NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63
Chapter 63
“Belial is dead?”
A demon king, intrigued by the report from his subordinate, opened her eyes. The man who had been bowing faithfully before her raised his head and confirmed the statement.
“Yes. Belial fought against Seere von Debata’s forces and perished on the spot.”
“To whom?”
“To Seere von Debata herself.”
“What!?”
So surprised was she that her beautiful red hair swayed vigorously as her body leaned forward. As her ample figure stirred, the subordinate flinched and lowered his head again.
“Seere von Debata… has that bloodline of Seir already grown so strong? How old did you say?”
“Twelve.”
“Hah! To reach such a level at twelve…!”
The corners of her mouth stretched wide. With a sardonic smile, she appeared dangerous, like a cold and venomous flower, yet still beautiful.
“Indeed, this is quite intriguing.”
“I have one more thing to report.”
“What is it?”
“It’s about the individual who was most involved in Seere von Debata becoming so strong.”
“Are you referring to the demon king’s mentor?”
“Yes. I’ve heard rumors that this royal teacher is exceptionally skilled and powerful. While it may just be gossip, there are tales of them single-handedly subduing Andromalius on the 70th floor at the beginning of the 72nd floor’s active period.”
Her crimson eyes widened, a color different from her hair. It felt plausible for one demon king to compete against another of the same rank, but for a demon to overpower a demon king was astonishing.
“…Where on earth did such a person come from?”
“I don’t know either. Their origins seem quite ambiguous.”
“……”
She appeared to be deep in thought. She then called for her subordinate.
“Achilles.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Do you think that person could look up to me?”
“I cannot say for certain, but considering what Seere von Debata has accomplished in such a short period…”
Achilles lifted his gaze slightly, staring at the lord he had served faithfully for half his life. He would devote his remaining years of life to her as well.
Although he did not like the idea of his lord reaching out to a lower-tier demon king, he couldn’t speak falsely to her.
“Yes, it seems possible.”
Hearing Achilles’s opinion, the demon king smiled faintly. It seemed she found the answer satisfying. Nevertheless, she chose to inquire once more.
“Do you truly believe that, Achilles?”
“Yes. She has defeated that Belial on her own. No matter how strong the blood of a demon king flows within that young girl, such growth is extraordinary. This must surely be due to the significant role of her mentor.”
Achilles assessed the possibility as quite high. Even the prideful Citri had never once broken their alliance since forging it…
‘It means they hold sufficient value.’
And the subsequent actions seemed to prove this. Although it was unclear how far their limits extended, it was certain they were not individuals unworthy of contact.
“…I must prepare a gift.”
“A gift?”
“Since we have already formed an alliance with Citri, if I suddenly insert myself, it would raise suspicions.”
The beautiful demon king adorned a fresh smile.
“I must take an appropriate gift with me.”
#
“…What is the 55th floor doing?”
Nahun questioned whether he had misheard something. However, since it was Cain speaking, who conveyed external news almost accurately, he had no choice but to believe it, despite his disbelief.
“It’s war. They’re initiating a conquest against the lower tiers.”
“…Why??”
Nahun genuinely questioned. Why would they conquer a lower tier, when there had been no provocation nor was there any benefit to be gained? The demon king of the 56th floor, Ose, was a demon king who quietly tended to his own tier and was far too weak compared to the 55th floor to even consider making a move.
This was always the case when playing the Ebel Queen Maker. Most importantly, there was no reason for the upper tiers to conquer the lower tiers.
Despite Nahun continuously leading the Debata forces to conquer tiers, he had only ever been attacked once, by Belial.
There were reasons behind this. As the ruling class increased, administrative manpower naturally dispersed, which was acceptable for the upper tiers, but the lower tiers did not hold such value.
The economic scales of the tiers, the number and quality of soldiers, and territory all fell short compared to the upper tiers. Why would they launch conquests? The cases of Citri or Seere raising their ranks due to a sudden event were anomalies; in most cases, that pattern held true for the other demon kings.
If they had that strength, they’d instead unite to attack the upper tiers. There was simply no reason for this. Additionally, there was one significant reason…
“For the demon king of the 55th floor, it cannot possibly be beneficial.”
“Indeed.”
“The demon assembly would put considerable pressure on them.”
Attacking and conquering the lower tiers was something that would be condemned at the demon assembly. Their intention was to resolve conflicts between demon kings with words rather than war.
While it might make sense to wage war to rise in rank by conquering upper tiers, attacking without provocation those lower tiers only ended up depleting the demon realm’s strength. After all, when fighting fiercely among demon kings, if war against the heavens broke out, they’d need that strength.
‘That’s why even when conquering upper tiers, keeping the demon king alive is advised…’
That was beyond Nahun’s concern. Asking demon kings to leave their enemies alive while climbing in rank was akin to urging them to look only ahead with a horde of enemies at their backs.
“The demon king of the 55th floor is… Gremony von Due, right?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
Gremony von Due. She was a demon king with a surname, similar to Seere of the Debata clan. She was the current head and the last surviving member of the Due (Dieu) clan. Her position was alike to Seere’s.
Yet, the only information Nahun knew was this much because Gremony was a demon king with little significance in the game. Unlike Citri, who became a steadfast ally and support, or Belial, who emerged as an incredibly powerful boss early on, she was just one of the many ordinary demon kings in the game. Depending on the route, her name might not even be mentioned.
Why would such a demon king suddenly start conquering the lower tiers, fully aware it would be condemned at the demon assembly? Especially when Seere had just finished conquering the 67th floor.
Nahun realized he had strayed a bit from the original game flow while involving himself to see the ending, but he had never expected even a nameless demon king to create such a new trend.
“Is there some kind of objective?”
“Could it be that she plans to absorb our forces?”
“In that case, wouldn’t it be better to conquer upper tiers and showcase her strength, then offer an alliance or something as a means of absorption? Such a proposal would appear far more appealing.”
That’s certainly better than mere coercion. Of course, Nahun had no intention of that, as he aimed to place Seere at the top.
“It could be a case of strength through weakness.”
“Hmm, perhaps.”
The possibility seemed high. Aiming to conquer the manageable lower tiers, exert influence over those even weaker than them, or perhaps…
“She might be trying to merge us entirely.”
“That sounds a bit dangerous, doesn’t it?”
“It is indeed dangerous.”
The demon king of the 55th floor. Belial had been deemed comparable to the mid-tier demon kings, and the demon kings from the 55th to the 32nd floors were considered mid-tier as well. If you were to match Belial’s personal strength, you could reasonably say he could defeat most of them, but…
‘In terms of power, there’s no comparison.’
Though he had never measured the force of the 55th floor’s demon army, it was surely over 300,000 to 400,000. It was inconceivable for Seere’s forces to clash against such numbers.
“We need to investigate what her objective is.”
“Shall I dispatch someone?”
“…No, I know just the right person. That’s why I’ve been supporting from behind all this time.”
“Oh, you’re referring to Dein.”
Cain tilted his head.
“However, he is currently in the human realm, isn’t he?”
“Well, I’ll just call him back. Even having one person in the human realm is enough to gauge the situation.”
Eri, who had been effective as a scout and was diligently reporting back, was expected to mitigate any disruption made by Dein’s absence, allowing for the overall understanding of the situation to remain intact.
At that moment, the office door was lightly knocked before being flung open.
“Teacher!”
“Seere?”
It was a time for work, yet Seere entered with light footsteps. With the distribution of the 67th floor and the restoration of the 68th floor, she must have had to deal with paperwork and battles all day. Nahun wondered how she had managed to find the time to drop by.
“Have you finished your work for today already?”
“Not yet? Rea told me to take a little break.”
Seere naturally approached Nahun and carefully took his hands in hers. Then, with a playful bounce, she said.
“I’ve come to recharge!”
“…Heh.”
Nahun chuckled at Seere’s cute antics. Her adorable words and actions instinctively brought out a fatherly smile. The gravity that had occupied him only moments before vanished, and he gently ruffled Seere’s hair.
“Alright, keep at it.”
“Hehe~.”
Cain, who watched the scene quietly, smiled fondly.
#
Five years ago, Seere was a timid child. Having lost her father at the age of five and spent two years helplessly watching her forces dwindle, it was likely an inevitable path.
She was a young demon king who clung tightly to the doll her father had given her as a final gift, living without the sparkle in her bright eyes. Had she continued like that, Seere might never have escaped from the 72nd floor.
But look at Seere now. Her expression was bright. There was determination in her eyes, and her face had life. She had grown remarkably strong and had defeated Belial herself. Now, she became the master of not only the 72nd floor but also parts of the 70th, 69th, 68th, and 67th floors.
She had become a being influencing as many as five tiers. This was all made possible by the efforts of the one currently ruffling Seere’s hair.
Nahun.
He was the one who reached out like a ray of light to Cain, who was desperately searching for a mentor for Seere. To be honest, Cain had been somewhat doubtful at first. After all, Nahun was neither a well-known demon nor someone who held an official position.
Nevertheless, what led Cain to accept him was a single phrase Nahun had uttered at their first face-to-face meeting. He had said he was “entrusted by Seir von Debata.”
So he had come to teach Seere, as requested by the previous demon king, presenting an item once belonging to Seir—a pipe that Seir always smoked in the office.
Having seen that, there was no choice but to believe. And he demonstrated his faith with results that were beyond expectations.
Cain knew that what Nahun had discovered was closer to intuition than a realization, yet he felt assured. This man would not stay here for his entire life.
‘Someday he will leave…’
But, at least for now, wouldn’t it be enough if Seere could smile happily? With that thought, Cain smiled brightly and said.
“I’ll bring some snacks, Your Majesty. It’ll be time for you to eat anyway.”
“Oh, do that, Cain.”
“Yes.”
As Cain briefly left the office, Seere cast a fleeting glance at Nahun. Nahun, understanding that look, nodded.
“Thank you!”
Seere expressed her gratitude and then sat on Nahun’s lap. Watching the joy on her face, Nahun chuckled lightly. He put the paperwork aside and continued reading.
Seere glanced at the documents and asked.
“I heard the army on the 55th floor is moving, is that what this is about?”
“Yes. It’s about Gremony conquering the lower tiers. It seems the conquest of the 56th floor is nearly complete.”
“Why is she doing that?”
“I’m not sure.”
Nahun shrugged as if uncertain.
“I’ll have to send Dein to find out.”
“Even you have things you don’t know, Teacher.”
“I have many things I’m not aware of. The teacher is not as perfect as you think.”
“Is that so?”
Seere pondered over all the things she had seen from Nahun. And she came to a conclusion.
‘Teacher is too humble.’
Nahun briefly read through the report before speaking.
“Seere, are you definitely managing the distribution for the 67th floor?”
“Ah, yes. I provided 70% of the soldiers to Citri as you instructed, and we divided the territory in a 6:4 ratio. We have six, including the demon king’s castle.”
“Well done. What about the resources?”
“That still needs to be divided. We also have to negotiate distribution…”
Though this had been Nahun’s responsibility in the past, it was now Seere handling these tasks. Watching her count the remaining duties on her fingers, Nahun felt a little guilty.
‘Have I given her too much?’
He wondered if he had overburdened the still-young Seere with excessive tasks. So he gently asked.
“Seere, if it’s too much work, it’s alright to pass some of it back to me for now.”
“Oh, no. I’m fine.”
“You don’t have to overdo it…”
“It’s really not a burden. I can do it. After all, I’ve already handed military affairs back over to you.”
Seere took a firm stance as she mentioned this. While it would be more comfortable for Nahun to take over some of her work, Seere didn’t want that.
“Is that so? Got it.”
Nahun nodded in understanding and looked at the work he had to attend to. Watching Nahun quietly, Seere thought.
I can’t be a child who relies on my teacher forever.
I need to develop the habit of accomplishing things on my own and enhancing my abilities.
That way…
‘…That way, Teacher will see me differently.’
Because Seere was looking ahead, Nahun couldn’t see her face. But there was a subtle emotion reflected in her eyes that Nahun failed to catch.
An emotion that was sticky like melted chocolate, clinging and not easily shaken off.
‘I don’t want to be treated like a child forever.’