A Shocking Declaration

Someone shut that bastard's mouth...

Click, clack. The elegant sound of heels drew closer. Rosesha's smiling face was sly, completely mismatched with the heavy atmosphere. Watching her, my anxiety melted away like spring snow. If I had to choose the most reassuring and reliable ally in this ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠current situation, it was hands down Rosesha.

When the footsteps stopped, Rosesha was standing right in front of me. Before she could even speak, Drabule and Karleon bowed deeply.

"We greet the Supreme One."

Along with relief, a corner of my mind felt utterly dazed. I had clearly heard that the other Lords of the Mugan 7-gung only attended the Round Table conference itself.

Rosesha gave a deep, sultry smile and licked her lips. It was just like her to act coquettishly at any given moment.

"You should have told me beforehand, Darling. Then we could have come together."

Mmm, Rosesha hummed softly as she scanned our surroundings.

"But what's going on here? It doesn't exactly look like a welcoming party for you."

Agitation spread like wildfire across the faces of the gathered Lords. It wasn't my imagination; the air grew heavy and suffocating from her presence alone. All around us, without needing to be told, everyone bowed respectfully.

Rosesha, her lips still curled in a smirk, locked her eyes onto Babayaga.

"Hello, Granny Baba."

"..."

"Is your back stiff, Granny? You're usually so bent over."

Only then did Babayaga bow. The troll shaman's shoulders trembled violently with humiliation.

"I greet the Supreme Lord of the Mugan."

"You've aged so much since I last saw you. You should take better care of yourself. Look at me. I'm over a thousand years older than you, yet I don't have a single wrinkle."

Numerous footsteps approached Rosesha from the darkness. I assumed they were the Lords belonging to Rosesha's faction. Seeing them immediately bow, my guess was proven correct.

"""We greet the Queen of the Eternal Night."""

With a flick of Rosesha's finger, they straightened their backs. The vampire Lord standing at the front spoke up.

"We had no idea you were coming today. Why did you not send word ahead...?"

"Yes, well, I didn't plan on coming either. I only stopped by to see Bargore because I heard he was here. So, how are you going to explain this situation to me?"

Rosesha's smile remained playful, but an incredibly sharp, dangerous edge lurked beneath it.

"From where I'm standing, it looks like you're all ganging up to bury Bargore. Did I see that right?"

No one dared to open their mouth, and a heavy silence filled the room. Silence meant assent. The playful smile on Rosesha's face instantly froze over.

"So you lot just stood by and watched instead of taking his side? Even though you know exactly what kind of relationship Bargore and I have?"

"...We have no excuse."

"No, it's fine. I get it. You only met him today. But you won't do it again, right? Now that I'm here, you should at least try to read the room. Don't you think?"

The moment she finished speaking, the Lords of her faction lined up behind her. Their position also happened to be right behind my back.

...Well, this suddenly feels incredibly reassuring.

Click. Taking a step forward, Rosesha poked Babayaga's shoulder.

"I heard the news, Granny. You crawled under the Elderich's wing, didn't you?"

"..."

"I guess that means we only have reasons to glare at each other from now on. Well, that's your choice, of course."

Suddenly, my hand was lifted into the air. Rosesha had laced her fingers through mine, raising our joined hands and swaying them playfully. I was flustered, but thankfully, my undead face couldn't betray my emotions.

"Explain it to me. Who do you think you are, cornering Bargore like this?"

"..."

"Do you even know who I am? No, before that, do you even know who he is?"

In the silent banquet hall, Rosesha's voice was the only sound.

"He is not a Lord that trash like you can touch. He is a Lord of the Mugan, just like me. If anyone gets to touch him, it's me. Like this."

Poke, poke. Rosesha jabbed my cheek with her fingertip. Her action was so utterly out of place for the situation that I was temporarily dazed.

"Hehe."

"...Stop."

"Okay, Darling."

I didn't show it, but honestly, I was fucking grateful. If it weren't for Rosesha-noona, I would have been in Babayaga's shoes right now.

"Granny. Are you going to keep playing mute?"

"..."

"I don't care if I slaughter every single one of you here. You all know, don't you? I always do whatever the hell I want."

"I-If you do that, Lord Calandas—"

"So what?"

Rosesha grabbed Babayaga's seaweed-like hair in a tight grip.

"Why should I care what that skeleton does? I said I want to kill you all."

"..."

"Ah, how pitiful. Did you think I was someone you could threaten, Granny? I absolutely despise being looked at like that. What should I do? Maybe I should gouge your eyes out."

"How can you do this in the sacred assembly hall..."

"I am more sacred. Did you forget? The Mugan 7-gung are the very origin of the inviolable. No law can bind me."

An intangible aura began to creep up around Rosesha. As if affected by it, all of Babayaga's movements froze completely. Even the microscopic movements of breathing, and the fingertips that had been trembling with terror, stopped dead.

Though invisible to the eye, the intangible pressure had completely bound Babayaga's body.

At first, I thought she was just saying she'd gouge her eyes out in a fit of anger. But Rosesha's fingertips actually moved toward Babayaga's eye.

"L-Lord Rosesha?"

"I think this is the only way to calm my anger. I won't kill you. I'll leave you one eyeball."

"A-Ah, aaah... AAAAAHHH!"

Her delicate fingertips pierced the retina, relentlessly digging into the pupil. Dark red blood splattered in all directions. *Squelch, squelch.* The screams and the sickening sound of tearing flesh overlapped, creating a deeply unpleasant symphony.

The other Lords, myself included, could only watch the scene. No one could utter a single word.

Rip! Finally, the bundle of optic nerves and capillaries were ripped out by the roots on the tips of Rosesha's fingers. Rosesha casually tossed the eyeball aside.

"Ugh, gross."

As she casually reached her hand to the side, Drabule offered her a handkerchief. The eyeball bounced on the floor like a rubber ball. Once I reminded myself that it was an actual eyeball, that thought vanished instantly.

Rosesha waved her hand. With that, the invisible binding seemed to release, and Babayaga collapsed, supporting herself on the floor. Even though she was clutching her face with one hand, dark red blood poured out endlessly.

Even watching it with my own eyes, I couldn't believe it. How was she going to handle the aftermath of this? Was this how Charlotte felt when I killed Gergoar? That feeling of being worried about the fallout, yet feeling incredibly refreshed deep down.

"Ah, AAAAH!"

"Now you're a cyclops, Granny. Shall I pluck out the other one? You were already acting blind anyway. Isn't that why you dared to touch my Bargore?"

"Aaargh... S-S-Sorry..."

Rumbleeee— Seeing the stone gate slide open, an ominous premonition washed over me. And my bad feelings were never wrong.

A chilling death energy spread gloomily through the air. The lower-ranked Lords trembled, their faces turning pale. Charlotte and Balutak showed slight shifts in expression, but they stubbornly resisted the death energy. These two truly belonged to the ranks of the strong.

From the depths of the darkness, a faint, eerie light gleamed. Floating above it was a pale red number.

To Estizel, the reality unfolding before her eyes felt like an absolute illusion. I heard they were only supposed to attend the Round Table conference! First Rosesha, and now Calandas... Why on earth are there three Lords of the Mugan here?! The timing was spiraling out of control, doubling her terror. But when she thought about it...

Wait, is this because of me?!

The root cause of all this conflict lay squarely with the 72nd Lord, Estizel herself. It had all started when Babayaga used her as a pretext to pick a fight with Bargore. After that, Rosesha had appeared and gouged out Babayaga's eye, and now, Calandas had made his grand entrance.

Rank 8 Babayaga. Rank 7 Bargore. Rank 6 Valentia Rosesha. Rank 5 Calandas Bon Elderich.

Normally, Estizel should have been watching this unfold from a safe, distant corner. The absolute bottom of the 72 Dungeons, Rank 72. How could someone like her possibly interject herself among the Mugan 7-gung?

Yet, her current position placed her right in front of the Lords of the Mugan. The sheer sense of crisis, as if she were standing in the very eye of a hurricane, made her head spin. On top of that, the overwhelming pressure radiating from Rosesha and the death energy swirling from Calandas were clashing violently. In the wake of their clashing auras, Estizel found it difficult to move even a single finger. A primal terror gripped her mind and body.

I want to go home...!

She felt like she would pass out if she had to endure this any longer. Honestly, fainting right now seemed like a blessing... Estizel wanted nothing more than to escape this situation this very instant.

*Sssss—* The breath of the dead leaking from his mouth blanketed the ground like a thick fog. Arriving before us, Calandas finally reined in his death energy. As if finally permitted to breathe, the lower-ranked Lords gasped for air in unison.

Calandas's gaze locked onto Rosesha first.

"It has been a while, Queen of Whores."

"Indeed, it has. King ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠of Corpses."

The moment he arrived, Rosesha's signature playful smile vanished without a trace. One could easily tell they were bitter enemies just by the sheer tension clashing between them. Naturally, Calandas's gaze shifted to me. More precisely, to my Holy Sword. He was clearly wary of it.

"I did not expect us to meet in such a manner. How regrettable. I truly believed you and I would get along quite well."

"A pity."

"Ah, I see your human lieutenant has accompanied you as well."

Charlotte merely gave a silent nod. Grudges aside, there was absolutely no reason for the lieutenant of a Mugan 7-gung Lord to bow to a hostile rival Lord.

"Bargore. I have heard much of your exploits. I hear you slew Wilhelm, following Valmonk."

"And?"

"Thanks to you, humanity's grand hopes have been cut in half. I offer you my unreserved congratulations."

I responded only with a silent, cold stare. At that, Calandas let out a dry chuckle.

"Do not be so guarded. I am merely on my way to the subterranean Round Table. I have no desire to waste my time here. However..."

Babayaga was clutching her eye, head bowed low. Calandas's gaze lingered on her for a moment.

"I cannot simply overlook this."

"I did that," Rosesha snorted. "What are you going to do about it?"

"Then I must repay the favor in kind."

—!

A sharp crack of breaking air resounded.

"AAAAHHH!"

A scream tore from the mouth of a vampire whose back was bent backward. It was none other than one of the Lords belonging to Rosesha's faction. Just as Babayaga had, he clutched his eye, groaning in agony. And just as Rosesha had done, Calandas let out a cold snort.

"Now that is a much better sight."

"...You."

"What is the matter? I merely repaid the debt in full."

"Do you want me to gouge your eyes out too?"

"Let us settle our disputes at the Round Table. That would be the proper respect shown to a fellow Lord of the Mugan."

As if he had nothing left to do, Calandas began to walk past the crowd. I wished he would just keep walking, but nothing ever ended easily.

"Yet, a question arises. Is there not too much to lose by bringing Bargore into the Red Moon Faction?"

The Red Moon Faction was, contextually, Rosesha's faction. Suddenly associating me with them... At this point, I was practically in, but nothing had been officially confirmed. Whether to accept me into her faction was entirely her decision. Perhaps Calandas was asking because he wanted a definitive answer.

"Only yesterday, he killed the Rank 21 Lord with his own hands. Furthermore, his lieutenant is a human, and he is even shielding that half-demon behind him."

At his words, Rosesha glanced at Estizel, who was hiding behind my back. Her expression was far from pleasant.

"Do you still not see? Rank 7 Bargore advocates for humans. If you bring such an impure element into your faction, what will the other Lords of the ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠Mugan think?"

So he wasn't trying to get a straight answer; he was trying to drive a wedge between us. The bastard who was just congratulating me for killing two heroes is now instantly turning around to sow discord between Rosesha and me. No matter how much the 72 Lords hate humans, Rosesha wouldn't abandon me. To the outside world, I've slain two heroes, and Rosesha owes me a massive debt of gratitude. Just looking at her level color, it was a deep pink. There was no way she would fall for his cheap tongue.

"You seem to be mistaken. He is not a member of my faction."

Rosesha slowly let go of my hand. Even as my hand felt suddenly empty, I couldn't believe it. I didn't expect her to draw the line so clearly in front of almost every Lord here. Just as I was about to ask if she was serious, Rosesha suddenly threw her arms around me, pulling me into a tight embrace that instantly shut my mouth.

"I'm helping him because he's my husband. Why? Do you have a problem with that?"

...Wait, what did she just say?

A stunned silence fell over the room, and every single person was left utterly dumbfounded. Only Rosesha laughed out loud.

"He's my husband. If I don't take his side, who will?"

"...Sophistry."

Although his skeletal face remained unchanged, even Calandas seemed momentarily taken aback. To be completely honest, I was the most shocked of all. To think she would make such a bombshell declaration in front of all these Lords.

"Believe it or not. Weren't you on your way to the subterranean Round Table? If you're done here, get lost."

"Very well. We shall continue our conversation at the Round Table. Bargore, my friend... it is not too late."

With those final words, Calandas walked away. The crazy bastard beats someone up and then tries to recruit them. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠He definitely has a screw loose in his skull.

Only after Calandas disappeared into the subterranean depths did the collective breathing of the crowd return. With the situation temporarily settled, Drabule helped up the groaning vampire Lord.

We're both skeletons, so how can we be so completely different?

Meanwhile, the surrounding gazes kept darting back and forth between Rosesha and me. I couldn't help but feel highly conscious of the bizarre atmosphere.

"Rosesha. Since when did I become your husband?"

"Hmm? We promised to marry, didn't we? Was I wrong?"

"I have no such memory."

"Hehe. True. We aren't quite at that stage yet."

Rosesha's eyes curved into crescent moons. "Key word being yet."

"..."

A chill ran down my spine. The psychological pressure was immense, making me feel like a mouse trapped in front of a cat. Glancing around out of the corner of my eye, it seemed the misunderstanding had been cleared up for the others, thankfully.

"But Darling, who is this?"

Rosesha's fingertip poked the crown of Estizel's head. Estizel was trembling like a mouse in front of a lion.

"It looks like you took her side. Am I right?"

"She is the Rank 72 Lord whom I have my eye on."

"Mmm, I think I'll need an explanation."

"She is a Lord of high potential. Though her rank is low now, I expect a major shift soon."

This was the absolute truth, without a single lie. Of course, whether Rosesha believed me was entirely up to her.

Just then, Rosesha leaned in and whispered in my ear.

"Hey, Darling... do you happen to like humans?"

"..."

My honest answer was, of course, yes. After all, even if my body was undead, my soul was still human. Fortunately, Rosesha was the polar opposite of Calandas in many ways. For one, far from hating humans, she actually advocated for them. Succubi fed on human lust, so if humanity vanished from the world, succubi would soon face extinction. In short, Rosesha's defense of humans wasn't out of personal affection; it was purely for the survival of her species.

"I do not dislike them."

It was a vague answer, but it was the correct one. Rosesha's sultry laughter tickled my ear.

"Then that means I have a chance too. I look just like a human, don't I?"

"...?"

Wait, that was the intention behind your question?!

"I'm always open. Anytime is fine, you know?"

Rosesha ran a sensual hand along the nape of my neck. She was completely shameless, even with hundreds of eyes watching us. Pushing her away after she had just helped me would only make things awkward, so I stood still.

Soon, she stopped and turned her gaze toward Charlotte.

"So you're that human lieutenant?"

"I greet the Queen of the Night."

"Mmm, you're cute, but you lack charm. A woman needs to be a bit more expressive. With a stiff face like that, you'll stay single for the rest of your life."

"..."

"And beside you... an Insectoid?"

"Kirik. Nice to meet you-dak. I am Balutak, the right hand of the Great Chief-dak. Is the Queen the Great Chief's mate-dak?"

Holy shit, what did he just say? He literally just called a Lord of the Mugan his 'mate'. It was an act of extreme insolence, enough to get his head chopped off on the spot.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Karleon rest his hand on the hilt of his sword. If Rosesha so much as nodded, Balutak would be dead before he could make another sound.

"Ahaha! I like you, Insectoid."

Unexpected laughter burst from her lips. Rosesha wiped away a tear of mirth from the corner of her eye. Then, she wrapped an arm tightly around my waist.

"That's right. I am this man's mate."

"Kirik. You make a very well-matched couple-dak. I will cheer for you-dak."

"You have good eyes for an Insectoid. Thank you. Just so you know, I plan on taking your Great Chief down soon."

"Kirik? What does 'taking down' mean-dak?"

"Devouring him. In a different sense."

The conversation was getting bizarre, but at least I could breathe a sigh of relief. It was a miracle that it was Rosesha; if it had been any other Boss of the Mugan 7-gung, Balutak would have been killed instantly. Rosesha didn't care about public opinion or her reputation; her attitude shifted entirely based on her amusement and mood. In a way, Balutak was only alive because she found his words genuinely funny. Otherwise, it wouldn't have been surprising if his head was rolling on the floor by now.

"Kirik. Balutak has learned a new word-dak. I will use it on Buraltak-dak."

"...Huh? Bu... what?"

"Buraltak. My mate-dak."

Oh, for fuck's sake. Someone shut that bastard's mouth.

For a moment, Rosesha's face went completely blank. It was the first time I had ever seen such an expression on her face, which was usually locked in a constant smile.

"Ahaha... You're a bit... more intense than me."

"Kirik?"

Honestly, I'm the one dying of embarrassment here. Who the hell brought this bug along?