Chapter 101
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 101
Chapter Title: Confrontation (2)
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[Ugh, this...]
"?"
[To do such a thing... and still...]
At first, I thought it was just the sound of crying. But it wasn't.
[Do you think you can get away with this, human! How dare you, a mere human!]
Idic's eye shot wide open.
Not just me, but Andro and the Sage also stared at Idic with surprised faces.
Judging by their reactions, this seemed to be the first time they'd confirmed that a Void Monster could speak.
[You and your Lord's Castle will ultimately face ruin! How long do you think that arrogant confidence of yours will last!]
Once Idic found its voice, it began to scream its head off.
[Soon, you will pay the price for imprisoning Idic here!]
Clang, clang!
The magical restraints binding its torso shook.
It was because the agitated blob was thrashing its body wildly.
And I, while listening quietly to Idic's curses,
"Well, it's fascinating that we can communicate."
[Lord's Lingering Shadow - Idic]
I raised a fist radiating a black aura and continued.
"Your mouth is pretty foul, isn't it? Should I 'pretty you up' some more?"
[...]
The effect was astounding.
Idic, which had looked ready to devour the entire Lord's Castle, immediately shut its mouth.
Still, it glared at me with its bloodshot eye, so I added another word.
"You should make your eye look pretty too, right?"
[...]
Idic meekly lowered its gaze.
I see. Now I understood why Odolph had suddenly swung his club at me in the Ogre's Sanctuary.
As expected, a preemptive physical strike is the best way to establish dominance.
After silencing Idic, I asked Andro.
"Andro, you didn't know this thing could talk?"
"No, Hanul-nim. It has been resisting with incessant mental attacks ever since its capture, so it was difficult to even approach it."
"It seems we can communicate with it."
The fact that dialogue was possible was very welcome news.
It meant I could find out more detailed information about the Void Monsters.
But Andro shook his head.
"I apologize, Hanul-nim, but the only ones who can properly converse with it are the Lord and yourself."
"Hmm? Only me and the Dream Lord? Ah, don't tell me this thing is still using its mental attack...?"
[...!]
As I turned my gaze, Idic shook its body desperately.
"Hahaha, thanks to you 'prettifying' it, Hanul-nim, the mental attacks have ceased. However, yes. That being is on a different level from ordinary monsters. Its presence alone makes it difficult for myself or other common monsters to even approach."
"It's that powerful?"
Looking at it now, it just seems like a bigger, uglier version of the Sage.
[The Sage demands you retract that thought immediately!]
Ignoring the hopping Sage, Andro nodded.
"That is correct. The only monsters who could likely stay near it without being affected are... yes. Probably only the two Divine Beasts."
I see. I let out a low sigh.
I had expected the analysis of the Void Monster to speed up exponentially now that Idic could talk.
"Andro. Then does this mean I've cleared the Lord's Castle's 'quest'?"
Andro had said the castle would only allow me to transport over when it needed me.
If I substituted that need with 'quest', then this quest must have been 'Eliminate the threat to the Lord's well-being'.
By 'prettifying' Idic, I had resolved that quest.
"That is correct. You are quick to understand, Hanul-nim. You will return to your world within about five minutes."
"Well, can't be helped then. I'll have to talk to it as much as I can in the remaining five minutes and find out what I can."
[...!]
There was no telling when I'd be able to transport to the Lord's Castle again.
So I couldn't miss this opportunity.
"Let me ask you a few things."
[Why must Idic answer a human's questions?]
"Because if you don't, you'll receive a lot of 'prettifying'."
[...]
Idic's eye slowly lowered.
Was it because it was a monster, or was it just young for its species?
This Void Monster was simple.
Odolph, who had thrown a preemptive strike and then smiled benevolently, was probably much more cunning.
Not that I felt any sympathy for it. I slowly cracked my knuckles and asked.
"You said it earlier. That soon, we'll pay the price for imprisoning you here."
Just a moment ago, Idic had spat out a few words in a desperate fit.
But the one phrase I focused on was that.
[...Yes.]
"Does that mean more Void Monsters will invade soon? Monsters that are incredibly dangerous and powerful, like you?"
I added a bit of subtle flattery.
It was a childish and transparent remark, but I judged it would work on this childlike eyeball monster.
And this time, too.
[Kekeke, you're quite perceptive. That's right. Yes! Of course!]
The effect was astounding.
Just moments ago it was streaming tears from its single eye, but now it was puffed up with arrogance, shouting.
[Idic's sibling will surely come to rescue Idic!]
"Oh, you have siblings?"
[Hah, of course. Idic has countless siblings, and among them is an elder who cherished Idic the most! That elder will come to rescue Idic!]
"Ooh, is that so? What kind of abilities does this elder sibling who adores our little Idic have?"
[Idic's elder does not die!]
"Doesn't die, huh. You mean it's immortal?"
[Hmph, as if an ability like immortality exists in this world.]
It does, though.
I thought of the baby lich, probably scurrying around somewhere in the Lord's Castle right now.
Well, a lich is a special case.
[Listen well, Idic's elder...]
My eyes widened.
Idic bounced around, full of itself.
[Kekeke, do you understand? The moment the elder comes to rescue Idic, this pathetic castle is finished.]
"Uh, okay, I get it."
For now, I'd obtained a very important piece of information. This clarified what I needed to prepare for.
Then, one more thing.
"Then who sent a powerful and magnificent creature like you here?"
A crucial question that might reveal the identity of the one behind the monster waves attacking the Lord's Castle.
But this time.
Even the childlike Idic's eye widened as it retorted.
[That... I do not know.]
"...You don't know?"
[That's right. Idic must destroy this pathetic castle. But Idic does not know why.]
From behind me, Andro spoke up.
"It seems its memories were manipulated either right after capture, or at the time of the invasion."
"So there's a mastermind."
"It is unlikely that a Void Monster from another dimension would reach the Lord's Castle without a specific reason."
That made sense. It was certain there was a mastermind sending constant waves to the Lord's Castle.
Besides, the pixelated window that appeared when it cast 'Void Bombardment' was also on my mind.
At that time, the system in the pixelated window had indicated that Idic 'borrowed the power of the Lord's Castle'.
'In its current state, it doesn't seem like I'll get an answer even if I press it on that.'
Still, I'd acquired some pretty important information.
This was a satisfactory result.
Vwoom.
Just then, a blue rift formed near the entrance of the secret chamber.
"Well then, Idic."
[...]
"See you later."
[I-Idic does not want to see you.]
I chuckled, exited the cage, and headed for the rift.
Andro, who had closed the cage with a gesture, followed me.
"The Dream Lord won't have to suffer anymore, right?"
"That is likely so. It must have realized that if it uses its mental attack again, the Lord's Castle will simply summon you once more, Hanul-nim."
"...It realized that, right?"
I asked back with a bitter expression.
It was good to confront Idic and confirm the identity of this mysterious creature.
But at the same time, I couldn't help but feel a sense of futility.
There might be individual differences, but that thing was no different from a child with an absurd amount of strength.
If Gono could talk, he'd probably be capable of a more sophisticated conversation than that thing.
As if reading my thoughts, Andro said.
"Haha, you may feel that way, but. That being is the one who made all the monsters in the Lord's Castle tremble in fear until your arrival, Hanul-nim."
"Is that so."
"Yes, it is only because your own standing is several dimensions higher than its that you were able to treat it like a child."
That sounded plausible.
After all, they said even the Lord had suffered from its mental attacks.
'If I play my cards right, I might be able to use it as part of the Lord's Castle's forces. What happens to it once the analysis is complete?'
It was a natural question, as the original MonMonMak didn't have monsters in a 'prisoner' state.
But before I could ponder it further.
"H-Hanul-nim."
Suddenly, the demeanor of Andro, who was seeing me off from behind the rift, changed.
"Huh?"
A shadow fell over his slit-eyed face beneath the fedora.
He looked so serious that for a moment, I suspected Idic had gone berserk or a new wave had arrived.
"...Please return to your world at once."
"Why?"
"P-Please, hurry! It's an urgent situation!"
Andro pushed my back with an urgent voice.
I had already stepped into the rift, so my body was being pulled in anyway.
Just then. A voice came from not too far away.
"The Lord of the modern world... nim?"
A familiar, clear, and bright voice.
I turned my head to a spot not so far away.
My eyes met the aqua-blue eyes of a girl in a white velvet dress—
Fwoosh!
The rift swallowed me, and my surroundings were instantly plunged into darkness.
A pixelated window appeared, and when I blinked once,
"...I'm back."
I was standing in the living room of my officetel.
And a rigid pixelated window appeared.
[You have cleared the Lord's Castle Emergency Quest, 「Idic's Mental Interference」.]
[Clearing the emergency quest has increased the affinity of the following individuals.]
[Dream Lord Affinity +3, Butler Andro Affinity +10]
It seems Andro is also subject to the affinity system.
I wonder what kind of change would occur if Andro's affinity reached 100.
As I let my imagination run wild.
[The Dream Lord wishes to speak with you!]
The inevitable had arrived.
"Hmm."
The Dream Lord had wanted to resolve Idic's mental interference on her own.
Roughly guessing what she would say, I opened the Audience Chamber and clicked on her.
[I am sorry, Lord of the modern world.]
Just as I expected, she started with an apology.
If we were face-to-face, I would have waved my hands and said it was fine, but unfortunately, no options appeared.
Instead, the Lord's speech bubble lengthened.
[You must already be mentally and physically exhausted from fending off the last wave, and I did not wish to see you again over such an unpleasant matter.]
[You said that it was fine.]
[Thank you. Thanks to you, the void being has also calmly accepted the analysis. It seems the analysis speed will increase significantly.]
Oh, so 'prettifying' it was worth it.
I looked fondly at the blob inside the cage in the Audience Chamber.
Then, another speech bubble appeared from the Dream Lord.
[And there is one thing I would like to ask, Lord of the modern world. I hope you will answer this honestly.]
What could it be that she's asking me to answer honestly?
As I wondered.
[The butler claims that your transport here had nothing to do with him. Is that true?]
...Ah, so that's what this was about.
I silently stared at the butler's pixelated sprite next to the Dream Lord.
He stood beside the Lord as usual, giving off the impression that he truly knew nothing.
Soon, a choice appeared.
[How will you answer?]
1. It was Viewer 1 who transported me.
2. The butler was indeed the one who transported me.
...Hmm.
Come to think of it, that black butler summoned me whenever he pleased.
And when he sent me back, he didn't even give me a reason and just shoved me into the rift.
There was no reason to hesitate.
I immediately tapped the option.
Immediately after, a series of speech bubbles marked with [...] passed between the Dream Lord and the butler.
Suddenly, the butler's sprite dropped into a punishment pose beside the throne.
***
The next morning.
[WannabeEunuch: VIP-nim, I have found a dungeon with monsters that neutralize healing.]
The news I'd been waiting for had arrived. As expected of Ju Jisan, much faster than I'd anticipated.
But just as I was nodding in satisfaction.
[WannabeEunuch: But this one might be quite a hassle for you, will that be alright?]
A strange addendum was attached.