281. The Absolute One
281. The Absolute One
- 1 -
After meeting Dantalion at the Baritra Marquis Household's villa, I returned to the dungeon and headed to the room where the core was located.
Hwaak!
When I placed my hand on the altar made of black marble, mana flowed along the altar, dyeing the entire room in violet light.
The core had grown much smaller than before as the integration had progressed considerably.
Yet it still emitted light, holding immense magical power within.
"The Demon King will die. Without fail."
That single phrase filled my head.
The moment I was chosen as the Demon King's successor in the game.
The moment the story of 'Million Dungeon Lord 1' reached its epilogue.
The memory of that time was still vivid.
After the story concluded, the player Dungeon Lord ascended to a position called the 'Demon Realm Archduke' in modern terms.
At the time, even the terminology hadn't been properly established, so they were probably the first Archduke.
『Your successor, Libertas, comes before His Majesty the Demon King.』
And so, the player came face to face with the Demon King.
『Come forth. Winner of the Heir Selection Battle.』
The Demon King sat upon a chair that floated in midair, one that seemed to have been created by his own power.
An existence filled with a paradoxical force and will that could only be described as 'black light.'
『So you are the one who has ended this long 'game.'』
It was an attitude exceedingly... 'indifferent' for greeting the heir of a world.
Even in the close-up portrait of his face, that attitude was revealed in its entirety.
A face that had rested its chin on an armrest, head tilted to the side, gazing down indifferently at the successor.
『As the Demon King's successor, I shall do my utmost to inherit Your Majesty's glory.』
『Glory... If that is how you feel, then I am glad.』
When the player spoke those words, a flicker of change crossed that expression.
How should one describe it — a strange amusement, and something akin to affection.
It was a change like that of a child passing down a cherished toy to a younger sibling.
'Even thinking about it now, they really put a lot of effort into the illustration.'
And then, the Demon King spoke those words to the successor player.
『I shall willingly meet my end, my conclusion. You are the reserve for that. Little Demon King.』
At the time, I had simply thought of it as an ending event in the game.
But now that I had actually come to this world, the weight of those words felt different.
The Demon King dies.
When a successor is decided, the Demon King dies.
At first glance, it seemed like a natural principle. After all, it was only logical for the predecessor to step aside when a successor exists.
But the Demon King was not a mere king; he was an existence close to a god.
Why would such an existence have to die?
'Boredom.'
The answer I arrived at was this.
The boredom of an absolute being who had lived through infinite time.
"Haa..."
I slowly let out a breath. My reflection in the crystal altar was momentarily distorted.
'When it was just a game, I simply thought of it as part of the setting...'
The Demon King and the Goddess did not wage war to kill each other.
Even though they were the only unique existences in this world who could oppose one another.
Even though killing the existence on the other side would leave only themselves as the being capable of ruling this world.
To think they refrained out of some noble sense of duty — but both the Demon King and the Goddess, who had only revealed fragments of themselves in the story, were beings who possessed joy, anger, sorrow, and pleasure.
To have emotions meant to have desires.
Then why would such beings not consider the possibility of becoming the 'complete ruler'?
'No.'
It wasn't that they didn't think about it. Rather, they thought about it constantly, but they evaded it because there was no immediate answer.
'Why are they called Absolute Ones?'
I tilted my head slightly as I looked at my reflection in the crystal.
'It is because they are self-contained beings. Beings who can decide even their own life and death.'
They never met death at the hands of another existence.
That was why the Absolute One's greatest enemy was 'boredom.' For a being who could no longer see anything new, eternal life became a curse, not a blessing.
The current Demon King did not even actively involve himself in choosing his own successor.
Even when the Second Demon Queen, Bellastella, was in danger, he did not move.
Though when I actively rescued her, he did make the decision to remove the First Demon Queen from power.
Probably because he found the situation 'amusing.'
'Since he was already interested in me.'
My guess was that this body, 'Libertas,' was a being born between an Archduke of the Demon Realm and some other divine existence.
An impure bloodline originating from a third being, neither the Demon King nor the Goddess.
The Demon King probably considered the possibility of that bloodline becoming his successor as a new form of entertainment.
Of course, all of this was nothing more than my speculation.
Nevertheless, I thought it was highly likely.
'Should I have talked more?'
Judging by Dantalion's reaction, it was certain that he at least knew something.
I gave it some thought, but then shook my head again.
At that time, there had been no possibility of drawing out that answer, since it seemed to be a memory buried beneath intense anger.
The Demon King's successor. The Demon King. And the Archdukes.
I pondered their relationships and the events that might have occurred in the past, lost in thought for a while.
- 2 -
Deep within the ice palace. Dantalion's private chambers.
"How went your errand, Your Highness?"
Botis, Dantalion's longtime close aide and loyal subordinate, asked.
In his yellow eyes, curiosity and wariness surfaced.
Though his face was covered by a silver mask like Dantalion's, the grotesque skin thick with scales that showed around his mouth beneath it stood out.
Called the Marquis of Folly, he was the one among the marquises serving Dantalion whose ability was the most insignificant, but whose loyalty alone had been uniquely proven.
"It was an interesting meeting."
Dantalion's voice as he adjusted his mask was calm, but his eyes were saying something entirely different.
Hostility.
Competitiveness.
"You seem... to be in an ill temper."
"...Yes. It has been a long time since I've felt something like this. The foe exceeded my expectations."
Dantalion thought about the power he had sensed within Libertas's body.
A heterogeneous force mixed between the darkness of Gluttony and the necromancer's characteristic death energy.
It was something familiar even to Dantalion.
'This feeling that, in a matter I have long labored over, there is one who has set foot before me.'
Jealousy and envy. Dantalion savored that emotion he had not felt in a long time.
Cheureureuk!
Because it was a power similar to the otherworldly force lurking within his body right now.
A power that he himself had acquired through thorough study, yet Libertas bore it within her body as if it were a part of herself.
"This power..."
Dantalion filled his eyes with rage, then suddenly realized his aide was still beside him.
"Leave. I wish to think alone."
"Yes. Your Highness."
Botis withdrew without another word.
Dalgak.
Left alone, Dantalion removed his mask and placed it on the table.
When he closed his eyes and opened them again a moment later, his eyes had changed color.
The whites of his eyes, which had held a subtle iridescent light, were now filled with red veins, and something unidentifiable bulged out from his pupils and then retracted.
This was the reason he had worn a mask all along.
Though he had accepted the otherworldly power and controlled most of it, the power of the Outer God that was not yet under control revealed its traces through one of the most vulnerable parts of his body.
He thought about the reason he had studied that power.
About what had happened roughly 200 years ago.
'It was the Goddess who killed the Demon King's successor.'
And the Demon King did not protect that successor.
No, he did nothing at all.
Udeuk -
Along with the sound of grinding teeth, Dantalion gripped the armrest tightly.
Ever since that day, every Dungeon Lord had understood that the Demon King did not truly desire a successor, and that he treated the Dungeon Lords merely as temporary entertainment.
Thus, all the Demon Realm Archdukes chose to settle into complacency.
They chose to enjoy power and authority.
"But... what will you do? When you learn that truth."
He recalled his talented junior as his eyes glinted darkly.
Within his pupils, a strange form writhed, and the veins briefly bulged out before disappearing.
- 3 -
The qualification to become the Demon King was not simply power.
It was a position that could only be obtained by denying the existing authority.
That authority, namely, was the Absolute Ones'...
"Husband."
The one who pulled me out of my prolonged thoughts and back into reality was Ran.
Her black tail swayed softly in the air, and with her brows slightly downturned at the ends, she was clearly worried about me.
They always had a keen sense of my mood.
Looking at myself in the crystal, I was wearing my usual gentle expression.
"What is it?"
When I gestured to her, Ran approached and kissed the inside of my wrist as she spoke.
"Two messengers have arrived. They are from Her Highness Bellastella and His Highness the Duke of Gluttony."
"I see."
I nodded.
I wasn't sure about the latter, but I had some idea why the former's messenger had come.
'She must have been hurt.'
It had been quite a while, and I had come to the Demon Realm only to return to the dungeon without seeing her face.
"I'm sorry, but please pick out a gift from the treasure vault to send to my sister."
"Husband, really. You must take good care of her."
"Indeed. It was my oversight."
When I said that, Ran smiled slightly as if she had guessed some of the circumstances and kissed my cheek once more.
After she departed and I went to the reception room, Saya guided the messengers in.
"...Thus, Her Highness wished for me to convey that she is always concerned for Lady Libertas's personal safety."
The first, Stella's messenger, was her milk-sister and head lady-in-waiting, whom I had met before.
She brought nearly exactly the news I had expected, along with Stella's gifts.
Though she had wrapped it in layers of polite phrasing, the underlying message was that 'your sister was hurt that you didn't come see her.'
"Tell her that I shall certainly visit again. When you go out, my subordinate will have prepared a gift, so please take it with you."
"Yes. Your Grace. May you remain well until we meet again."
"You as well. Please take good care of Her Highness."
The head lady-in-waiting smiled with her eyes, bowed with folded hands, and took her leave.
"Lady Libertas."
The second messenger was from the Duke of Gluttony.
Bowing deeply in greeting, he too seemed to be of necromantic lineage like me, as the power of darkness and death surged around his body.
"I have come to deliver a message sent by His Grace the Grand Duke."
"Speak."
When he raised his head, his eyes held a sense of awe.
The look of one addressing his lord's daughter.
Not many knew that I was of the Duke of Gluttony's bloodline, but as his messenger, he would naturally know.
"His Grace wishes to hear about the recent events, especially regarding your meeting with Dantalion."
I raised an eyebrow slightly.
That meeting had been conducted in extreme secrecy. Why else would I have bothered to borrow Baritra's villa?
Yet 'the Father' already knew.
"And... he instructed me to inform you that His Majesty the Demon King is also showing interest."
"Hmm."
It wasn't something I needed to be surprised by, as I had anticipated it, but I felt myself tense slightly.
Perhaps because I had been thinking about him just moments ago.
"His Grace the Grand Duke urged Lady Libertas to be cautious. Especially regarding Dantalion's movements..."
I nodded with a smile.
I already knew this was the true message.
Because the first item — that he knew I had met Dantalion — was probably the original purpose.
"And, this."
When the messenger extended his hand, a small jewel appeared on his palm.
That jewel, a deep violet, was the same color as my eyes.
"It is a gift sent by His Grace."
I accepted it.
"...Convey my thanks."
It was a jewel containing small but powerful magical energy... no, though it had lost its owner and much of its power, it was unmistakably someone's dungeon core.
'At any rate.'
After the Gluttony Duke's messenger departed, I thought for a moment about what he wanted.
I couldn't fully grasp his intentions, but at least one thing was certain.
That he desired success in some form — though it would be his own success, not mine.
'He keeps emphasizing that he is watching constantly.'
The thought occurred to me that perhaps some of what I was doing on the surface might also be leaking back to him.
I considered whether I should be more cautious, but inwardly I shook my head.
I didn't know what he was thinking, but at least for now, he seemed to have no intention of 'becoming the Demon King's successor himself.'
Perhaps the me of the first round had been that untrustworthy in his eyes.
But that didn't mean I intended to leave the potential threat posed by the Duke of Gluttony unchecked indefinitely.
'He must be removed.'
The Duke of Gluttony, the biological father of this body, was also a potential enemy to me now.
I never forgot that.