Chapter 197
Chapter 197
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 197
Chapter Title: 20. This World Won't Leave Me Alone. (9) #6 Their Circumstances: Belegría's Circumstances
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Is this really okay? Am I truly doing the right thing?
"Here, stamp it."
The human's casually extended hand held a single sheet of paper brimming with immense power.
"This is..."
"Yeah, a Geass Roll. I've only got two left, but I decided to use one specially for you!"
Something's off. Geass Rolls are produced in limited quantities only at the temples of the Creation God.
Even the Demon King's warehouse only has five of them, yet this ordinary human possesses two.
No, he's no ordinary human since he made it all the way here, but it's still absurd to think he just happened to have a Geass Roll on him.
"No way, did you plan everything...? Hngh."
Thud.
The tiny hand that lightly struck the floor left me trembling uncontrollably.
"Too wordy."
A very small girl with long silver hair.
Her small fist made me—the one trained for years by my father, the previous Demon King—shudder in fear.
"Y-Yes..."
I grabbed the pen the human offered with my shaking hand.
No. This is definitely a devil's contract—no, an Evil God's contract.
It has to be packed with the most wicked, outrageous terms imaginable.
"Uh, where do I sign?"
But even looking at the contract, I couldn't help smiling as I searched for the signature spot.
Sorry, old man. I think I'm wrong after all.
"It's still a contract, so you should read it. It's a hassle if you complain later."
"Right?"
Hahaha.
I let out an awkward laugh as I read the contract in front of me.
It's a Geass Roll anyway, so it's unbreakable. Is he making me read it just to torment me further?
"Huh?"
But as I read the contract, I spotted something strange.
This contract... it's surprisingly legitimate.
I thought it would be about using me as a front to take down Agreat and let the human dominate the Demon Realm.
Instead, it's meticulously detailed: help them live ordinary lives farming in a corner of the Demon Realm, never retaliate or harm them just because they're human, and so on.
In other words, he'll make me the Demon King, and in return, I just need to ensure he and his group can live normally in the Demon Realm afterward.
There are various clauses that seem tedious, but they're all contingencies for if their human identity is discovered.
This is...
"Not bad, right?"
"Yes."
Unlike how he suddenly appeared and beat me up, the contract terms written on the Geass Roll aren't bad.
No, they're actually favorable to me.
"But the key condition is making me the Demon King. Is that even possible?"
The core of this Geass Roll is me becoming the Demon King.
To do that, I still need to defeat Agreat and deal with the moderates.
"Of course it is."
"Can you take down Agreat? You?"
Oh, maybe.
If this silver girl right next to me can just get close to Agreat and land even one hit on him.
No matter how strong Agreat is, he couldn't handle that.
Yes, that's the kind of creature she is.
Seeming to catch my hopeful gaze, she looked at me with a smug expression.
"You absolutely can't win against me."
"Pardon?"
My face must have shown utter bewilderment.
What is this human? Why is he so confidently spouting nonsense?
"You said you'd make me the Demon King!"
"Yeah. But I never said anything about fighting. Love and peace—let's love peace."
He brushed off my words with incomprehensible nonsense.
"You little—"
I started to snap in anger, but I shut my mouth upon seeing the silver hair swaying in the breeze.
The moment I raised my voice, that silver girl beside me would surely smash her fist down.
"Becoming Demon King comes with conditions, right?"
"Yes. The vote and the temple's recognition. But both are impossible."
The last remaining succubus descendant has no information whatsoever.
On top of that, the Demon God's blessing is a deadly gamble that instantly kills anyone not chosen.
No matter how dire the situation, I don't want to risk something that dangerous.
"See that carriage over there?"
"Yes."
The carriage they arrived in.
He pointed to the twin-headed carriage a short distance away, where two people were staring at us blankly.
"My daughter's riding in that one."
"Yes."
"My daughter's the succubus descendant."
"Pardon?"
His casual words made me think I'd misheard.
Who's riding in that carriage?
"You're saying the last succubus descendant is in there?"
"That's right. My daughter's riding in it."
"Is that... true?"
My voice rose without me realizing it.
How long have we searched, and searched again!
Countless sacrificed their lives just to cross Lübella's walls, and even after gathering every scrap of intel, we found no trace—yet the succubus descendant was in the Demon Continent all along!
"Not only the succubus descendant—a dragon's riding in there too."
"You!"
His following words made me realize I'd been tricked. He's just toying with me.
He saw my hopeful expression and enjoyed it, lying about the succubus descendant just for that!
"Just kill me. Better than being your plaything—I'd rather end it myself!"
I was about to bite my tongue and resolve to suicide.
But before I could stick out my tongue, the man spoke first.
"Even if you bite your tongue, I can heal it. And that healing would be..."
"Ar's hands are healing hands."
Whoosh, whoosh.
Seeing the silver girl punching the air and making wind noises, I quietly retracted the tongue I'd been about to bite.
'It's real.'
'Believe him if you want to live.'
Though it sounded like a lie, the two man and woman behind him—the ones looking at me pitifully—shook their heads and stopped me.
"Anyway, why bring that up all of a sudden?"
"You're asking if that's something to say...?"
I hated being swayed by this man's words, but what could I do? No escape in sight, and the silver girl was too close.
The law is far; the fist is near.
I felt that truth deep in my bones.
"I only stated facts."
With that, the man stood up and fetched a small girl with pink hair from the carriage,
"Daddy, who's this?"
"She's the big sister you'll be with from now on. Say hi. See, even to people—no, demons—it's okay to greet Kkoko."
"Hello, big sis! I'm Ellis!"
"Hello! I'm Kkoko!"
The pink-haired girl bowed politely, along with what I wanted to think was a drake—but was actually a winged lizard-like creature speaking right in front of me.
"I-Is that... real?"
No carriage carries a dragon!
Just who the hell is this human?
A dragon? Out on a whim?
"Are you... great beings?"
Beings who call themselves great and ignore even gods. The thought of them right here made me tremble in awe.
"Great beings, my ass. Just ordinary humans."
But the man dismissively denied my words.
"Oh, but the hero who took down a great being all by himself is over there."
I followed his pointing finger to the blond man among the two who'd been pitying me earlier.
"A hero?"
"Yeah, the hero of the Church of Nature."
The situation grew more incomprehensible by the second.
What are the odds of the long-sought succubus descendant, a dragon hatchling, and the Church of Nature's hero all together?
And the odds of me—the previous Demon King's daughter—encountering them?
Is this even possible?
No, more importantly.
"Who the hell are you...?"
The one called the father of the succubus descendant.
A being accompanied by that silver girl who inflicts indescribable agony beyond this world's comprehension—pure evil!
One who travels with the Church of Nature's hero.
And finally, the one offering a Geass Roll contract to the previous Demon King's daughter: become Demon King, and in return, let me farm in peace in a corner of the Demon Realm.
Is this guy even human?
Maybe Mekel's magic formula glitched, botching the teleport and leaving me comatose, dreaming this?
No. That earlier pain was too real to be a dream.
It felt like it pierced my very soul.
No dream could replicate that agony.
"Wanna know who I am?"
"Yes."
I was desperate to know this man's unfathomable identity.
What kind of person commands such an incredible group?
A dragon after all? Or a hidden eccentric once called a hero surpassing heroes?
Or a pilgrim wandering to become a divine apostle?
Endless thoughts swirled in and out of my mind.
No matter what he claimed to be, I was confident I wouldn't be surprised.
With bated breath, I watched as he smugly introduced himself.
"My name is... yeah, Marcus! Ordinary farmer!"
"Pardon?"
Farmer...?
"Don't mess with me!"
"Little lady, your dad's a farmer, right?"
"Yeah! Daddy's a pro farmer! I'm an expert farmer!"
"What are you talking about?"
The kid claimed to be the succubus descendant laughed and agreed with the man.
What kind of farming involves dragging around dragons and heroes these days!
No, before that!
"Yeah, Marcus! Anyone can tell that's not your real name!"
"People can change their names."
"Yeah! Kkoko used to be called Peep and Chicken!"
"Really, Mommy?"
"Yeah!"
Why are this father and daughter looking at me like I'm the weird one?
Am I weird? Or is it a human-demon difference?
'Definitely not.'
'That's the abnormal one.'
'Ah...'
My eyes darted to where they landed: the two man and woman who'd been watching me pitifully.
Strangely, I could read their intent from their expressions and gazes alone.
'I'm not the weird one, right?'
'Yeah. That guy's weird.'
'More precisely, everything connected to him.'
The two nodded.
The hero endorsed by the Church of Nature says that man's weird. So my feelings must be right.
I'm normal; he's not!
But the problem is...
"Alright, explanation's over. Time to stamp."
I'm being forced into a contract with this man right now.
"Can't I just... not?"
My instincts screamed.
To save demonkind, I must become Demon King—but not with this guy's help. Accepting it will lead to disaster!
"Come on, stamp it."
"Stamp and relax."
But the silver girl suddenly placing her hand on my shoulder was too terrifying.
When would that tiny fist pummel me next?
Sorry, old man. Thought it over again, but yeah, I'm wrong.
"Where do I stamp?"
I raised my trembling hand. The man grinned wickedly, and the silver girl too.
Knowing it was the wrong choice, powerless me could only press my thumbprint.
This was my first meeting with the con artist later called the revolutionary of the Demon Realm—the human Marcus.