Chapter 42
Chapter 42
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 042
Chapter Title: Protagonist of the Party
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The party was truly one where Sein was the star.
“They called you the Mad Dog of Chichiron! It suits you perfectly!”
“Does that mean I’m a son of a bitch?”
They were too busy praising Sein to even realize what nonsense they were spouting.
“Do you know Borfeo?”
Sein had gathered what he needed in the meantime.
“Invest in it. It’s a city that’s going to develop big-time, I’m telling you.”
“…Is this info from Demorus?”
“What’s my name?”
“As expected of Demorus—!”
It was childish banter, but it would make for a pretty solid business.
Everyone Sur had gathered for the party was there just to impress Sein.
“I hear the slave trade in Antara is booming.”
“Antara’s been a famous slave market since ancient times.”
“And there, this time…”
“Demorus—!”
They were utter lunatics.
Nobles from nearby territories, famous merchants from the city, and the like.
Halfway into the underworld, or…
Even full-on underworld figures.
“What’s your taste like, Lord Sein? If you’d like, we could…”
“What a bold guy! My tastes are…”
“That’s, well…”
Of course, there wasn’t much that could truly satisfy Sein.
The party dragged on into the late hours, and Sein’s face was flushed bright red from downing the endless drinks without pause.
“Sein—!”
“Sein—!”
The crowd cheered as the drunken Sein danced with his sword.
“Drink! Die!”
“Demorus! Demorus—!”
It didn’t take long for Sur’s lavish party hall to turn into a back-alley dumpster.
The party finally ended.
It wrapped up only after Sein stopped drinking.
“Then, we’ll see you tomorrow. Rest well.”
Sein returned to the accommodations Parca had arranged.
The Sein who had been staggering on the verge of collapse just moments ago.
Pop.
Produced a droplet on his finger and snapped back to his usual self.
“Fucking hell. Doing business is a pain in the ass.”
His flushed face had been a lie.
His slurred speech from the drunkenness had been a lie.
It was all an act.
If you knew how to use mana well, and if your mana had reached a certain level.
No.
“Could I even get drunk in the first place?”
With a Dragon Heart, Sein was impervious to all poisons.
No toxin, alcohol included, could touch his body.
Thud.
He sat on the convincingly prepared sofa, propping his feet up.
“Anyway…”
The party had been full of endless talk, but what stuck with him most was his conversation with Sur.
Sur had been the first to approach and chat, then soon slipped out of the party hall to give Sein time with the others.
And what he’d asked then.
-What if Demorus is the one interfering with the mission?
That stuck with him.
Sein had answered like this.
-Tanba’s a Demorus territory too, so you know the Demorus principle, right?
The Demorus principle.
-The mission comes first.
Meaning, even if Demorus itself was the obstacle, the one assigned to the mission had to carry it out.
And the reason that moment stuck.
-Good.
It was the one time Sur’s mask slipped.
A smile steeped in madness.
-I look forward to it.
He got it.
“Now, let’s see how you play this.”
*
*
*
The next day, Parca brought a heap of info on the mission.
This mission was an assassination.
The target was Grofa in Tanba.
Sein had figured it was someone decent since the lord himself put out the hit.
“An orphanage director.”
Just an unremarkable orphanage director.
The rest of the info was useless trivia.
Nothing worth helping with on his own, and most of it wasn’t even needed.
Just one line.
Slide.
“This is it.”
That was the only value in the info on Grofa.
“When do you plan to carry out the mission?”
Parca asked.
“You rushing me?”
“Not at all, but Lord Sur said he’d keep holding parties until the mission’s underway…”
“Rushing me like that? That’s a new one.”
Sein stood up.
“I’m heading out now.”
“I’ll prepare.”
“What’s there to prepare?”
Sein left the room.
“By the way, where’s that guy?”
“Who do you mean?”
“You know.”
Parca looked uncomfortable for a moment.
“Lord Balak Demorus left midway through last night’s party, and his whereabouts are unknown.”
Unknown?
“I know Demorus puts a lot of care into missions, but Sein and Balak are worlds apart.”
Bullshit.
These guys knew better than anyone where Balak was.
“Whatever.”
Sein left the lord’s castle.
Parca and Sur’s knights offered to escort him, but he refused.
“It’s an assassination. What the hell’s with the escort?”
Ridiculous.
If that was the plan, they could do it themselves.
So.
Halt.
There had to be a reason.
In Tanba’s back alleys stood a rundown, decrepit building that was falling apart.
The sign, smashed beyond recognition, bore the continental script for Tanba Orphanage.
“Smells like shit.”
Sein wrinkled his nose and muttered.
“You ditched that nice lord’s castle to crash here?”
Sein spoke, eyeing one side of the orphanage.
“Missing this stench that bad?”
At Sein’s voice, someone emerged from there.
A fairly large shadow.
“…….”
Balak Demorus.
The info Parca brought on Grofa.
It was all worthless fluff.
But one part among it tangled up the mission’s true purpose, the state of this world, opportunities, grudges, and more.
-Balak Demorus grew up in Grofa’s orphanage.
Balak’s origins were right here.
“What a dogshit life. Right?”
Sein said.
“Finally recognized as a Demorus son and thought your luck turned, and now this kind of mission.”
Sur couldn’t touch Grofa because of Balak.
It started as just some slum orphanage he didn’t even notice at first, but Sur learned there were magic stones buried here.
Normally, it would’ve been simple.
“Could’ve just paid to relocate the orphanage.”
But this noble lord was too stingy for that and decided to bulldoze it.
That’s when it began.
“Must’ve been hilarious. Some kid not even twenty knocking out a few knights.”
Even so, they could’ve bulldozed it if they pushed.
But Grofa and Balak somehow held off the lord’s soldiers.
“The lord’s got a reputation to uphold, so he couldn’t go all out.”
That’s how it started.
The grudge between Balak, Grofa, and Lord Sur.
Balak repelled Sur’s soldiers like blocking a monster wave.
Then Sur finally threw face to the wind to raze the place, but a problem arose.
“Turns out that dogshit kid was a Demorus?”
Demorus.
The shadow that name cast.
The tables turned.
With Balak protecting the orphanage, Sur—who wanted to avoid friction with Demorus—dropped the armed eviction.
Balak probably relaxed then, but the world is ruthless.
“Nobles are like that. They’ll start wars over one scrap of pride or face.”
Who’d have thought he’d start something even after giving up years of magic stone mine profits.
Balak never saw it coming.
“Nobles are like that…”
Sein looked at Balak.
With his usual playful face.
“But the one thing that freezes those idiot bastards is being a Demorus.”
“What’re you getting at, Sein Demorus.”
“Where you gonna stand. If you stand there, you won’t be a Demorus—even Sur that son of a bitch won’t be able to touch you.”
But.
“Stand here. Next to me. Then you can be a Demorus and crush guys like Sur.”
“……….”
A brief silence.
“But.”
Balak’s voice echoed.
“You’d have to give up the orphanage.”
Before long, shadows were multiplying from the orphanage.
*
*
*
“I told you to stay inside.”
Balak said, unable to hide his agitation.
Must be frustrating.
If he could evacuate them somewhere, great—but under Sur’s watch, the orphanage with Balak was the safest spot.
If something happened in Tanba, Sur would take the blame, but incidents on evacuation routes could be pinned on monster attacks.
“How could they?”
“Bro. Who’s that?”
The orphanage director Grofa.
And the orphans.
“Right. If you stand by me, the orphanage gets wiped. That old guy ends up bloody on the castle walls, and the kids…”
Sein said.
“Antara’ll buy ’em at a high price. I know a guy, so don’t worry.”
“Sein!”
Balak shouted.
“Whoa, why the rage?”
“I’ve decided.”
Balak had monstrous strength that could tear humans apart barehanded.
And the weapon he chose.
Thud.
A massive greatsword.
“I’ll stand here. I won’t carry the Demorus name if I can’t protect what’s precious.”
“You serious?”
Sein said, as if it was absurd.
“Dead serious.”
“Idiot.”
Throwing away a bright future over some fleeting sentiment.
It wouldn’t all be bright, but knowing Balak’s skill and potential, he wasn’t the type to die easy.
“You know what this means for you from now on, right?”
It wasn’t just Balak taking a stance.
Slide.
Sein drew his longsword.
“You gotta face me.”
“…I know you’re strong.”
Balak’s aura grew ever more solid.
“But I won’t go down easy.”
“A fight where you gain nothing. Where you only lose what’s clear.”
In that instant.
“That’s what makes you an idiot.”
Sein’s form vanished and reappeared right before Balak’s eyes.
A massive greatsword—its destructive power was top-notch, but.
Clang.
Handling a foe this fast was impossible.
Balak’s sword, blocked by one hand from Sein, didn’t budge—like it was rooted to the ground.
“Romance is nice. But you know.”
Sein’s eyes narrowed.
Balak.
“Hah!”
Let out a shout and heaved his sword up.
The greatsword finally began to move.
“A weakling chasing romance is just a plain idiot.”
Stab.
But Sein’s sword, riding atop the greatsword, pierced Balak’s shoulder.