WeTried Translations

Translator: Yasi

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◈ The Precious Demon King

Chapter 67: Adrian III

"Th-The sword that brings disaster...hrk!"

The young noble hastily covered his mouth after muttering without realizing it. He was anxious, fearing the man might notice him.

This was more shocking and fearful than when the emperor executed King Yunapa at the victory banquet in his ambition to unify the continent.

With the man's arrival, the banquet hall, which had become a scene of slaughter, froze.

The imperial knights, who had been subduing the guards of the two kingdoms, and the kingdom's knights, who had barely rallied around the surviving King Daul, stood rigidly in place.

Even the nobles and servants who had been fleeing in fright stopped in their tracks.

In that silence, the man gazed blankly at the emperor.

Step, step.

The man walked. As always, he held the sword that had become his symbol. The moment the blade slipped free of its sheath...

This place would become hell.

Everyone grew cautious, warily gauging their surroundings. After the man had walked past, there were even some who looked only toward the entrance.

The sword that brings disaster. The worst in Belhaim's history.

The mere fact that the man carrying it had arrived meant that disaster would soon follow.

He drove the Allied Forces to the brink of annihilation and then utterly destroyed the Demon Realm army.

Ultimately, he wiped out all the Demon Realm monarchs and the Demon King before vanishing.

So he was alive?

Since the sword that brought disaster appeared, disaster was already in this imperial palace.

"..."

The emperor trembled violently. Having already risen from the throne, he collapsed flat to the floor and shook.

Stop him! Protect me! Save me!

He wanted to cry out, but couldn't bring himself to open his mouth. The man was frightening enough, but what might follow behind him...

Could it be that the Mad Monarch is truly alive?

The sense of wrongness and unease he had felt when the body was never found now slowly raised its head again. Since the Mad Monarch had not appeared in over two hundred days...the emperor hastily assumed that he had met his end alongside the Demon King.

Step, step.

Even when everyone else froze, someone with an unshakable sense of duty was bound to emerge–and in the imperial guard, that was Randuin.

He was not ignorant of history, but he did not trust what he had not personally seen or experienced.

One hundred and twenty years had passed since the Mad Monarch drove the Allied Forces to the brink of ruin. After that, the Mad Monarch led an independent force and fought against the Demon King's army.

In other words, few had ever faced the Mad Monarch directly, except when he occasionally came to the palace to wreak havoc.

Randuin, who had just been appointed a proud imperial guard, stepped forward. He was considerably disappointed by the cowardly display of the senior knights.

"Stop! In the presence of His Majesty–"

Slash.

Before he could finish, his head was cut off. The captain of the guard restrained the new recruits with a glance in case they acted rashly.

Unavoidable. This was a disaster.

A guard not defending the emperor? No–this was defending the emperor.

They must not needlessly upset that man's mood and cause the emperor to lose his head.

Just like the previous emperor, and the one before him...

"One."

The man uttered an incomprehensible sound as he climbed the long stairs and came to stand before the emperor, who lay prostrate at the throne.

"So noisy. What was this party?"

"It-it-it was a victory banquet to celebrate the subjugation of the Demon King."

The emperor replied, on edge with dread. He might come at any moment. He...

"The tribute is lacking."

Remi calmly brought up his business. An aged minister beside the emperor stepped forward.

"R-Recently, a famine–"

Slash.

It only took three words for Duke Begon, the Adrian Empire's chancellor, to lose his head.

The emperor bowed even lower.

"We shall offer much more tribute."

That was the answer Remi wanted. He nodded.

"Bring me a void pouch."

"Ah, if you wait just a moment–"

Slash.

The reason the court mage, Marquis Michael, died was nothing of importance.

"Three."

At that moment, the quick-witted captain of the guard took the pouch from the court mage's waist and presented it with both hands.

"..."

With that, Remi's business was finished. He had completed the errand, but his face turned sullen.

"I'll cut down seven more."

"...!"

At those calm words, the only thing the emperor could do was simply find seven sacrifices.

"Your Majesty! It has been an honor to serve you!"

Count Jansen, captain of the guard, drew his sword and stepped forward without the slightest hesitation.

Apart from offering his life as a sacrifice, crossing blades with the greatest swordsman in the world was an honor for any swordsman.

"I humbly request your instruction!"

"Come."

Captain of the imperial guard. It was not a post that could be won by loyalty alone. Outstanding skill was required as well.

As a swordmaster, Count Jansen was undoubtedly the Empire's strongest.

Clang, clash.

Remi smiled faintly as he crossed swords with a proper opponent for the first time in a while.

Unlike the Demon King's army, which was filled with beings who would recklessly throw themselves into anything, the Allied Forces were nothing but cowards, so he had no expectations from the start.

But now, a worthy swordsman had appeared. He was thrilled. Still, he could not damage his master's dignity with pointless amusement.

Slash!

In fewer than five exchanges, the head fell.

"Four."

Now six remained. He looked around, but no one had the courage to challenge him.

Tch.

The wild hotheads of Earth were more entertaining. The fear of the Mad Monarch, engraved into the Allied Forces, had completely crushed their courage and will to challenge.

Look at them even now. Weren't the majority trembling in fear, constantly glancing toward the entrance and wondering when he would come?

The fun was gone.

He was a swordsman, not an executioner. Still, he was reluctant to leave.

"Emperor."

"Yes, yes. Please speak!"

Augustus Adrian III bowed his head and spoke with the utmost humility, yet no one could say his dignity was diminished.

This was truly an unavoidable disaster. When the wind and rain raged, it was only natural for people to take shelter under the eaves.

This was merely the same kind of situation.

"Is there no one you wish dead?"

"...!"

A switch suddenly flipped in the emperor's head. The Mad Monarch was sometimes friendly toward the emperor, but only when he was obedient.

The Disaster is in a good mood.

Thank goodness. The emperor quickly pointed to King Daul's group. By chance, the five guards surrounding King Daul, plus King Daul himself, made exactly six.

"Please put them to death."

Step.

When Remi walked toward them without hesitation, King Daul was terrified. After all, a rat driven to the edge will bite the cat.

Once death is certain to come, there is no one who does not at least struggle.

"D-Die!"

"Protect the king!"

His loyal guards rushed in at once, but their heads were cut off on the spot and they collapsed.

Swoosh.

Remi shook the blood from his blade. He approached the terrified King Daul indifferently and struck his neck.

"Ten."

What a shame. If not for the restriction, he could have killed everyone in the banquet hall except the emperor.

"Emperor."

"Y-Yes!"

Augustus Adrian III came down the steps as if flying and prostrated himself flat before Remi.

"If the tribute is neglected, I will come often."

"I-I will make certain that never happens!"

Remi nodded and left. Until he had completely disappeared, the people in the banquet hall waited, breathing even their breaths cautiously. The fishy stench of blood made them nauseous, but they were frozen with terror.

"Hahh..."

"Unbelievable! The Mad Monarch is alive!"

"The Disaster is alive and well!"

Once Remi had completely disappeared, sighs erupted throughout the banquet hall.

"Your Majesty!"

The emperor's attendants hurried to assist him, but he was already restless with impatience.

"Quickly! Prepare the tribute! Hurry!"

"Y-Yes, Your Majesty!"

It was a mistake. A grave one.

The Mad Monarch was not dead. Nor was he gone.

He must have been in seclusion.

As mages often did, the Mad Monarch had undoubtedly shut himself up in a dungeon. He might go out for amusement once in a while, but officially, it was no different from being in seclusion...

So long as the tribute is not neglected...

Augustus Adrian III grasped the Mad Monarch's purpose.

First: Offer tribute on time. Second: I know your intent, but I will not stop you.

As if even granting a wish, he wiped out King Daul's group before leaving.

So the unification of the continent is practically permitted.

His thoughts raced nimbly.

He intends not to interfere in human affairs.

The Mad Monarch had destroyed the Demon King's army and then quietly entered seclusion. He was sending a message to none other than himself, Augustus Adrian III.

"Revive humanity once more!"

I shall carry out your will, O Disaster.

* * *

Hansan 2-dong, Kim Junyong's base.

Flash.

"Huh? What the–?"

Kim Junyong blinked at Remi, who had suddenly appeared. Long straight hair, pale skin. A beauty enough to reduce succubi to mere extras.

"I'm back."

"Oh, yeah. That took longer than I thought."

"The imperial palace was far away."

Well, it couldn't have been that far...

"You walked there?"

"Just to look around."

"Hmm."

Kim Junyong furrowed his brow. He was a little jealous.

"How was it?"

"As expected."

"And Adrian III?"

"He seemed happy, thinking Master was dead."

"That bastard."

Kim Junyong gave a short chuckle. He could clearly picture the startled look on Augustus Adrian III's face when he saw Remi.

"No one is as obedient as that guy."

He briefly checked the space connected to his consciousness.

"Wow, the tribute's already pouring in."

People flocked to the altar, offering fresh meat, harvested grain, weapons, and crafts made with great effort.

Everything was instantly transported to the underground tribute storehouse, where Gram organized it.

"As expected, he's an obedient guy."

Augustus Adrian III was, as expected, capable and quick-witted. Leaving him as emperor was the best choice.

"Since Adrian III isn't that old, he should be fine for another fifty years..."

In Earth's time, that was five years. By then, he would need to replace him with another obedient emperor.

I should be able to get the ticket in five years.

The Belhaim Dungeon Basification Ticket cost seven divine orbs. If he turned the tribute dungeon into a base, he would finally be able to teleport without restriction.

"This is strangely thrilling."

Earth was his home, so why did Belhaim feel more like one? Was it because he had lived there for two hundred years?

Good and bad memories alike had all mixed together and settled as nostalgia, leaving him with a vague sense of longing.

"The dungeon expanded?"

"Oh, I used a Base Expansion Ticket."

He had used a Base Expansion Ticket before Remi arrived. Now, all nine buildings in the area were within the base's sphere of influence.

"Do you intend to have more familiars?"

The dungeon was a space connected to Kim Junyong's consciousness. It functioned as subspace storage and served as a resting place for his familiars.

"No, I'm just moving in with my sister."

"Hmm."

Remi wrinkled her nose.

"Now that the house is bigger, you could at least bring Malsun, right?"

"Malsun? Hmm, let's see."

Come to think of it, while his subordinates were away, he had busily conquered dungeons and leveled up quite a bit.

His white mana core had grown, as had his black mana core to balance it.

White mana recovered gradually on its own, but with black mana, only the capacity increased. To fill it, he had to absorb emotions.

It's empty.

Though his current mana was pitiful, its maximum capacity had grown enormous.

"I should be able to summon Malsun now."

Well then, he would have to procure a large supply of negative emotions somewhere.

But as a cultured citizen, Kim Junyong found it distasteful to attack a village like some petty black mage and absorb fear and pain.

[ Thwack! It's going! It's going–gone! ]

The noise from the TV, which he had left on for company, made him stroke his chin.

"Oh!"

Sports were perfect. It was a place where emotions swirled like a battlefield.

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