[Translator Clara]
[Proofreader DemonGod]
The turmoil that unfolded in the empire spread uncontrollably fast.
The aftermath was particularly devastating in Riaze, surrounded by layers of fortifications and boasting itself as the empires pinnacle. This was the very heart of the city, where the incident involving the Emperors palace and one of its protective walls occurred.
The sudden appearance of the Black Calamity without any warning claid nurous lives in an instant. The once proud and joyous district of pleasure, Capital Raize, was reduced to unrecognizable ruins, and the disaster left thousands of imperial citizens in shock among them, even the Third Princess.
The arrival of the Black Calamity, known as Devourer, led to the near-annihilation of the elite Imperial punitive force, the Languere Blue Crane Raid Force.
The death of Vern, the consecutive tragedies involving Historia, and the overall impact were staggering.
Though the Imperial Palace itself was not attacked, the re fact of the event was enough for people to recognize the vulnerability. It wasnt that the palace wasnt attacked but rather a conscious choice not to attack.
While the empire still had many powerful figures to maintain its strength, it was rely a facade in the face of this calamity. A facade of strength. This notion was enough to instill anxiety among the citizens who once believed in the empire as the blessed land that promised eternal peace.
The initial response ca from the Imperial governnt. The suggestion that the calamity might be the work of Devourer was incessantly debated at the highest levels. The evidence included dramatic accounts from those who miraculously survived the encounter with the darkness and a synthesis of Devourers description from myths, leading to uncanny similarities.
It was despairing. The next ones to react were the common people. Eventually, under the Emperors decree, the official stance announced by the governnt was as follows:
The presence of the calamity in Riaze was not Devourer.
Whether it was truly Devourer or not was uncertain. However, the majority of the citizens did not believe those words. Instead, rumors spread even faster, fueling dissent.
Despite considerable trust in the Imperial family among the people, the thin-skinned citizens paid more attention to rumors. The ergence of the Black Calamity was so mythic that it only heightened the credibility of the myths. The rumor that the identity of the Black Calamity is Devourer spread rapidly within the empire, giving rise to new religious sects predicting the empires downfall and groups venerating Devourer as an absolute being.
Even amid oppression, signs of the end of the century stubbornly erged. Everything seed to be heading towards disaster. As the Imperial oppression intensified, baseless rumors spread uncontrollably.
The phenonon was akin to an epidemic, a ntal illness that debilitated everyones ntal state.
Everything shook. In less than an hour, the nightmare that swept the empire rendered it unstable. Essential goods for survival began to skyrocket in price. The land values around Capital Raize plumted one after another. Noble factions erged, debating the identity of the calamity. Parts of Hastin and the forests of Graphenia were declared off-limits.
Traders passing through those routes were hindered, causing abrupt price changes for certain goods. The scarcity of potions and dicinal supplies led to the death of hundreds within a few days.
Citizen dissatisfaction grew, and countless rumors circulated in the city. What started as rumors in Riaze, within a week, spread throughout the entire nation through the mouths of many mages and rchants.
The rumors even included malicious gossip like monsters appeared due to the aristocracys mistake. This mix of rumors, combined with the already mythical nature of the Black Calamity, brought about a phenonon that undermined the authority of the aristocracy.
The nobles were unable to live without the respect of the commoners, and a purge of the origin of these rumors began. Innocent people perished.
In due course, a special unit was ford to unveil the truth behind the incidents. Based on the testimonies of witnesses who had seen Devourer at the auction house, the secret investigation team considered the possibility that the appearance of the Black Calamity and Brachycephalic Tooth might be linked.
The trail led them to Hastin. However, Hastin had beco a chaotic scene much like Riaze.
Assuming that the key to the incident lay with the tower Wing, the investigation was halted. The tower was demolished, leaving only its foundation. Devourer must have co and gone. The symptoms similar to those in Riaze among the residents of Hastin confird the suspicion.
The Black Calamity that had been in Riaze had moved on to Hastin it was natural to think of the ancient core near Hastin, and the hypothesis that Devourer is the Black Calamity gained strength. With no further leads and all related witnesses either dead or missing, the investigation ca to a close. Even the Lord of Hastin, left a suicide note before hanging himself in his room. The mbers of the investigation team grimaced after reading its contents.
The ancient monster raged. Humans could only await the judgnt of death. Not only the empire but the entire end of humanity had arrived.
Under the colossal entity known as the empire, nurous suppressed elents began to stir.
* * *
A cold droplet of water fell from the ceiling with a soft, distinct sound, landing on ljes forehead.
She opened her eyes as if waking from a deep sleep. The cool air tickled her nostrils.
Even though she had fully opened her eyes, the ceiling remained slightly dim. Where was she? What had happened?
With various thoughts swirling in her mind, lje touched the ground with both hands, slowly raising her upper body. From the side, a faint rustling sound of scratching ears could be heard. She turned her head towards the source of the noise.
Sitting down, a skeletal figure with a knife ca into view.
A skeleton.
Ah
Only then did ljes mind, still groggy from just waking up, beco clear. mories of the last mont before she blacked out started to resurface. Yes, thats right. If thats the case, the current situation makes so sense.
Ah, youre awake.
Just as lje heard Patricks voice at the right mont, she looked at him with a clear but sowhat amazed expression. Patrick, in turn, seed subtly uncomfortable and turned his head away, while lje, looking at him as if fascinated, slowly lowered her lips.
You?
Yes?
You are death. Are you a reaper? Is this hell?
lje asked. From her perspective, the stale air, the dark space, and the skeleton all made sense. Why a reaper was carrying a sword instead of a scythe was a mystery, though.
Yes?
The gatekeeper of the afterlife is a skeleton, I read it in a book, and it turned out to be true. How did the author of that book, who hasnt died, know that reapers are skeletons? Amazing. So, Reaper, I am lje De Lymph Agrea, the 17th descendant of Asmodeus. I have no regrets in death.
No, it seems like youre having a serious misunderstanding
What will happen to in the future? Heaven? Hell? Where am I going? Humans who believe in gods have always talked about a place called Purgatory. Does Purgatory really exist? Before that, do places like Heaven and Hell exist? Truly intriguing. If they do exist, Im in trouble going to Heaven. Im a demon lord, after all. Yes, Hell suits a demon lord. Now, take away.
Are you sure you havent mistaken sothing?
What about the boss? Is there a boss among the reapers?
Um, miss, this isnt the afterlife.
Huh? Then, where am I?
You might want to listen carefully since I wont say it twice.
A loud voice, as if hitting her eardrums, reached ljes ears.
Here is Primordial Core.
A mont of silence followed before the response ca.
Huh?
The surprised voice was succeeded by another silence. It seed like there was more to say, as Patrick, tapping his ribs with his fist, expressed his frustration. Soon, ljes face turned pale.
So, youre not the reaper but Patrick?
Youre smart.
* * *
lje still seed to have trouble grasping the situation, and Patrick, holding the edges of her doll-like clothes and dragging her along, headed towards Devourers room. By the way, Patrick felt embarrassed about ljes quite tattered clothes. However, the material seed to be of good quality as it didnt tear even when pulled.
Get up.
Patrick said after kicking the boss, who had been sleeping for hours, with all his strength, and he threw lje in front of him. The gazes of lje, who couldnt bring herself to speak in front of Devourer, and Devourer, half-closed eyes in a half-asleep state, crossed.
Both were stiff.
At a glance, it seed so, but they were just not saying anything. Both were actively moving. ljes eyes moved busily, and Devourers brain worked rapidly. Soon, ljes eyes sparkled with amazent, and Devourers mind went completely black.
D-D-D-Devourer!
Who is it again?
Devourer, the ruler of Primordial Core, the guardian of the ancient ones captured by fear, the pinnacle of everything, the ancient monster Devourer!
That again
At the excessive epithets, a mocking sound from Patrick was heard.
[Translator Clara]
[Proofreader DemonGod]
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Ah, where should I start explaining?
Its awkward. Devourer, who mumbled like that, covered his face with his front paw. He didnt intentionally hide anything well, the news is quite surprising.
Patrick, with a clenched fist, was also watching from the side. He seed to plan on hearing the whole story of the incident he missed last ti. The movent of Patrick, who swung his sword as if ready to cut it off if an unsatisfactory explanation was given, was very annoying. I shouldnt have given him that sword for no reason, thought Devourer, but it was already spilled milk and past.
Devourer, I, if I may introduce myself No, Im sorry! A mistake in addressing you in front of the great Devourer! Well, let introduce myself first
Uh, I know it.
Huh, how? How did Devourer rember my na? Did Sir Devde tell you? Sir Devde must have told you! Sir Devde, even among the demons belonging to the Primordial core, is clearly different! Ah, more importantly, Devde, where is Sir Devde?
Its .
Ah, yes, right! Devourer, what did you just say?
I am Devde.
Huh?
Im Devde, and Devourer is . Youve been with Devde, whos been Devourer all along.
Ah-ha!
Whats Ah-ha?
A delayed reaction. lje replied with a voice that seed to understand. However, her expression contradicted her voice, indicating not understanding but a refusal to understand.
Devourer, your witty jokes have been understood by humble now.
She spoke with a tongue-twisted voice, and Patricks derisive laughter was heard from the side.
Ah, so where should I start explaining?
You dont have to understand everything.
Its not a big deal.
Not a big deal it is.
Not a big deal. It was all just a reinterpretation from start to finish. Praising Devourer in front of Devourer, trying to outdo Devourer, well, thats it.
lje, who couldnt accept reality, collapsed.
Is she dead?
After going through all the trouble to keep her alive?
Shes not dead Seems like she fainted from the shock. Is it really useful to keep soone so weak as the Demon King, Boss?
Now Im not sure either.
Lets talk about bringing her into the dungeon as a mber in a more genuine situation. By the way, Boss, there was sothing that lje, the Demon Queen, ntioned just now.
Yeah?
The part about being a bit late because you were passing judgnt on humans in Raize.
Oh.
Follow .
Yes.
It took more than six hours of turmoil to be forgiven.
* * *
The process was sowhat drastic, but in the end, even Renee ca back, and peace was restored.
Where did you get that from?
I had it hidden. After all, its my favorite. Boss, would you like a drink?
You drink it.
A hole-ridden ceiling at the top of the central hub. Patrick, raising his glass, enjoyed the moonlight flowing through it as an accompanint. Although a skeleton with no digestive organs, he had a strange gas that mimicked the taste to so extent. Patrick, driven by the zeal to learn polymorph to at least feel the taste, had tried his best. However, due to the magical limitations of the skeleton, learning polymorph properly failed. Still, he managed to achieve so success in replicating the sensation of taste, even though he didnt fully reproduce the role of the tongue and digestive organs, and so weird gas was emitted from his mouth.
In Devourers eyes, it didnt seem like he could feel the taste with such a thing.
Sucks that I cant get drunk.
Looking at Patrick with a wry smile, Devourer thought for a short mont.
Dropping alcohol on the floor, would he get drunk?
Without saying that thought out loud, Devourer looked up at the moonlight again. He didnt find it beautiful or anything, just thinking, When did that hole appear again?. Oh well, it must be busy. There must be more than a couple of things to repair.
Boss, what are you going to do now? After causing a ruckus in Raize, are you going to destroy the Empire?
Huh? Why would I?
Yes.
The sound of dripping water echoed in the silent central hub.
Do you honestly not regret it, Boss?
He looked serious. It was also a talk that needed to be addressed since Devourer, in his current situation where he pulled out his eyes and gave it, thought it was necessary to go over it.
Whether its about eyes or not, well, Ive never done it, but maybe it will regenerate. It feels like my eyes are itching. Is it because of my mood? Anyway, even if it doesnt work, I can live with three eyes.
Really Honestly, Boss, you didnt have to go this far. Even if it was a mutual mistake, there was nothing good about what Renee did.
Everyone has their own thoughts.
Things have escalated so much. Renee didnt do anything right, so theres no denying that it got bigger because of her excessive thoughts and actions. In my eyes, it just looks like Boss accepted Renees act.
You, you dont even have eyes.
Really Take this seriously!
I dont know.
Saying that Devourer lay down on his back. Patrick also said nothing and picked up his glass again.
Back to everyday life.
Thats enough.
* * *
Adults have always said not to enter the Grephenia forest. They claid that the dense Grephenia forest is inhabited by terrifying monsters cursed by the forest.
But I know its all a lie. According to Darian, a long-ti friend and a gate guard in Hastin, there are no scary monsters in the Grephenia forest. He said people just avoid going in because theyre afraid of Primordial Core, and there has never been an incident of monsters attacking from the Grephenia forest.
So, occasionally, Olene would venture into the Grephenia forest on dark nights. Secretly, with a softly glowing lantern in hand, she would find abundant fruits and nurous mushrooms in the forest. The untouched gifts of nature had enough value to allow the girl to roam the darkened forest alone.
The giant mushrooms reaching up to Olenes waist in secluded areas sold for quite a high price. Occasionally, rare herbs, more expensive than the money exchanged in the hands of dirty streetwalkers, were sold.
Finding such herbs in the dark forest was not easy, but even if she found just one every three days, she could buy trendy dresses and still have money left over.
Why does no one approach such a treasure trove? People are just cowards.
Today, should I go a little deeper?
With that thought in mind, Olene headed deeper into the forest than usual. The overgrown grasses up to her knees were intimidating, but she kept walking. Although there seed to be a path, it appeared abandoned as if human presence had been severed long ago. As she ventured deeper into the forest, unfamiliar plants started appearing one by one. Sohow, if she went a little further, it felt like there would be truly extraordinary things.
The little girl moved forward without fear. She walked and walked. How long had she been walking? Just when she began to feel a bit uncomfortable, thinking it was ti to turn back, she heard strange sounds from sowhere.
The frightened girl froze in every movent. Only then did she listen closely to the rising sense of terror. There was a sound like an animals howl. It was unusually irregular.
Heuk. Heuk.
To her ears, it sounded like a humans labored breathing.
Sounds rustled in the grass.
Who is there?
Shaking off fear, she asked in a small voice. Instead of an answer, she heard even more labored breathing. No matter how it sounded, it was human breathing. But why would there be a human in this forest?
After a few minutes of silence, fear turned into curiosity. If it were a beast or a monster, it would have attacked Olene already. Slowly, she walked towards the origin of the sound.
As she got closer, the sound beca fasterno, it decreased. Almost like a flickering fla dying out.
Deep in the Grephenia forest, there was a dying boy.
!
Montarily shocked, Olene couldnt say anything. Seeing the boy lying on the ground covered in blood, she instantly thought he was dead.
However, the laborious breathing heaved out clearly indicated he was alive. The boys arm trembled weakly. Holding out her lantern emitting a faint light, Olene checked and found his whole body was in a state of mutilation.
Between the belly button and the upper body, there was a tear, and things inside were spilling out. Tears welled up. She wanted to vomit. Suppressing her instinct to reject the grueso scene before her, the girl made a quick decision.
She must save him. Even though he seems already dead? Still, she must save him. She must try, and do her best in any way she can.
Just wait a little, a little longer! I have herbs!
Its not like wounds could be healed with herbs, but in her confused state, this was the best choice the girl could make. She pulled out herbs she cramd into her pocket. She hadnt learned herbology, but she knew one of the herbs she collected had anesthetic and healing effects. With trembling hands, she scattered several herbs on the ground. It was hard to see in the dark night. After placing the lantern on the ground, she rummaged through the floor.
Unbeknownst to her, the boy on the verge of death suddenly drew a knife from his bosom.
Thunk.
Chkaduk.
[End of Volu 1]
[Translator Clara]
[Proofreader DemonGod]
Join our Discord for release /invite/dbdMDhzWa2
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