Chapter 82
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 82
The dungeons of Judeca.
“My dear Melju.”
The cell door creaked open.
A viscous voice seemed to cling to the iron bars. As the visitor stepped into the cell, her voice oozing with cloying affectation, she spotted Melju, whose face was nearly pressed to the floor.
Before Melju could even lift her head, the visitor stroked the nape of her neck. Her skin was cold. When the hand pulled away, Melju’s body trembled slightly in response.
“Is it livable in here?” Marmolia asked in a voice of feigned purity.
It was the evening of the final day in Judeca.
The trial that would decide Melju’s fate was moments away.
Marmolia expected a response—anything—but Melju remained stubbornly silent. Tired of waiting for an answer, Marmolia slowly tilted Melju’s chin up with her hand.
When their eyes met, Melju, who had been staring straight ahead with a clear gaze, slightly turned her head away. Her eyes weren't filled with terror, nor were they the eyes of someone who had given up.
She was simply, blatantly, ignoring the woman in front of her.
“I suppose it really is livable.”
I thought she’d have completely lost her mind by now, Marmolia snickered inwardly. I see you’ve regained your senses.
But it was already too late. Among the Demon Kings, Melju’s reputation had already been utterly crushed and set in stone.
Irresponsible, weak, and shameful. These were the epithets now reserved for Melju.
And Marmolia wanted to break her even further.
“You know, Melju. We’re friends, aren’t we?” Marmolia donned her innocent facade once more. At the sound of that hypocritical voice, Melju’s eyes shifted slightly.
Eyes burning with raw hostility glared at Marmolia.
Receiving that gaze full of enmity, Marmolia let out a ragged breath.
This was the look. She found this expression so incredibly lovely. As long as she was the target of such a gaze, she couldn't stop her excitement.
The pleasure of dragging someone down, the superiority of standing above another.
No matter how fierce a weakling’s eyes were, they were still the eyes of a weakling.
“Could you please not look at me with such scary eyes?”
Marmolia raised her hand. She held it poised as if to strike Melju’s cheek at any moment, watching for a reaction.
Melju didn't flinch. She didn't show a hint of fear.
As if her fun had been spoiled, Marmolia lowered her hand and whispered again.
“Anyway, we have our old friendship, don’t we? I’ll give you a little secret. The sentence you’ll receive at the trial has already been decided.”
Marmolia paused and glanced around. Aside from the mindless jailers, there were no prying ears. Only after confirming this did she continue.
“...Everyone insisted on making an example out of you. There were many Demon Kings who wanted you dead. But I begged and pleaded to persuade them. It’ll probably end with just cutting off your horns and pulling out your fangs.”
Well, if you’re unlucky, your wrists might go too, she added in a small voice.
“But you know… a Demon King with no horns and no fangs. You’ll be so hideous that no other monster could possibly respect you. Right? Hmm? Isn't that right?”
Her excited voice grew higher and higher. Her speech quickened. The pure facade was gradually stained by ragged, aroused gasps. Her breaths shook with a shallow, vulgar tremor.
“Hey, Melju. Answer me. Hmm? Melju de Limp Agrea. I told you I’m giving you a chance, didn't I? I’m not lying. A pitiful Demon King with clipped horns and pulled fangs won't be able to act like royalty anymore, so you’ll have nowhere to go. I’ll give you the chance to become my subordinate. How about it?”
Finally, so excited she could no longer restrain herself, she shouted.
“Try begging! It’s a chance! The very chance you wanted! ...Fine, okay. Do you want to get down on your knees and kiss my shoes? If you lick them with enough sincerity, I might even give you a commander’s position!”
Marmolia’s voice echoed through the dungeon.
It was a long time after she fell silent that the cell regained its stillness.
Melju did not react, not even to the very end. She didn't even bother to comment on the pathetic display.
“Ah, how boring.”
In the end, it was Marmolia who spoke. Her voice, now as cold as it had been manic, chilled Melju’s ears.
Hearing Marmolia’s distant laughter, two monsters approached. Both were soldiers carrying massive bardiches.
Without even glancing at them, Marmolia gave a command in a dry, disinterested voice, as if she had lost all curiosity.
“Take her away.”
*
When she came to her senses, she was kneeling on the floor.
“Melju de Limp Agrea.”
At the solemn voice calling her name, Melju roused her half-numbed senses one by one.
She had been so lost in thought during her imprisonment that her spirit had nearly drifted away. Looking around, Melju confirmed her suspicion. The trial was about to begin.
The space was dark and gloomy. Demon Kings had keen sight even in darkness, so they had no trouble observing a trial in a pitch-black room. Just as it had been when she first entered this space, every gaze in the dark was fixed on a single entity: Melju.
There were far more of them than last time.
“...”
Melju turned her head, taking in their gazes.
Somewhat unexpectedly, not every Demon King was looking at her with contempt. However, the few who looked upon her with pity were mostly the weakest among them. Overwhelmed by the vast majority, the most they could do was offer her sorrowful glances.
A cliché, perhaps, but this truly is a world where the strong prey on the weak.
Because I am weak, I am being torn apart by Marmolia, one of my own peers. The thought occurred to her.
“We shall now begin the proceedings for the sentencing of Melju de Limp Agrea…”
As she drifted back into her thoughts, a clear voice rang out from the front.
The trial proceeded with lightning speed. There wasn't a moment’s hesitation. It was clear they were simply doing as they pleased.
From the very beginning, they recited the events as if her guilt were a foregone conclusion, using biased words and expressions without restraint.
Naturally, Melju wasn't even given the right to speak. To begin with, there was no one to represent her side of the story.
Even though Melju, the defendant, was right there kneeling on the floor, the trial flowed perfectly well without her.
“As a sovereign ruling over monsters, the loyalty between lord and subject is…”
She closed her ears again. The content was predictable. They probably hadn't even had time to prepare properly, too busy enjoying the banquet. They were just parroting the same things they had said last time.
She lost her Demon King Castle, her territory fell into human hands, and not only did she lose all her monsters and survive alone, but she also had the audacity to come to Judeca. It was likely something along those lines.
“...The crime of tarnishing the authority of a Demon King is grave.”
As the words ended, jeers erupted from all sides. They were all voices cursing Melju. Despite the pretense of a formal trial, no one moved to stop the jeering and mockery.
Amidst the cacophony, a glass cup flew toward Melju. It seemed aimed at her head, but it hit the floor and shattered. Shards of glass sprayed in every direction.
Countless fragments embedded themselves in Melju’s legs. Blood flowed. Even so, Melju simply remained dazed.
Had she not already learned? Protesting her innocence would only be counterproductive.
“We shall grant you the opportunity for a defense.”
After an endless wait, she was finally given the chance to speak. To maintain a facade of formality, they used the word 'defense' instead of 'excuse' this time.
They really do whatever they want.
Melju sneered inwardly. Then, she slowly opened her mouth.
“I have only been in the dungeon a short time, but I have done a great deal of thinking.”
At first, her tone sounded submissive.
“I simply cannot understand it.”
But Melju immediately continued in her usual regal tone.
“The weak are culled, and the strong survive. The Demon King’s army was a force formed to protect me. The weak army died, and I, the strong one, survived. Is there a problem with this?”
It was the conclusion she ultimately could not accept.
“Are you saying I abandoned them? Are you saying I left living monsters behind and fled? Fled? Has there been a report that the humans who conquered my castle returned alive? They certainly died, did they not?”
“For one who calls herself a Demon King to hold her own army in such light regard is in itself…”
“Were you all monitoring my army? Have you always been so interested in me and my forces? Do you even know the attitude my army showed me, or the attitude I showed the army under my command?”
The boiling atmosphere froze instantly. Everyone’s expressions hardened.
Was this not a trial where the punishment was already decided? If she acted like this, the punishment would only be increased. No one could understand Melju’s behavior.
Watching this, Marmolia asked Melju with a baffled expression, “Have you gone mad?”
“I was mad for a moment, but I have returned to my senses. Am I not better than the Demon Kings who were completely swayed by your slimy tongue?”
A murderous intent settled over the ice-cold atmosphere. Before anyone could act, Melju immediately continued.
“...Even if I say this, you have no intention of showing leniency anyway. Isn't that right, Sir Yubar?”
Having finished her piece, Melju lifted her head.
——And everyone was aghast.
Titles were the most basic and important display of hierarchy—what had Melju just said?
“You…”
Even Marmolia was speechless, as if she couldn't believe her ears. Whether Melju was miserable or not was a separate issue. What she had just done was a blatant taboo.
To use the title 'Sir' toward Yubar, the 'Living History of Evil' who stood at the pinnacle of all Demon Kings.
Not Lord Yubar. But Sir Yubar.
“...What nonsense are you spouting toward the Supreme Being?” one Demon King, who had managed to retain his composure, demanded.
Hearing this, Melju raised her head and looked at Yubar.
Yubar was still at the highest point. At first, she had been so overwhelmed by the atmosphere that she couldn't even lift her head. But now, she felt neither fear nor awe.
She had faced Erebos’s great army. She had protected the Teleportation Hub against the powerhouses of Riaze, and she had lived in the same space as that legendary Ancient Monster and the gatekeepers who guarded him.
“It seems you truly haven't seen a Supreme Being yet,” Melju replied.
Now that her execution was certain, she felt at peace. The need to grovel on the floor and beg for her life before such creatures had vanished.
She couldn't lose herself to a mere squabble among kin, could she?
Yubar remained silent. He was so high up that his expression couldn't be read. However, the atmosphere around him was different. For Melju, that was enough.
“As planned, cut off her horns and pull out her fangs,” the verdict was finally handed down. “Regarding what just occurred, we shall hold her accountable immediately after the sentence is carried out.”
“Execute the punishment at once!”
A thunderous command fell. The murmuring in the quiet space gradually increased, growing louder and louder. Jeers mixed with curses, gathering into a wall of noise.
Immediately, a three-eyed, beast-type demon approached Melju. The weapon he held was a greatsword nearly as tall as he was. The demon swung the sword through the air with a whoosh, slicing the air sharply.
Just as the monster fixed its gaze on Melju’s horns…
A dog barked.
It wasn't a metaphor; the sound of a dog barking truly echoed through the hall.
In the sacred gathering of the Demon Kings, in Judeca, it was a sound that should never be heard.
Repeatedly, and loudly.
“...”
Silence fell once more. This time, everyone, including Melju, turned their heads toward the source of the sound.
The source was among the spectating Demon Kings. Sitting there as if it were the most natural thing in the world was a single black dog.
The black dog had red eyes, making it clear it was a monster.
…Judeca was not a place where such a lowly creature should be able to enter.
And Yubar, who had turned his head in that direction, began to tremble.
While everyone else was unable to hide their bewilderment at the sight of the dog, Yubar alone had turned pale with overwhelming terror.
Because he saw the dog?
No. The dog didn't matter. The problem was the being sitting calmly beside it.
The one who should absolutely not be there, whom the other Demon Kings were completely failing to notice because they were distracted by the dog.
Swallow was there.
“Swa… llow…”
The terror-stricken Demon King couldn't even force proper words from his trembling mouth. The being sitting there so naturally was someone who could inspire such fear by his mere presence.
Melju, who had been staring at the dog monster she'd recruited and wondering why it was here, froze as she recognized the figure sitting beside it.
“...Lord Swallow.”
The single word she whispered in a trembling tone was buried in the murmuring noise and scattered into the air.
It was only after several seconds had passed that everyone else recognized Swallow’s presence. The Demon Kings, who had been wondering why such a trivial monster was in Judeca, shifted their gaze toward Swallow only after noticing Yubar’s entire body shaking.
However, no one knew that the being was Swallow, nor that the being next to him was Rene. There was no way they could know. It was a fact known only to Yubar and Melju.
“Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to break the flow,” Swallow replied. His voice was filled with utter composure.
“I’m just an observer who dropped by Judeca while passing through, but I’ve grown curious about something while listening to the verdict. So, let me ask just one question.”
Having finished his absurd self-introduction, Swallow followed up with a question laced with mockery.
“In the end, you’re only treating her so coldly because she has nothing left and looks pathetic, isn't that right?”
His voice sank heavily into the darkness.