WeTried Translations
Translator/Editor: Hydrogen B.
Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried
Chapter 111: 111
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Escorted by countless knights, a blonde woman approached with numerous retainers in tow.
The Empress of the Empire.
“Her Imperial Majesty, Aurora Di Elancia, has arrived! Everyone, bow your heads and show respect to Her Majesty!”
Flap!
The knight at the front raised a flag and shouted.
But...
“...”
“...”
No one moved.
They were all already prostrated before me.
“W-What...?! What are you all doing?! Show respect to Her Majesty at once!”
The Imperial Guard knight cried out in confusion.
The ruler of the Empire herself had appeared.
Yet the Empire's subjects, most of whom were Imperial soldiers, completely ignored their Empress and bowed only to me.
No wonder he was horrified.
Amid the commotion, the Empress walked toward me with steady, unhurried steps.
A woman surrounded by silence and an unusual charisma, she stopped about ten paces in front of me.
“...”
“...”
The Empress and I stared steadily at one another from a short distance away.
“Y-You insolent wretches! How dare you...!”
The flag-bearing Imperial Guard knight shouted in panic and anger, but the prostrated ranks did not budge.
Naturally, I remained standing where I was as well.
I puffed out my chest.
‘Me, an Extreme Lunatic Hell Wizard, bowing to someone? Never. Absolutely not!’
I was the man who hadn't even bowed to my country's president.
I didn't bow for just anyone!
Only someone like Han Seonga, who worked for my sister, could earn a bow from me.
Then.
Rustle.
The blonde woman bent her knees.
The supreme Empress herself knelt before an ordinary, unidentified human!
“...!”
“Y-Your Majesty!”
“How can Your Majesty lower yourself like this?!”
The Imperial Guard knights were stunned.
The sight of the Empire's Empress kneeling had clearly shocked them.
Still, they soon had no choice but to understand.
Sparkle, sparkle.
A brilliantly glowing Halo rested majestically above my head.
No matter how great the Empress's authority was, it could not surpass the Halo above a Prophet's head!
One by one, people nodded.
“...He bears a Halo. What would be strange about Her Majesty kneeling before him?”
“Her Majesty showed respect to the Prophet first. How could we, her retainers, dare remain standing?”
“...”
Rustle. Thud. Plop.
The retainers and knights behind the Empress began kneeling one after another.
And then, before my eyes...
From the supreme Empress to the lowest soldier.
From elderly men to young men.
Regardless of status, gender, or age.
Every last one of them knelt and bowed their heads before me in reverence!
I was getting high off it!
‘Thousands of commoners kneeling before me and showing me the tops of their heads... this really does wonders for my dignity...!’
And so, amid thousands of people, only Na Hyeji, Iing Iing, and I stood tall.
I was receiving overwhelming reverence.
“Iing!”
“Jiho, Iing Iing says you look cool. She says you already have thousands of subordinates... She says that's just like you.”
“Hehe. Of course. This is the majesty of the Extreme Lunatic Hell Heaven cult. Even the Empire and Imperial family have fallen victim to my hypnosis app, praising, worshipping, and revering me. Can you feel it? The power of a cult leader?”
“...Still, honestly, it doesn't look like a cult no matter how I see it. Especially with that Halo...”
“Urgh.”
I frowned deeply.
I wasn't a cult leader, but a real religious figure?
What kind of nonsense was that...?
“Hyeji, never say something so terrifying. Me not being a cult leader, but a genuine Prophet... It's frightening just to imagine...”
“Frightening? Why? With your personality, I thought you'd like it even more if you really were a Prophet.”
“I once watched a documentary about clergymen.”
I'd once watched a documentary on MuTube.
It was about religious figures.
More specifically, the lives of high-ranking clergy such as popes and cardinals.
The lives of religious figures portrayed in it had been literal hell.
“You have to get up at dawn and pray, you have no privacy, people monitor your every word and action, you can't even take bribes, your work piles up like a mountain, you can't meet women, and you can't enjoy drinking or smoking...”
“Jiho, you don't drink or smoke now, and you've never dated either. You said you've never dated anyone.”
“You're a gloomy girl who's never dated too, Hyeji. Anyway, I could never live like that. A dopamine-driven person like me becoming a devout religious figure? Ugh, just kill me instead! Being a cult leader is perfect for me. The Baek Cult is perfect! Baek Jiho is meant to be a cult leader!”
A devout religious figure was absolutely not something I could be.
It was a job that a dopamine-driven person like me could never endure!
But what about a cult leader?
You could line your pockets, live extravagantly, build a harem...!
Wasn't it practically a profession designed just for me?
The ideal career for a dopamine-driven person!
King God Cult Leader!!!
Anyway.
If I was a cult leader, I had to act like one...
It was time to empty my followers' pockets, wasn't it?
I spoke with a stern, solemn expression.
“Empress, raise your head.”
“...”
The blonde woman slowly lifted her head.
Her expression was businesslike, making it impossible to tell what she was thinking.
She reminded me of Han Seonga.
I spoke quietly to her.
“I heard that I saved you twice.”
“...That is correct, Prophet. You saved me at the academy, and again here today.”
“I hear you are now the Empire's sole surviving royal and its Empress. Because I saved you, the Imperial bloodline continued, and the Empire was able to avoid destruction. Do you acknowledge that?”
“Of course. Had the Prophet not been present, the Empire would have already fractured and fallen. It would have become a hellish land overrun by Black Mages, the Federation, bandits, witches, monsters, and corruption.”
“Hmm!”
I nodded in satisfaction.
Fortunately, she wasn't shameless enough to pretend I'd never saved her, twice.
That meant I could fleece her without hesitation.
I declared with a serious expression.
“You foolish commoners do not know this, but a great crisis will soon arrive. The time of the final great war, the Extreme Lunatic Hell Armageddon, is near!”
First, I had to lay the bait.
A final great war would happen soon, and I planned to demand supplies from them.
This was a great way to take loot without losing face.
Just as I was about to demand supplies...
“I know. The Prophet's descent upon the earth means the continent's destruction is at hand. Book of the End, Chapter 4, Verse 9. When one wearing a ring of light appears, know that the end is near. But do not despair.”
“?”
What was she suddenly talking about?
The Empress began rambling.
“Book of the End, Chapter 4, Verse 11. He shall restore the dead land, for it is the final mercy. Chapter 5, Verse 2. A king shall kneel before him, and one who wears a crown shall serve one who wears none. Chapter 5, Verse 8. Wherever he goes, darkness shall fade, and new leaves shall sprout where it has faded...”
“???”
What was this?
Was she, like the Black Mages, the type to ramble about things only she understood?
Why was she reciting all this like she was explaining some nerdy setting?
“Book of the End, Chapter 6, Verse 1. He does not come to prevent destruction, but to show what lies beyond it.”
“Eom.”
“Verse 14. Those who command darkness and those who wield light shall become one beneath his name.”
“Jun.”
“Chapter 7, Verse 3. People shall call him the Prophet, though he shall not call himself so.”
“Sik.”
I wasn't especially interested in nerdy settings, so I let most of it go in one ear and out the other.
I had no idea what she was saying anyway...
I scratched the back of my head.
Was she done now?
“Book of the End, Chapter 9, Verse 20. The world's final ember shall remain at his fingertips.”
She wasn't done yet.
Was she really finished now?
“I have waited for your arrival, Prophet. Please tell me what I, not Aurora Di Elancia, Empress of the Empire, but Aurora the human, should do.”
The Empress lowered her head deeply.
The surroundings fell silent.
Thousands of people held their breath as they waited for my answer.
And I...
Was too busy holding back my amazement.
‘My hypnosis app is incredible. To think it hooked even the Empress this thoroughly.’
Its hypnotic power far surpassed even its creator's expectations...!
Well, it made sense.
They had been pushed right to the gates of the Imperial Palace.
There had been thousands of Ghouls, dozens of War Black Mages, and even a High Black Mage.
The Empire had been on the verge of being completely wiped out!
But then a copy ninja suddenly appeared and slaughtered all of them!
The Halo shone!
The entire area within a one-kilometer radius was purified!
It overflowed with life, sprouts grew, and the injured were healed!
Wow. Miracle!!!
‘Honestly, they had no choice but to believe it.’
In this primitive medieval magic-punk society, I'd shown them a Ghoul talent show, the Halo lighting effect, the Ministry of Artillery Defense's firepower, and even a massive miracle show.
I'd mixed an ultra-blockbuster action movie with a Holy Bible movie and screened them simultaneously!
They probably hadn't been conditioned by all kinds of media like modern people, so the stimulation must have been immense.
Primitive medieval people, honestly...
Since they'd never seen anything, they fell for such a crude cult.
This was why people needed to enjoy enough media, like anime, movies, comics, novels, games, gallery browsing, and so on.
You had to raise your stimulation threshold in advance so you wouldn't get fooled by cult leaders like me!
Anyway.
After finishing my deep reflections on dopamine and cults, I slowly looked around.
And I saw them.
“...”
“...”
“...”
The people around me were still silent, waiting for my answer.
Then I remembered.
‘Ah, the Empress asked me what she should do, didn't she?’
I'd unintentionally stayed silent for so long that I'd put on an incredible air of gravitas.
Pretending I had just finished considering it, I said,
“Open the Imperial Royal Treasury! We need many supplies to overcome the Extreme Lunatic Hell Armageddon!”
Now that even the Empress had been completely taken in by my hypnosis app, there was nothing left to fear.
It was time to thoroughly clean out the Extreme Lunatic Hell Imperial Royal Treasury!
* * *
“There was a time when I thought that too...”
I muttered as I looked around with vacant eyes.
I was currently in the Imperial Royal Treasury.
According to the Empress, it was a warehouse where the Empire had gathered all its valuable belongings.
In other words, it should have been overflowing with magic tools (artifacts), gold and silver, jewels, precious materials, extravagant artwork, and antiques of historical value.
Naturally, I had high expectations.
The treasury of a fantasy empire.
A place overflowing with gold and treasure!
I thought I'd naturally make a huge profit.
But reality was a filthy gutter.
“The Empire's finances are currently depleted, Prophet. We have barely covered the shortfall by selling even the Imperial family's assets and relics.”
That was what the old man called the treasury keeper said.
“The long war with the Federation... and the Black Mages' rebellion on top of that...”
Glance.
I turned and looked through the warehouse.
It was completely empty.
Dust drifted over countless shelves and pedestals.
Cobwebs filled the sacks and chests that must have once held money and jewels.
“It is not only our finances... Most of our magic tools have also been used up. What remains is...”
Clunk.
The treasury keeper opened a box.
Artifacts were inside.
But...
“Only low and mid-grade magic tools remain.”
“Mid-grade means Grade 3 artifacts, right? Old man, don't you have any high-grade ones?”
“The high-grade ones have already been distributed to the knights as a priority... We lack combat magic tools to such an extent that even high-ranking knights must use mid-grade swords.”
“Wow, this is driving me insane.”
There were only Grade 3 artifacts.
Only trash items worth a measly one billion won each remained in the warehouse!
I was furious.
“There are only trash items worth one billion won each...! What am I supposed to do with this stuff?! It's just a few dozen cheap pieces of trash, each worth only enough to buy a twenty-four-pyeong apartment in the outskirts of Seoul!!!”
“Jiho, wouldn't they still be worth tens of billions combined? It doesn't seem like something to be that dissatisfied about...”
“On the previous floor, I got dozens of Grade 2 artifacts, two ten-ton Spatial Bags, and eleven one-ton Spatial Bags. Their total value came to at least one trillion won. That's why I expected something from the Imperial Palace... but it's only tens of billions?”
“...”
“So much hype, and such a letdown... What am I supposed to do with this? What kind of Imperial Palace is this?! This country is a complete mess! I've never seen a country worse off than King Korea! No wonder, in other timelines where I wasn't around, the whole place burned down and fell apart!”
“Prophet, what did you just say...?”
“Heavens!!! Primordial Heavenly Venerable!!!”
I cried out toward the sky in a Platoon stance.
And as I wailed, I realized something.
My Halo had disappeared at some point.
I'd wondered why the room felt a little dark.
Apparently, the lights had gone out without me noticing.
Anyway.
“So this floor is a complete bust... Iing Iing, I have no face to show you. I wanted to make lots of money and buy you plenty of delicious snacks... I'm sorry I couldn't do it...!”
“Iing...”
Iing Iing patted my shoulder to comfort me, but my slumped shoulders refused to rise.
I'd expected so much, only to be disappointed because the profit fell short of my expectations.
Then, at that very moment.
“Iing?”
Glance.
Iing Iing, who had been patting my shoulder, suddenly turned her head.
A sharp glint appeared in her eyes.
What was it?
“Iing...!”
Fwooorong!
Iing Iing flew off somewhere at top speed.
Where was she suddenly going?
Then.
Fwooorong!
Iing Iing slipped behind a shelf in the corner.
Straining, she forcibly pulled out something dusty that had been caught behind it.
“Iing!”
With a proud expression, Iing Iing held out the item she had just found.
I brushed the dust off her body and took it from her.
It was some kind of sack.
‘It's an incredibly old sack.’
At a glance, it looked like a Spatial Bag.
But it was darker in color, and the presence of Blue Motes coming from inside was stronger.
As I examined it, the old treasury keeper watching us looked shocked.
“Oh...! That is...!”
What was this?
Seeing the question in my eyes, the old man quietly opened his mouth.
“It is a Supreme-Grade Spatial Bag.”
“Supreme-grade?”
“That is correct. It possesses ten times the capacity of a High-Grade Spatial Bag! Hoho, to think this item would be found here... It is a relic of a fallen ancient empire, and I heard most Supreme-Grade Spatial Bags were lost over the long years. To think such a precious treasure had been tucked away in that corner...”
“...Ten times the capacity of a High-Grade Spatial Bag?”
A High-Grade Spatial Bag.
That meant a Spatial Bag with a capacity of ten tons.
Ten times that capacity meant...
“A Spatial Bag that can hold one hundred tons?”
I was stunned.
‘As far as I know, ten tons was the limit for Spatial Bags?’
The maximum capacity of a Spatial Bag was only ten tons.
Ten tons was the largest capacity among all Spatial Bags discovered so far.
It wasn't for nothing that a rich man like me carried around loads of ten-ton bags.
Yet a hundred-ton Spatial Bag had fallen into my hands.
At least ten times more valuable than a ten-ton Spatial Bag, and much more valuable than that when you factored in its rarity!
‘A ten-ton Spatial Bag costs at least one hundred billion won... so a hundred-ton one would be... one trillion?’
I had suddenly gotten my hands on a trillion-won-scale item!
What luck.
I grinned.
“Hehe. Good fortune really does come when you live kindly. Thank you, Iing Iing! You grateful, cute, admirable, adorable, lovable little thing! Who do you take after to be so wonderful?”
“Iing Iing Iing!”
I petted Iing Iing over and over.
She giggled and scattered rainbow-colored powder with little pops.
Hyeji muttered with an uncertain expression.
“Jiho, no one has ever found a hundred-ton Spatial Bag in the Tower. Then... isn't that a Unique-grade artifact?”
A Unique-grade artifact.
Hyeji said those words.
I immediately denied it.
“Come on, no way. From what that old man said, it's some rare lost-tech relic made by an ancient empire, but... it doesn't seem like it's truly one of a kind, does it? Hunters probably just haven't found one because they're incompetent.”
“...”
“There's no way this hundred-ton Spatial Bag is really a Unique-grade artifact, right?”
Footnotes:
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