Chapter 308
Translator: crow
Chapter Title: Great Demon
Lmao what's with the foot traffic
Gotta hit that level to be the continent's rep base lol
No seriously
What the actual fuck is this?
Block intrusions here, explodes over there
Block that, everywhere blows up
So wtf, how am I supposed to stop this shit?
If I may
Intrusions aren't meant to be blocked
Wait no
The guy who said no, his dot is also Jeongpyeongtaek?
But he's not wrong tbh
Intrusions are obviously not blockable
If they were, it'd say 'visitors' not 'intruders'
No
No no no no no
So what am I supposed to do you bastards, fight me irl?
I'm trying my fucking best here
Watching my precious base melt away
My wallet's gonna break before the base does
At this rate I'm gonna have to look up a guide???????
That thing
Once you hit final phase
Treat the base like consumable
I'll defend my base to the death! *pfft*
Pls just hold out while I clear final quest *ding dong*
No consumable my ass
Then what were all the meat shields I raised?
Cheers bs lol
Shoulda been chugging bottles not cheers
-What are you doing?
"Gah...!"
Rishir jolted back to his senses at that single chilling reprimand.
It was a letter from the council proxy's proxy to the council proxy.
Fienne.
Until just recently, she had been brimming with puffed-up anticipation.
Rishir.
Now that man had returned.
She thought all that remained was for the city's chaotic atmosphere to normalize, and she could reclaim her leisurely daily life.
And if there was time, with that man—
-What are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing what are you doing
"Argh...!"
But the council proxy's proxy's expectations were ruthlessly crushed.
The council proxy had turned Bondaress into the fiery epicenter of continental unification.
-Lord Rishir. A letter has arrived from our Debryen family. We'll send an envoy with our sincerest regards soon, so please use this opportunity to deepen the bond between our houses—...
-Lord Rishir! The peddler said the materials they promised are mostly ready, but getting them into Bondaress won't be easy! We're outsiders, after all!? Plus, sourcing resources for swordsmith restoration inside the city looks problematic—... So, how about we establish a branch of our Granite Iron Guild in Bondaress while we're at it!!!
-Lord Rishir. I checked the city vibe roughly, and the back alleys are pretty chaotic. Almost no crime syndicates operating in Bondaress right now, but some opportunists eyeing the gap. If you give the word, I'll step in and sort the atmosphere. Sewer rat extermination's perfect for mercenaries, right? Form a merc community to activate it, and it'll draw a clear line.
-Rishir. Ran into shady guys while flying around the nearby forest, beat 'em up. Elves asked for 'em—they're a crime group plotting smuggling ops in Bondaress. What now? Locked 'em up with those suspicious dudes from the other day.
-Rishir! More personnel departing from Ilratten! Also, interim report on naturalization ops in adjacent Bondaress areas!
-Rishir. Helped those Akirin priests with procedures for relief missionary work in Bondaress. There's an orphanage that shut down from mismanagement registered under your name—thinking of handing it to them. Huh? Why's it in your name? Was originally under the previous councilor's family—whatever, it's yours now.
Bondaress had certainly escaped its prior chaos and was enjoying unprecedented stability.
The problem was that this stability was so abundant it had evolved into something else entirely.
New incidents chained endlessly—
And those chaining incidents drew in new people and events.
"Iron Shield Brotherhood... who the hell are they? Why reporting to me—oh, Delron's friends?"
Thus, to the present—
The council proxy and proxy's proxy were buried in those events and people, unable even to share the joy of reunion.
Of course.
If the two wanted, they had ample leisure to carve out private time.
However.
The council proxy's proxy forbade it.
Having saddled Rishir with full responsibility for expedition matters, trapping him in a mountain of documents—
She threatened not to show his face until every last task was resolved.
In truth.
It was Fienne's own consideration, taking Rishir's position into account.
-You're doing great. Keep at it~ What are you doing.
The letter with its pouted lip was a humble, timid expression of feeling.
"What'd the letter say?"
Secretary Rona, who delivered the council proxy's proxy's letter, asked.
"Uh, well... like expressing 'die die die' in the most roundabout, affectionate way?"
"Haha, can't blame her. Thought things quieted down, but the city's bustling again—"
"Still, trying to shoulder everything myself so it doesn't trouble Fienne—"
"...Sigh."
"Huh? Rona? Why the sigh out of nowhere—"
"Just thinking our perfect hero in every field must be equally versed in women's hearts~?"
"...Did I mess up somehow?"
"Objectively, not wrong—per se. But when it comes to women, you're lacking that focused delicacy?"
Golden Sun Young Master crossed his arms and smirked, one corner of his mouth quirking up.
"..."
Rishir's pride smarted, but he could do nothing.
How to argue against the young master who captivated all hearts and reigned at society's pinnacle?
Thus, Rishir took time to reflect on his actions.
What part of his handling had prompted Fienne's pout?
"...Rona, could you pass a message to Fienne?"
"What message?"
"That I'm dying here alone, please help— if Fienne doesn't, I'll keel over from overwork."
Suddenly.
Fienne's image flashed in Rona's mind.
-Hmph. Pathetic fool. Biting off more than he can chew...
The true ancestor's form, sighing at Rishir's tale yet faintly satisfied.
"..."
Oho~
Rona gave Rishir that look.
A tailor-made line for the true ancestor dreaming of stepping on Rishir's back.
'What's with this guy? Did he go around charming women outside?'
Rona felt doubt and wariness at Rishir's suddenly advanced grasp of women's hearts.
"Obviously she won't take over my work—but since I'm already in the doghouse, might as well make an excuse to see her face."
"...Ah."
Of course.
Just a lucky hit.
Rona nodded.
A complex expression mingling various emotions.
Even after Rona left, Rishir's miscellaneous tasks continued.
He intended to meticulously review every document related to the expedition without missing a single one.
"Hm?"
Then, suddenly.
Rishir lifted his head from the desk.
He felt a sudden disturbance in his inner world.
The spirits'(?) uneasy emotions transmitted to him fully.
'What's wrong with the kids?'
It felt like writhing in terror.
Rishir immediately tried to check their status in his inner world.
-Lord Rishir. Akirin priests have arrived. With Kunra's group, requesting an audience with the hero.
But a prior visitor arrived first.
"Akirin priests? Ah—"
Rishir shot up from his seat.
The new Akirin priests' story from Kunra and Nelsa came to mind.
'Revelry... could that be why the kids are agitated?'
Great Demon and its apostles.
The spirits'(?) unusual agitation.
Rishir felt considerable tension as he went to greet them.
In the vast inner world, the spirits'(?) sand-built abode.
"Ahh, this aura...! This aura is...!!!"
There, the gray-white fireball fidgeted restlessly.
Not just that.
-Pek! Peeeeek!!!
The white baby snake flicked its tongue at the air repeatedly—
-Ahhh...
-Ah—
-Ahhh!!!
The mass of countless faces expressed anxiety in varied expressions.
-...
The purple girl spirit stared blankly at the spirits(?).
But her gaze soon shifted elsewhere.
"..."
The sand ridge spirit.
Even in slumber, her thick brows retained their sharp angle—now powerless.
This stood out amid the spirits'(?) bizarre behavior.
-...
Emotion cracked the purple girl spirit's inorganic expression.
-What is this... what the hell is about to happen...?
The 'true self', usually toyed with listlessly by the spirits(?), also trembled in unease, watching them.
In that instant.
All the spirits'(?) attention converged on one point.
-Ber, you okay? Think you can try eating this?
A familiar voice from outside.
And—
-Dangleon!!!
A following unfamiliar voice.
The gray-white fireball roiled.
-Srahman!!!
The mass's countless faces twisted.
-Yorgan!!!
The baby snake coiled, hiding its body.
-Glorious overlords!!! You have fallen!!! Not even a trace of past glory remains!!! Especially you—
An alien aura permeated the inner world.
Utterly foreign to some—
Utterly familiar to others.
The Great Demon.
Its horrifying presence, subjugating even immortals, evoked primal terror in the spirits(?).
-Berbandes!!!
"N-No...!!!"
The sand ridge spirit cried out in rejection.
Yet her voice and expression lacked their original vigor.
-Sand mountain that blots the sun!!! What a wretched sight I cannot bear to witness!!!
A voice writhing in revelry boomed.
Before it, the sand spirit shrank endlessly.
-To end the humiliation of fallen inferiors is the duty of those above!!! Come, you feeble fallen ones!!! Revelry shall claim you!!! Become part of Revelry and witness its great resurrection!!!
A rift cracked the inner world.
From the gap emerged a shard of yellow mask.
Revelry.
Shattered and sealed, yet still the lord reigning over all demons.
It loftily overlooked the fallen demons.
-Ahh, Zwinni...!!! He, he—... Huh?
It certainly intended to.
The yellow mask's angle, aimed downward, slowly tilted upward.
"!?!"
Before it loomed brows regaining their innate valor, gazing down.
From an immeasurably high vantage—
Lofty skies that could blot even the sun.
"It's tiny!?! "
As she said.
To the sand spirit, the yellow mask shard was far too small.
A natural given the Great Demon's shattered, sealed state.
Thus, incomprehensible.
One side shattered and sealed—
The other, formless in its fall.
Their plights similar yet distinct.
Yet—
Why this difference in eye level?
-Berbandes!!!
The clearly fallen inferior gazed down upon it.
Revelry felt extreme humiliation—
And confusion dwarfing it.
"I said no!!! I'm not Berban—..."
-What in the...
In the vortex of confusion, Revelry realized.
The sand mountain blotting the sun.
Clearly fallen, now possessed a stature surpassing its original.
"Tchya!!!"
A thunderous shout struck the mask.
The sand mountain blotting the sun.
No, the sand dune prankster.
It no longer looked up at the Great Demon.
"What... what are you doing right now...?"
Revelry's apostles couldn't comprehend the hero's actions.
After receiving the Great Demon fragment, his first words: 'Wanna eat this?'
"Ah."
The hero began explaining with a kind smile.
"My kids love stuff like this. So checking if it's edible first."
They reflexively glanced between the hero's hand and luggage.
As if he'd mistakenly offered jerky.