Chapter 84
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 84
They no longer had any right to hold their heads high. The tables had turned, and it was time for retribution.
Melju had more than enough justification to ask Swallow to purge them all, and from the look of things, he was more than willing to grant such a request.
A single sentence—"Purge all the Demon Kings who branded me a sinner"—would have been enough to completely root out her enemies.
In that situation, Melju…
“Do you have any regrets about what happened?” Rene asked Melju after they had returned to Judeca's private room. Melju was sitting demurely on the bed, stroking the Swald dog’s head.
There were only three of them in the room. Swallow had temporarily stepped away, saying he wanted to rest somewhere quiet.
“Killing them all wouldn’t benefit the Primordial Core, would it?”
“It’s a relief that you already possess such a practical perspective, Lady Melju.”
There was no subsequent purge.
It wasn't a decision born from simple emotions like mercy, tolerance, or forgiveness.
Now that the other Demon Kings no longer dared to look down on her, she had simply judged it more beneficial to keep them alive in the long run.
“More importantly, there is something I’ve been wondering. Dame Rene, how did you know Judeca’s location and find your way here?”
“Lord Swallow knows how to read the constellations. Of course, we had some trouble in the grasslands because the gatekeeper refused to open the way, but fortunately, we found that monster carrying your scent, Lady Melju.”
“I see. I believed only the Demon Kings could read the constellations, so I never imagined Lord Swallow and you would come, Dame Rene.”
“He is a man of many talents.”
“A man of many talents… I see.”
But how did Lord Swallow know how to read the constellations?
Surely, a simple phrase like “a man of many talents” couldn’t explain everything.
Though the question rose to the tip of her tongue, Melju forced herself to swallow it. Since Rene didn't elaborate, Melju figured she either didn't know the answer herself or there was a sensitive reason she couldn’t say.
Wondering how to react, Melju turned her gaze to the beast cradled in her arms.
“Who’s a good boy? You did so well. You are truly magnificent. As expected of the first soldier of my Demon King’s Army.”
The dog-like monster, which had been named the ‘Swald dog,’ panted with its tongue hanging out. Noticing Rene giving them a slight side-eye, Melju asked cautiously,
“…Am I perhaps not allowed to recruit him?”
“It doesn’t matter. It is your Demon King’s Army, Lady Melju. As long as you don’t cause trouble for the other rooms, you can organize it however you like.”
“Yes, I am always grateful for your generosity, Dame Rene.”
“You are a formal member of the Primordial Core now, Lady Melju. You don’t need to ask for permission for every little thing.”
Rene smiled brightly. Having spent a fair amount of time with her, Melju was slowly learning to distinguish her smiles.
That’s a smile of curiosity.
No sooner had the thought crossed her mind than Rene approached and stroked the monster. Finding its fur softer than expected, Rene’s face brightened slightly as she asked, “Lady Melju, have you decided on a name for it?”
“A name? Huhu, prepare to be amazed. It is Swal—”
“Pardon? Swal?”
“…I mean, 2 Ounce…”
Whimper.
“…I haven’t decided yet.”
One of them flashed her single black eye sharply at the mere syllable “Swal,” while the other let out a pitiful whimper despite not understanding human speech. Faced with their reactions, Melju couldn’t bring herself to tell the truth. Ultimately, she gave up on both names she had prepared.
“In any case, you should get to sleep early tonight. We will return to Knecht as soon as the sun rises. Lord Swallow and I came here on a mission to replenish our monsters, so we must finish our work.”
As she spoke, Rene closed the window she had opened for ventilation. Just before it shut, a gust of wind rushed in, fluttering her silver hair.
“You’ve also traveled a long way without rest, Dame Rene. Are you sure you don’t need to sleep?”
“A maid cannot sleep until her master does.”
“…That’s more demanding than I imagined.”
“It is something Rene does because she wants to, so you need not worry.”
There must be a deeper meaning to it than that, Melju thought, nodding.
Deciding the conversation was over, Rene walked toward the door.
According to her original plan, she would have been sleeping in the same bedroom as Swallow by now. But since that plan had gone awry, she needed to draw up a new one from scratch.
Indeed, she didn't even have the luxury of sleeping. If she redrew the plans, she would probably get an hour of shut-eye at most before their departure tomorrow.
“Rene will take her leave now. Have a good night, Lady Melju.”
“Um, Dame Rene.”
Just as Rene opened the door to leave, Melju spoke up quietly.
“Is it really alright for me to join the Primordial Core?”
“…Rene does not quite understand what you mean.”
Rene, who had been about to leave, stopped in her tracks and turned back toward Melju. She smiled once more.
This time, the smile was so cryptic that its meaning was impossible to read.
“You know… earlier, you said that I would become the administrator of a dungeon room, didn’t you?”
“…”
“I don’t know how to put my thoughts into words… but I imagine the past administrators were far stronger than I am. For me to go to such a place…”
“…”
“O-Of course! I will work diligently. I only said this because I was worried I might become a burden. So…”
“You are below standard.”
“…Pardon?”
“In that regard, Rene believes you are definitely below the standard for an administrator, Lady Melju.”
“…I knew it.”
At the unvarnished answer, Melju lowered her head. Despite having braced herself, she couldn't pretend to be unfazed, and her voice trembled faintly.
“This was originally a conversation for after we returned to the dungeon, but since you are already worrying about it, it is probably better to tell you now.”
Brushing past Melju’s flustered reaction as if it were nothing, Rene continued without pause.
“From this moment on, Melju de Limp Agrea is a monster under the jurisdiction of the Primordial Core.”
An entity that once stood at a pinnacle of power was now in a position of service.
“You will be tasked with a heavy mission.”
This was different from before. When humans invaded the Primordial Core, retreat would not be an option for Melju. If she failed to stop them, she would die in that room.
“By Rene’s estimation, you have three years.”
“Three years… I see.”
Even without a detailed explanation, Melju understood what that timeframe signified.
“Humans invade as frequently as once every two weeks, or as rarely as once every half a year. In truth, a subjugation squad strong enough to pose a real threat to the dungeon only appears two or three times a year. But even against humans who are weakened from passing through the previous rooms—I cannot say with certainty that you would win, Lady Melju.”
Her win rate would be around eighty percent at best.
This was by no means a high figure. That rough estimate would plummet if the caliber of the humans rose even slightly.
The trace of a smile had long vanished from Rene’s voice. Her tone was so dry that the edge of her words felt all the sharper.
Yet, even as a flawed homunculus, she was not one to lie about the odds of battle.
Rene continued, “Most of the humans who come are A-rank subjugation squad members or higher. They all arrive fully prepared. Among them are curse-users who can seal your vision, necromancers, humans who abandon their physical bodies to attempt spirit transformation for power, and sometimes even those who sell their souls to demons.”
The Light of Salvation, the Iron Emperor, the Descendant of the Tarsevenia Bloodline, the Kingdom's Strongest Sword, the Great Sage of Retrograde Calculation, the One Blessed by the Falling Star.
Every one of them was a human adorned with titles and aliases as long as their own names.
It was, without a doubt, a battle against “the pinnacle of humanity.”
“…I see.”
Her response came only after a long pause.
Listening to Melju’s shrinking reply, Rene stared at her with a dry expression.
It was an expected reaction. A natural one. Her gaze held no contempt.
After watching Melju intently for a moment, Rene slowly parted her lips.
“It was Lord Swallow’s wish.”
“…What was?”
“Appointing you as a dungeon administrator, Lady Melju—it was purely Lord Swallow’s wish.”
“…”
“So, do not disappoint him.”
With those final words, Rene smiled again. It was a half-threatening smile that deviated from its normal purpose, but Melju could only stare blankly at her, as if spellbound.
“Ah, and one more thing.”
Having said her piece, Rene was opening the door again when she recalled something and turned her head back slightly.
“I am telling you this in advance to avoid any friction now that you are a formal member, Lady Melju.”
Melju, who had been staring blankly at Rene’s back, flinched as if snapping back to reality.
“Rene has received permission to confess her feelings to Lord Swallow.”
“…Pardon?”
“Just so you know.”
Rene walked out of the room with confident strides, and the door clicked shut.
*
Have you ever witnessed magic that could split heaven and earth?
Have you ever felt an ominous energy so vast it could turn the very horizon into a realm of death?
Have you ever seen such horrors mingle and rage as one?
It was when Judeca was in its prime.
In those days, Yubar was a mere brat, an immature child who would need another two hundred years just to become a proper Demon King.
To Yubar’s eyes, the Judeca of that era was magnificent.
At the very least, it was not a cheap banquet like the ones held today.
Each and every Demon King was a powerhouse capable of ruling a corner of the continent. Since they possessed potent bloodlines of the ‘Original Sin,’ comparing them to the diluted Demon Kings of today would be an insult.
Furthermore, they were not as numerous as they were now. Their very forms resembled true evil; they were, quite literally, genuine Demon Kings.
Back then, Yubar was merely the weakest among them, a brat with no promising future to speak of.
And…
“…”
The memory grew hazy. As expected, he could not recall everything in detail. It was only natural, given that it was a memory Yubar had desperately tried to forget.
Skipping past the blurred parts, he searched his mind until the memories sharpened. The next vivid scene was one of absolute carnage.
The earth ruptured, the sky rained down things sharper than blades, and the relentless lightning made it impossible to even open one’s eyes.
“…”
Thousands of vengeful spirits rose from the ground, and using those grudges as sacrifices, magic of devastating power manifested. Devouring and being devoured, biting and being bitten, until finally, the world was shrouded in darkness.
By the time his senses, which had shaken along with the planet’s axis, finally settled, all the Demon Kings Yubar had once respected were gone.
The one who approached Yubar as he trembled in a corner was not one of the Demon Kings of Judeca.
Standing there, drenched from head to toe in dark red blood, looking down at him with cold, piercing eyes, was…
“…Swallow.”
In a dark space where not a single ray of light entered, Yubar forced an end to his reminiscence and muttered the name.
Just like that day, there had been no warning whatsoever before his appearance.
Logically, actions have causes and effects, but Swallow's movements were utterly unpredictable. They were so sudden that it was impossible to prepare a response.
Trying to outsmart a disaster was as reckless as stroking a dragon’s scales backward, making negotiation an impossible dream. To avoid the calamity, one had no choice but to bow their head as low as possible.
Had he safely avoided it this time?
After all, Marmolia was the only one he had lost.
He opened his hand.
In Yubar's palm lay the shattered fragments of Marmolia’s horn and fang.
Although Marmolia herself seemed to have lived with an inferiority complex toward the other Demon Kings of her generation, she had still been a valuable asset.
This was because a Demon King's power was influenced not only by their personal combat ability but also by how much power they could amass.
In that regard, Marmolia's beauty and eloquence were second to none. The number of demons subtly swayed by her tongue was more than enough to form a massive faction.
She was a Demon King too precious to lose, but…
…it was also an undeniable fact that he was fortunate things had ended with only her punishment.
It is mostly resolved. Now, what remains is…
Breaking free from the shackles of memory, Yubar let out a slow breath.
As if in answer to his thoughts, he immediately sensed Magic Energy approaching from afar.
The sound of knocking on the door followed shortly after.
Though they tried to conceal their Magic Energy, Yubar could feel it clearly.
Ah, have such weaklings truly become the standard for Demon Kings now? Yubar sighed inwardly, unable to help comparing them to the past.
“Let them enter.”
The gatekeeper, receiving the command from outside, opened the door.
Six Demon Kings in total had come for an audience with Yubar. Every single one of them was an unfamiliar face.
“Are you the Demon Kings of the North?”