening the Hellgate.
“Those names sound terrifying—wouldn’t it be a huge disaster if any of them revived?”
“Yes. If even one’s conditions are properly fulfilled, it’s over.”
“Over how?”
“Humanity ends. If even one is properly released.”
“⋯⋯.”
Liza shot him a look like he was exaggerating, but he wasn’t even close.
Gray wasn’t even fully grown yet, and if those things emerged into the Material Realm, no one could stop them right away.
“They’re demigods by default⋯⋯ Once the conditions are met, they’re essentially divine beings. It’d be a catastrophe. Best to never encounter them at all.”
“You’re dropping some awfully heavy stuff for a chance encounter, Oppa.”
“No. It’s more accurate to say I sought you out.”
“⋯⋯?”
At Carlyle’s smiling words, Liza tilted her head with a puzzled look.
“I figured you’d approach me pretending it was a coincidence.”
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Gray Chasefield scratched her head absently as she walked.
Fireworks exploded beyond the imperial palace banquet hall, and dazzling lights rained down on the night streets as she walked alone, silently swallowing the irritation bubbling up in her throat.
What to say.
Honestly, she was a bit dissatisfied.
‘The military parade has so much good food.’
It was an event meant to showcase the Empire’s prowess, but true to its billing as the Empire’s grandest festival, dessert shops were handing out new products left and right.
⋯⋯She wanted sweets.
This was the time when she should have Carlyle scrape together a bunch for her to munch on happily, not get pushed into some ‘duty.’
But refusing a request from Carlyle felt off too.
If it was something she couldn’t handle, he wouldn’t have singled her out in the first place.
Just the private chamber inside the party hall she entered so casually was a place unknown even to most, reserved for those at the Empire’s core of power.
Without her titles as the Grand Duke’s daughter and humanity’s shield, she wouldn’t have set foot inside.
Thanks to those privileges, she quickly spotted her targets.
“You guys, there’s too manyyy⋯⋯”
The First Prince and Second Princess stuffing food into Rachel’s mouth—her cheeks bulging full—were pretty conspicuous anyway. Not a hard task.
Theodore and Bellatrix were taking turns piling food into Rachel’s tear-glazed eyes.
“Your Highness, Princess, I’m so full⋯⋯”
“Heh heh. You still need to eat a bit more, don’t you? Vitality is key to recovery.”
“This is food tortureee⋯⋯”
At Rachel’s whimpering voice, the prince responded with guilt-laden words.
“⋯⋯You have to be able to handle at least this much.”
“⋯⋯.”
Rachel’s eyes flicked around briefly.
Both the prince’s and princess’s gazes were fixed on her leg, replaced by a prosthetic.
“Y-you don’t need to worry about me, can I stop eating now⋯⋯?”
The surrounding noble aides watched her tearfully plead with smirks.
Their looks held a warmth like they were proud of their own daughter.
Gray flicked her ear as she took it all in.
‘For real.’
Thanks to her heroic exploits saving the capital this time, even the nobles who’d doubted Rachel’s value now viewed her favorably.
No need to mention the prince and princess who’d always doted on her.
What to say.
Here was a girl loved by all.
The prince and princess—ruthlessly pragmatic in state affairs—gazed at Rachel like she was their own child.
“You guys really like her, huh.”
At Gray’s words, the prince and princess noticed her and turned.
“Ah, Hero. Here for the banquet? I can recommend dishes if you want.”
“Listen.”
Ignoring the prince, Gray spoke lowly.
“Why do you like her so much?”
“⋯⋯.”
Question marks floated on everyone nearby’s faces.
What to say.
It almost sounded like she was picking a fight.
Out of nowhere, at this lovable girl.
Theodore’s and Bellatrix’s expressions stiffened.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Honestly, no matter how I think about it, something’s off. You two act like you’d hand over your livers and gallbladders for her.”
“⋯⋯Hero. Whatever your intent with those rude words, you’d better apologize right—”
Theodore’s eyes widened mid-sentence.
Gray had drawn her holy sword.
“All she’s done so far is spread ‘demon’-related info around. Right?”
“Gray Chasefield. Stop this instant. What outrage is this?”
“She’s never once even pretended to ‘predict the future.’ Has she?”
Something.
⋯⋯Thinking about it, something was off.
Did this girl Rachel really deserve such adoration from all who led the nation?
Had she ever shown anything remarkable enough to earn the grand title of ‘prophet’?
Gray knew well how cold-blooded those at the core of power could be.
Twisted personalities abounded, and plenty didn’t even see commoners as human.
And yet.
They were showing this level of favor to someone just for one feat?
-⋯⋯I fell for it too, honestly. Weird, right.
Carlyle’s voice from not long ago echoed in her mind.
-I’ve met so many frauds claiming to be prophets or seers. But I believed she was the real deal just because she knew a bit more about ‘demons’ than average—not true precognition of the future.
He’d benefited from her help in battle, but it wasn’t impressive enough to call genuine foresight.
Yet even Carlyle had thought it was real and accepted her as a comrade.
Info on demons was something anyone could spout if ‘someone’ fed it to them.
Not easy to access, but hardly prophecy-worthy.
Yeah.
This girl was receiving wildly excessive goodwill for her actions.
As if someone was deliberately ‘manipulating’ everyone to believe it.
And the result.
“This Rachel girl.”
Gray grinned slyly.
“One word from her, and you all would do anything she says?”
With the Emperor unconscious now.
The de facto top leaders—the prince, princess, and all imperial executives—were utterly smitten with this girl.
Any ‘future info’ she mentioned, and they’d tailor every plan around it.
Paradoxically, as the reward for averting the capital’s doom.
She held a switch that, if abused, could doom the entire Empire.
So.
“If she decided to betray you.”
Suppose.
Just suppose.
If she had that intent.
“The Empire would be done for that day. Right?”
Too convenient a story.
“Hero, if you don’t stop, I’ll call the Guard—!”
Such shouts were futile.
The next moment.
Gray’s body shot forward like an arrow.
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“What do you mean?”
Liza cocked her head sideways.
“Why would I seek you out, Oppa?”
As she said that, Carlyle gently grasped Blackie and moved it aside.
Blackie looked up at him with wide eyes, but he nodded reassuringly and set it quietly behind him.
Thinking about it.
Rachel, this woman, Blackie—all had shown intensely hostile reactions. Worth noting.
Blackie’s default stance toward others was ‘wary,’ and it rarely deviated.
For it to act that way was truly unusual.
⋯⋯Unless they’d done something to it.
And among them, its hostility toward Liza was slightly less intense. Interesting.
Blackie was clever, but it operated on beast logic.
It didn’t challenge ‘unwinnable foes’ unless forced.
Naturally.
Few beings in the world wouldn’t even consider tangling with a catastrophe-level magical beast.
It had scrapped with Gray without hesitation.
“Liza, thinking back, you played quite the prank from the first meeting.”
Recalling memories.
Gray hadn’t sensed the two demons imprisoned in the palace dungeon at all when they were torn apart.
When Liza first used her ‘illusion,’ even the Hero inside the holy sword felt nothing.
Superhumans at the world’s peak.
They’d missed phenomena clearly wrought by abilities right beside them.
Two Heroes experiencing the same was intriguing. Not easy, so likely the same culprit.
“Oppa, what on earth are you talking about?”
“I just explained, didn’t I? Archdemons require all sorts of stringent conditions to manifest in the Material Realm.”
Carlyle said calmly.
Across cycles, the Archdemons had emerged one by one through specific events.
Not all summoned from the start.
But one exception.
A figure coordinating the groups plotting those Archdemons’ revivals.
The one that relentlessly tormented Carlyle every regression from the early stages.
“There’s one I really hate.”
With those words.
The bracelet on Carlyle’s wrist transformed into a holy sword.
As the Hero’s mana exploded from his body, a sword strike whipped out like lightning.
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Gray’s sword plunged straight into Rachel’s heart.
Then.
-Instead of blood, something black oozed from her chest.
◆
Carlyle’s sword plunged straight into Liza’s heart.
Liza stared blankly at it, eyes wide.
“Hello. First time meeting, but I’m sick of you already.”
First time for her, maybe.
But Carlyle had seen her every cycle.
He figured this greeting was fair.
“⋯⋯Honestly curious, though. How many years ago did you infiltrate the palace?”
Carlyle gazed steadily into Liza’s eyes.
When she’d entered the Empire as ‘Margrave.’
When she’d planted the girl Rachel in the power core.
When she’d eroded the Emperor into unconsciousness.
⋯⋯When she’d begun corrupting the mightiest human nation’s roots.
He wondered, but not ‘how’ she’d done it.
He knew her.
And what she was capable of.
“⋯⋯.”
He glanced down.
The holy sword was embedded where a human heart should be.
A clearly fatal strike.
Yet she stood unscathed, like a mosquito on skin.
From her pierced chest, not blood but something black oozed out.
Just looking at it burned his eyes like rot.
⋯⋯His heart shriveled.
He’d stabbed her heart, yet viewing it overwhelmed him instead.
And.
To evoke this sensation even under the Hero’s mana—only one race in the world.
“Huh.”
Liza stuck out her tongue slightly.
“How’d you figure it out?”
As if genuinely flustered, she scratched her cheek dramatically.
“Oppa, do you already know my name?”
Of course.
“⋯⋯Lust, Mother Goat, Asmodeus—which should I use?”
“Damn. I was trying to surprise you.”
Sheepishly, the Archdemon smiled.
A bewitching smile.
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