Chapter 84
The Empire, along with other nations, generally maintained a friendly stance towards the Otherworlders. The sudden appearance of these Otherworlders was certainly bewildering, but ultimately, they were on humanity's side.
And frankly, there were simply too many Otherworlders to openly antagonize.
It wasn't just their sheer numbers either. They didn't die, and they grew stronger over time.
At this rate, a singularity could occur where the overall power of the Otherworlders surpasses that of the Gaians.
Therefore, even if the nations wanted to be hostile towards the Otherworlders, they couldn't. Antagonizing them would only lead to exhaustion, so it was better to bring them over to their side. Even Gaia, the goddess of this land, said, “Though you are unwelcome guests, I welcome you…”
Fortunately, most Otherworlders were friendly and, even better, they could communicate, making it easy to integrate them.
As they became closer with the Otherworlders, an unexpected advantage arose.
That was the ease of gathering information through them.
Like some sort of open-source network, although individuals weren't particularly strong, they possessed a massive network.
As evidenced by the bounty, they had naturally heard information about Yor.
And quite detailed information at that.
Rustle-
Fourth Knights' Order Captain Ryleigh spread out various documents, organizing her thoughts.
‘A considerably strong individual residing in the Forest.’
‘A man whose name is widely known, especially among the Otherworlders.’
‘And… the Demon child the Empire lost 13 years ago.’
The last piece of information wasn’t from the Otherworlders, but something she’d unearthed through her own investigation.
Although she was only a trainee Knight back then, the incident caused quite a stir, so she had heard about it.
It was recorded as one of the Empire's mistakes.
After that, no matter how much they searched, they couldn't find a trace of him, assuming he had died somewhere.
‘To think he’d still be alive in such a harsh Forest…’
It was quite remarkable.
And from a Knight's perspective, incredibly troublesome.
No matter which nation, immediate execution was the standard procedure for a Manifestor.
They were like time bombs waiting to explode, so to eliminate potential threats, it was right for them to die.
Unfortunately, the same applied to those who protected Manifestors.
From a broader perspective, they were ultimately putting countless lives at risk for personal reasons.
Just look at the two recent Demonkin incidents. They happened because people shielded them.
It had been quite some time since the information came in.
The reason for the lack of action was that everyone was too busy.
Although the establishment of the Arena had alleviated things somewhat, troubles caused by Otherworlders still arose.
On top of that, there was the recovery from damage caused by the successive descents of Demons, the Lemegeton investigation, and so on…
With so many things happening at once, they didn't have enough time in the day.
However, capturing Dantalian had given them some breathing room.
‘So, the opportunity is now.’
And once again, Ryleigh was in charge.
The First Knights Order Commander couldn’t leave. He had to protect the Emperor, no matter what.
The Second Knight Master… was busy settling troubles caused by the Otherworlders. And probably seducing another man while he was at it.
The Third Knight Master and Fifth Knight Master were tracking and investigating the Lemegeton.
In the end, he was the only one left.
While grumbling, Ryleigh efficiently prepared. He gave her exhausted troops a break and pestered the Minister of Finance for budget.
And based on that budget, he began rewriting the notice.
They had already invested 5 Million Gold in the bounty, but no news of success had reached her.
No, it would have been better if there was only a lack of success reports. There weren't even any failure reports.
This meant that no one had even attempted it properly.
In short, it wasn't cost-effective.
Ryleigh's mind raced.
‘The opponent is a Strong One. Even Dantalian was injured and forced to retreat.’
‘The terrain is also unfavorable. We need to consider the Monsters in the Forbidden Forest.’
‘His favorable reputation among the Otherworlders is quite concerning… But it's fine. We’ll offer a reward, and anyone who opposes our will will be strictly dealt with by law.’
Having roughly estimated the situation, Ryleigh anticipated a difficult fight.
Honestly, the battle conditions weren't very good.
But it still had to be done.
They couldn't just leave a bomb planted in a corner of the Empire.
Those with Demon's Blood had to be eliminated.
They were far removed from humanity, and there should be no hesitation in dealing with them.
That was the knowledge Ryleigh had learned throughout her elite training, a truth that had persisted for hundreds of years.
Having drafted the notice, he reported to the Emperor.
Once her writing was approved, it would be passed on to the administrative department.
Her writing would then be polished and posted as a notice on the Guild Forum.
Time passed.
＊
A month had passed.
And during that time, nothing much happened.
It rained, but only briefly before stopping. The sky cleared up as if nothing had happened.
No Monsters descended from the Deep Layer, no one came to the Forest despite the bounty, and even those pesky Lemegeton hadn’t shown their faces recently.
If there was one interesting story to tell, it was that Happy… no, Shin Han-byeol, delivered the Holy Water as promised.
“Wow, I didn't think you'd actually come. Thanks, Happy!”
“…Shut up.”
Thanks to her, I managed to obtain two Holy Waters.
I paid her the agreed-upon price too.
Although this Rage Mode triggered an A rank, I was able to manage it somewhat thanks to the two Holy Waters she gave me.
In short, life was good.
I was enjoying peaceful days to a degree I couldn't believe.
Come to think of it, had I ever lived this comfortably recently？
I had someone to talk to in my lonely life, and I was intermittently obtaining Holy Water to alleviate my pain.
Although there were threats, I had become more prosperous since revealing my existence.
‘Maybe I can just continue living like this？’
I briefly entertained that thought.
But, as they say, the calmest days often precede a storm.
Life is no different, as bad news arrived swiftly.
“Yor, Yor!”
“Something terrible happened! Terrible!”
As I was peacefully enjoying the afternoon air, Chae-rin and Ha-neul came rushing in.
This was quite unusual.
Usually, Ha-neul was busy with Editing, and since conveying information only required one person,
normally, only one of them would come. But for both of them to come at once…
Their expressions were filled with deep anxiety.
They explained that a notice had been posted at the Guild and showed me a piece of paper.
It seemed they had painstakingly copied the notice from the Guild.
I read what they brought.
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[Subjugation Decree]
Humanity, and the Empire, have repeatedly proven our strength by defeating Demons time and time again.
However, a potential danger still remains.
The story of a certain human living in the Forbidden Forest.
This individual, despite being of an evil Blood, a Demonkin, remains hidden in the Forest, clinging to life.
Furthermore, there are even Otherworlders who are aware of this and simply stand by and watch.
The Empire can no longer overlook this.
Therefore, to rectify this wrong, the Empire will dispatch a Raiding Party led by the Fourth Knights' Order Commander.
We ask for your assistance in ensuring a swift Subjugation.
The 10 individuals with the highest contributions will each be rewarded with 10 Million Gold.
Furthermore, after this Notice, any individual who continues to side with him, even if an Otherworlder, will be strictly dealt with by law.
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And my face, along with theirs, hardened.
＊
A new notice appeared on the Guild Forum.
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[What the?]
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[What's that notice that just went up on the Adventurer's Guild?]
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Naturally, the Community was in an uproar.
The content was quite relevant to them.
A certain human living in the Forbidden Forest. It was obvious who ‘that human’ referred to.
It was clearly Yor. He was a fairly well-known NPC in the Community, so the impact of a single notice was considerable.
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[Why is this notice in informal language?]
The Andromalius notice was in polite language, this is a bit annoying;
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[That was a notice from the Church, and this is a decree from the Emperor, so it’s a decree, you know.]
[ㄴ oh ok]
[ㄴ Does being the Emperor excuse everything? Doesn’t he know he should use honorifics when addressing the public?]
[ㄴ Hey you idiot]
[ㄴ He's the Emperor there, so yeah, it does;-;]
[No, that's not the point, it’s a Subjugation Order, you idiots!]
[ㄴ No way, shit, Yor can’t die!]
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[What does ‘strictly dealt with by law’ mean..？]
Like, we can’t give him anything or even talk to him?
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[ㅇㅇ]
[What happens if we defend him?]
[I’m friends with a bureaucrat, and they said supporting or protecting a Manifestor is punishable by execution, no exceptions.]
[ㄴ So, it’s just a 3-day ban, then?]
[ㄴ I wish it was just that, but the specific mention of Otherworlders is a bit concerning..]
[ㄴ They might imprison us or banish us from the Empire]
[ㄴ Oh wow;-;]
[ㄴ That’s a bit harsh]
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[Wow, how much is 10 Million Gold?]
We don't even have to catch him, just contribute something and earn 100 Million for free?
That's insane lol, I definitely have to participate
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[You son of a bitch]
[Are you seriously going to participate for money? Really?]
[Hey, come on, guys, is 10 Million Gold a small amount of money? If I can earn that much for taking out one NPC, I’m definitely in.]
[ㄴ fr lol business is business]
Countless discussions took place in the Community.
With tens of thousands of people gathered, opinions varied widely.
Some argued for protecting the beloved NPC, some posted mournful messages as if they had already lost him, and some were indifferent.
And many showed interest in participating in the Subjugation. Primarily, it was the dark gamers.
To them, 10 Million Gold was a significant sum.
Occasionally, disputes erupted within the Forum posts.
Between those who questioned the necessity of such participation and those who saw no problem with eliminating a mere NPC.
To them, [Demons Saga] was ultimately just a game.
And with a Subjugation Order issued, honestly, the chances of survival were slim. Most Users felt that way.
As various opinions emerged, a User in the Community posted a question.
It was a question about the core of the issue.
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[So, this is a boss fight, right?]
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Ultimately, though the format might differ slightly, it was a boss fight where the boss happened to be human.
Most Users came to that conclusion.