Chapter 137
“A swindler...?”
I asked again, taken aback by her harsh words. The Beled I’d seen was clearly intimidating and grotesque. So for her to suddenly call him a swindler naturally raised questions.
“Well, even if he was ugly, he wasn’t easy to fight. And he called himself a Monarch.”
I briefly explained what had happened recently. That a Demon named Beled had appeared recently, and he claimed to be the ruler of the Northern Region.
And, befitting that status, a king’s head had fallen in just two days. When I briefly relayed these things, she scoffed.
“Monarch? Ha! Did that scoundrel really call himself a Monarch? Honestly, I’m so dumbfounded I can’t even speak.”
“So he’s not?”
“Of course not! That fellow doesn’t have the power or the capacity for it. He’s originally one of the most despised Demons in the Demon Realm. He’s just running wild here because this is an Otherworld.”
“······.”
“Kings wouldn’t appear this early in the first place. Do you know how much mana it takes to Summon a High-ranking Demon? He’s probably just a low-resource fellow who came out and is impersonating a king. Hmph, seeing as he mentioned the Northern Region, he must have somehow gotten permission from his master...”
As I listened to her, one question arose. Her tone was excessively hostile.
Even if she acts like this, she’s still on the side of the Demons.As such, she’s usually very careful when dealing with information about her Kin.But this time, she was huffing and puffing, spilling information without any caution, which felt a bit off.
So, with a reasonable suspicion, I asked her.
“You’ve been very emotional since earlier. Did you perhaps lose to him in a fight?”
“*No, I didn’t lose!!!*”
She lost.
As if my words had triggered something, her expression soured even more. She clearly looked quite angry. But since she was just a head, she wasn’t very scary. Her huffing lasted only a moment before she let out a deep sigh and continued.
“Hmph... well, if all the conditions are met, his power is almost comparable to that of kings. The problem is that those conditions are almost never met.”
After that, she continued to badmouth Beled for a while. It was a bit pathetic to hear her talk like that after she’d lost to him... but it was still quite helpful.
because the common perception and her description were completely opposite.
Right, that’s why she calls him a swindler.
Anyway, I learned a few more facts from this. First, Beled isn’t a king, but he’s still associated with the Northern Region. Second, seeing as she has a bad relationship with Beled, she seems to be from a faction other than the Northern Region.
In conversations like this, you can gain not only the information explicitly stated but also what’s hidden within. If you can infer, you can discover unexpected things.
However, there was one thing I still couldn’t be sure about. It was about the “conditions” she mentioned. What kind of conditions could allow that swindler to destroy a Kingdom in just two days?
Honestly, I think I know, but... Still, to confirm, I asked her directly.
“So, what’s his ability?”
“That, I cannot tell you.”
“You’ve been blabbering on and now you’re stopping?”
“I’m sorry, but what’s forbidden is forbidden. I’d like to tell you, but it directly violates the rules. I don’t want to get caught later and be beaten to death by the King of the North.”
“...Hmm.”
I nodded. If she put it like that, there was nothing I could do.
“Well... since we’ve known each other for a while, I can give you one piece of advice.”
As I thought that, she opened her mouth again.
“Don’t shrink back.”
“······.”
“The moment you shrink back, you’ve already lost. So don’t let your momentum be pushed back.”
Hearing that, I stood up. I felt I’d heard enough.
Finally, I offered her my gratitude.
“Thanks, you. That was a huge help.”
“Well, since I gave you special advice, you should naturally be grateful. Ahem, but... do you have anything for me today?”
As I was about to leave, she hesitated and asked me. Her green eyes, which I glimpsed, were sparkling with anticipation. Only then did something come to mind.
“Ah.”
Now that I think about it, I always brought something to eat whenever I came here. She must always get bored being at the Altar. And it was somewhat amusing to see her eat what I gave her like a baby bird.
But I hadn’t managed to bring anything today. I’d spontaneously come because of the Beled situation.
I simply apologized to her.
“Sorry. I didn’t manage to bring anything today. I’ll definitely bring something next time.”
Her face froze coldly.
“Forget all the advice I just gave you. You foolish fellow.”
She seemed to be sulking.
*
A Demon appeared in the Arena. Naturally, this news spread quickly. The Arena was near the Empire, and there were many Otherworlders among the Spectators watching the match at the time.
News spreads quickly through the Community. Some Spectators even took photos.
+
[Is this even designed to be won?]
I took this right before Teleportation
How does one arm cover half the sky? LOL
+
[What the fuck]
[Wow, that’s really grotesque. Is that the Demon that appeared this time?]
[Reply Yeah, seems like it... I was one of the last ones there, and I remember barely blocking his previous attacks]
[Reply The neighboring Kingdom was helpless against him, so it’s amazing someone blocked it. Who was fighting him?]
[Reply Yor, that NPC, was fighting him. I returned right when that thing was about to drop, so I’m a bit worried... He’s probably squashed by now lol]
[Reply No way, he was there? What terrible luck]
[Reply This guy says he’s worried but immediately assumes he’s squashed lol]
[Reply Hey, you psycho bitch]
[Reply What about our Brother ㅠㅠ]
Unfortunately, not many good stories were circulating. The last remaining Spectator had disappeared just as the flesh-hammer was about to strike. They were only naturally pessimistic, having returned after witnessing that overwhelming sight.
That tension gradually spread among the Users. Right after the Russian Server collapsed, a Demon reached near the Empire. Even though it’s the Game World, a server collapsing is a direct threat to Users.
Especially since some Users make a living from [Demon’s Saga]... everyone was bound to be tense.
Still, it wasn’t all bad news.
+
[Yor seems to be alive?]
Hanbyeol, the one who was sparring with him, is in the city right now? Yes she’s huffing about something, but she seems safe.
[Oh, really?]
[Phew, that’s a relief]
No way, the picture looked so brutal, how did he survive? ᄂ She said she almost split the hammer in half and landed a hit, but unfortunately, the demon returned right then, so she’s really annoyed? Reply That’s bullshit from her. Reply Haha No matter if she’s the 1st Rank, how could she land a hit on a Demon? Reply For real lol Even if no one saw it, she should at least say something believable
Unfortunately, no one believed Hanbyeol’s words. But at least his survival was confirmed. Yor, however, had yet to show himself.
And after that, the situation continued to unfold.
+[Attention, those who joined the Extermination Squad]
We roughly know Beled’s movements now and plan to strike him before he reaches the Empire. Knights who were receiving Refugees, they say, have also rushed towards the Demon? Those who submitted an Extermination Squad Application should head to the Plains right now.+
[Ugh... this one looks pretty tough][Reply Still, how long has it been since an Extermination battle?]
[If we die this time, do we still get our items back?][Reply Well, they say just participating gives you a reward and Item Recovery for lost items..., but we have to win first][Reply Fuck, if we lose, the server might shut down anyway, so I’m joining too]
[я тоже буду участвовать!][Reply What’s this commie saying?][Reply He says his Russian Kin are joining too. They want revenge][Reply этот жевательный!!!][Reply What’s this ice-commie bitch saying?][Reply She says if you keep calling her a commie, she’ll kill you][Reply Oh; haha;;][Reply Right, we’re sharing a server with the Russian Users now.]
The events ranged from the Demon’s appearance to the response and actions. As the Empire had experienced Demon invasions multiple times, their actions were swift. All of this happened within just one day of Beled’s appearance.
With that faint tension and fear, people slowly gathered towards the Plains.
And Yor only returned to his Cave the next day. The Altar, deep within The Depths, was far away, so he often had to stay overnight when he went. And he also had to appease the sulking Barbatos.
“Hmph... what kind of High-ranking Demon is that? He’s just a child. A child.”
Yor arrived at the Cave around morning. And as soon as he arrived, he found Haneul waiting with an anxious expression.
“Where have you been all this time?”
As soon as she saw Yor, she rushed over and checked his body, looking for any injuries. It was unusual for her to be here so early in the morning. The Forest was a certain distance away, making it difficult to arrive in the morning.
This meant that her presence at this hour was one of two things. Either she had rushed here from early dawn, or she had arrived yesterday and spent the night here. He didn’t know which it was, but he could at least feel that she had been worried. Yor thought she had probably heard the news from the Arena. He felt inwardly grateful for her concern and opened his mouth. He was, of course, hiding the Demon in The Depths.
“Just... went somewhere. More importantly, where’s Beled?”
“Is that the first thing you ask? You just fought... shouldn’t you rest a bit?”
“No. I think I know how to stop him. If we leave him be, things might get out of hand.”
If those conditions were met, he was said to be a powerful individual comparable to a king, even if there were conditions. And no human knew his weakness yet. If things went wrong, the Empire could suffer immense damage. In response to Yor’s question, Haneul answered softly.
“I heard he’s still coming towards the Empire. The Extermination Squad has also set out to stop him. Chaerin, who arrived first, is broadcasting, and it looks like the battle will start soon.”
“What?”
Yor’s expression briefly furrowed. He immediately picked up Haneul and started running out of the Forest. Even if he was a Human who lived alone, he couldn’t just stand by and watch others die in vain.
“Where is it? Let’s go now.”
And so, Yor began running towards where the battle was unfolding, without a moment’s rest.