Chapter 78
Chapter 78
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 78
Chapter Title: I Won't Yield Even a Single Drop (2)
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Arrogance and carelessness.
They were like a colorless, odorless poison. More insidious than anything else, they seeped in without anyone noticing at first.
By the time you realized something was wrong, it was already far too late. All you could do was wait for death to creep closer.
'I've already suffered massive setbacks from arrogance and carelessness once before. If I repeat that mistake again, I'd be more than just an ordinary fool—I'd be an idiot.'
Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will be undefeated in a hundred battles.
Could there be any old saying more fitting, born from hard-earned experience?
The discussion couldn't drag on. No one knew how long the Lost Empire could hold out against the alliance.
But even in that short time, Cain had been steadily gathering information on the Lost Empire.
Yet there, he discovered an unexpected common thread. Shockingly few people knew much about them in detail.
Cain didn't let that absurd discrepancy slide. There had to be something more to it.
'Does this even make sense? I could understand if it were just the territory's residents... but not even the nobles know anything?'
The nobles had at least some strategic knowledge about the wyverns and the Seven Kings Beasts, if not everything...
But the Lost Empire? They only knew it through rampant rumors—no one had solid intel.
Not even Crown Prince Siegfried. For the crown prince, who had the alliance pierced through like an open book, to know nothing about the Lost Empire?
To gloss over such an impossible inconsistency would make him a failing general.
Fortunately, there was someone he could turn to for help. Or rather, not quite human?
The wyverns and beastkin, once among the four major powers of the Demonic Realm... they might know something.
"Ras, the wyvern leader, has gladly answered the lord's summons."
"I am Ryuku, representing the beastkin. I hope you've been well."
A massive wyvern descended from the sky amid a fierce gust, accompanied by a white-haired woman with beastly ears.
Ras, the new wyvern leader, and Ryuku, newly ascended as the catfolk chieftain.
Cain watched the wyvern and beastkin leaders offer awkward courtesies, then waved them off.
"Skip the pointless greetings. What do you know about the Lost Empire?"
"Plenty. They're a cruel, seductive bunch—terrifyingly so."
"Not the kind of thing you want to tangle with. I've seen one burst out of a comrade's gut after eating him."
Ryuku answered with utter disgust, and Ras's expression wasn't much brighter.
Watching them, Cain was certain. They definitely knew something.
Looking back, it made no sense for the four major powers of the Demonic Realm to have so little information available.
The Empire's intelligence department was sharp enough to track even the movements of Masters, let alone the alliance's armies.
How could they possibly fail to grasp the actions of the Demonic Realm's four powers, where concepts like information warfare didn't even exist?
Reading Cain's unease, Ryuku and Ras quickly spilled what they knew.
"We aren't human, so we couldn't learn much... but they seem to have the power to enchant humans."
"Enchant? You mean seduce?"
"Yes. I've seen them lead droves of humans away without any resistance."
"Even among them were what humans call 'knights'—the strong ones."
'They crave blood, have near-immortal regeneration, and now seduction too? The puzzle's starting to come together.'
Seduction was a variable he hadn't anticipated. If he'd relied solely on Defeat Regression and charged in blindly...
His own men turning swords on each other—a nightmare Cain didn't even want to imagine.
But Cain had no intention of repeating past arrogance this time.
As he pondered seduction, a sudden question struck him. How were they unaffected?
"How are you two fine?"
"Their seduction seems limited to 'humans.' It doesn't work on non-humans like us."
"But even that's only for 'ordinary seduction,' it seems."
"You mean there's a higher power?"
"Not just beastkin or wyverns... there was even a monster that seduced the undead summoned by necromancers."
Real talk?
If it could seduce beyond humans to other races entirely, that was a monster transcending all limits.
But no matter the seduction, it wouldn't work on Master-level powerhouses.
"So doesn't that mean the alliance can still take them down?"
"We can't say for sure. They have absurd variables."
"Variables?"
"They excel at disguise and even concealing their presence—stealth. They can hide anywhere and stalk prey."
The Lost Empire's seduction activated just by eye contact, apparently.
In other words... they could infiltrate the territory, make covert eye contact, and seduce targets.
The moment Cain realized that, chills ran down his spine. What if they'd already sneaked in?
Ryuku smirked mischievously, wickedly, as she watched Cain's face pale.
"Rest easy. Any who'd infiltrated the territory or tried to—we beastkin drove them out long ago."
"Nonsense. The wyverns were keeping them in check before that."
"Hold on. You knew this all along and didn't report it to me?"
This was serious. If they'd secretly allied with the Lost Empire out of ill intent...
Of course, with Defeat Regression, defeat wouldn't happen...
He might've been taken out without knowing why. Without just cause, this would warrant military law.
But their response casually exceeded Cain's expectations. Ryuku and Ras tilted their heads.
"Did we need to report it?"
"We handled it ourselves, didn't we?"
"......"
Ah, right.
These were beasts.
Only then did Cain realize he'd expected too much from them. It was only natural, really.
Wyverns aside, beastkin looked human but lived beastly lives.
In short, expecting human military hierarchy and chain of command from them was pointless.
'At least I've figured out why intel on the Lost Empire is so scarce.'
Most who encountered them would fall to seduction and become their slaves...
◇◇◇◆◇◇◇ Lost Empire.
Monsters claiming descent from the Immortal Lord, the absolute ruler who once dominated the continent.
Their goal: reclaim the ancient lands once ruled by the Immortal Lord. At least, that was their grand cause.
A woman with intense red hair sat on the crimson throne, gazing arrogantly down at her vassals.
Her red hair and eyes exuded a seduction so potent it could enchant even corpses and ghosts.
She'd even succeeded in seducing one of the Empire's past Masters—no words needed.
"Oh, our sovereign."
"Grant us lowly slaves immortal youth and eternal life..."
"Restore the glory of the old Empire..."
Three hundred souls. All but the one on the throne knelt, begging before their single lord.
The woman on the throne watched the scene impassively, as if it were nothing remarkable.
To her, it was all too familiar. Night's Emperor... the Immortal Lord's blood heir.
Scarlett Royal Blood. Though from her perspective, it was somewhat unfair.
'Why assume I'm just a descendant... when I'm the Immortal Lord herself.'
Once, she'd been consumed by ambition, building a vast empire and amassing endless treasures.
But in the end, she abandoned it all and secluded herself in some quiet corner.
Why would someone at the pinnacle suddenly forsake everything? The answer was disappointingly mundane.
'It's so boring. Nothing stimulates me anymore. I just want to sleep forever...'
Even the most moving play grows tiresome with repetition. She'd grown weary of the world.
She'd even passed time with self-harm out of sheer boredom. Even that lost its thrill after less than a century...
Thus, she sat on the throne like a corpse, blankly letting time pass. And so it would continue.
At least, until something new—something she'd never experienced—finally stirred her.