NOVEL NEXT Chapter 78
Chapter 78
The Demon King Castle on the 60th floor.
This place was once the residence of Jagan a few weeks ago, but it was now occupied by another Demon King.
The beautiful Demon King, Gremony von Due, had removed the throne once sat upon by Jagan and took her place on a newly established seat.
However, today, her beautiful face was furrowed with a frown. With her brow heavily knit, she was staring at the messenger delivering the report to her.
“…Who has died?”
“Ah, General Achilles… was killed in battle against the human army. Furthermore, it seems that all 100,000 soldiers accompanying General Achilles have also perished.”
This was a completely unexpected result. It was also not easily comprehensible. Gremony exploded in anger as she spoke.
“Is what you’ve reported truly the truth! Is there not something wrong with this!”
“I swear…, I swear it is not a lie, Your Majesty.”
“It’s unbelievable, Your Majesty.”
At that moment, one of the three generals who had given a positive opinion regarding this support intervened; it was Vitoss. The death of the loyal Achilles, who was also one of the three generals, was very shocking to him, so he wanted to assess things more rationally.
“Achilles could not have been killed by mere humans. This must be the scheme of another!”
“Another…?”
“It must be just them. Seere von Debata! They were the ones who reported Achilles’ death!”
According to Vitoss’ reasoning, he could not fathom the fact that Achilles had fallen to humans. Achilles was no mere underling; he was a leading figure among the three generals.
But to be defeated by mere humans? It was unreasonable to ask him to believe that. This was something that, not only Vitoss but also anyone from the forces on the 55th floor, was unaware of.
“Y-Your Majesty. There is one more thing to mention regarding this.”
“…Speak.”
“According to the information sent from Seere von Debata, the humans have invaded the Demon World by mobilizing a being known as the ‘Hero.’”
“A Hero…?”
The existence of a Hero was now being acknowledged. Both Gremony and Vitoss seemed to be hearing this for the first time as they listened to the messenger.
“They say that this Hero uses a bow that exudes divinity. They did not expect such a being to exist, which is why they entrusted the battle to General Achilles, resulting in this outcome…”
“Wait, did you say ‘divinity’?”
Gremony wondered if she had misheard, prompting her to confirm with the messenger once more. The messenger nodded affirmatively.
“…Does this imply that the Celestials are involved?”
“Your Majesty, to suggest that…”
Vitoss was taken aback and wanted to deny Gremony’s words, but Gremony found her explanation quite plausible. The Celestials had always been hostile and detested the Demon Race, desiring its extinction.
“If the Celestials have invaded the Demon World using humans, then it is understandable that Achilles would have fallen.”
“Your Majesty!”
“However, we must determine whether this is merely conjecture or indeed the truth.”
Gremony ordered the messenger.
“Send word to Kaya.”
“To General Kaya?”
“Yes.”
“Ah… understood. What should I convey?”
“Tell her to go as an envoy to Seere von Debata. Also add that she will be rewarded if she performs well.”
“Yes, understood.”
The messenger bowed and left to convey the order.
One of the three generals, the Platinum General Kaya, was an extremely unique individual. She typically secluded herself in her office, but she executed Gremony’s orders with remarkable competence.
The reason she obeyed Gremony so well was not due to a deep loyalty like Achilles. The reason was…
“Are you alright?”
“What of it?”
“You know well what Kaya desires, Your Majesty.”
“Indulging her whims is a mere charming matter.”
It was because she admired her lord, Gremony. Both Vitoss and even Achilles during his lifetime found Kaya’s demeanor quite disquieting.
“It’s irreverent. How dare she…”
“Vitoss, I said it’s fine. Besides, if we want to determine how certainly the Celestials are involved, Kaya is the right choice to send.”
“Well… yes. Your Majesty is correct.”
Vitoss had no choice but to agree. There was no one more suitable than Kaya in this current situation. Naturally, Kaya possessed…
“With Kaya’s eyes, she should be able to discern the truth.”
She possessed the ability to see through lies.
#
“A messenger from the 55th floor?”
“Yes. They will arrive in two days.”
After hearing Cain’s report, Nahun lightly rested his chin on his hand. He naturally anticipated the reason for sending a messenger from the 55th floor, but he was curious about their intent.
That intent was quite significant. It was even more so for Nahun, who had planned in his mind to implement his ideas. If the sole purpose was to mourn the loss of their fallen subordinates and to guide them, that would be acceptable…
“If they’re suspicious of us, that would be troublesome.”
That would be quite a problem. The very situation itself was conducive to suspicion. Although it was true they had used Achilles and abandoned his unit, the outcome remained unchanged.
Achilles and his subordinates had been killed by the Hero Seres. That fact would not change. Hence, if the 55th floor was suspecting them, there were some parts on this side that felt quite unjust.
“They said in two days…”
“Yes, what shall we do?”
Nahun deliberated for a moment. Though he did not know what intentions they might be harboring… he had to do what was necessary.
“Prepare to receive them courteously. They’ve lost key officers and 100,000 troops due to this incident; thus, they should receive an appropriate reception.”
“Yes.”
“However, do note one thing.”
“What is it?”
“Make sure that we do not appear to be looked down upon. We must start to demand an equal footing with the 55th floor in our alliance.”
Cain nodded his head in acknowledgment.
“Understood, Nahun.”
“I trust you will do well, Cain.”
“I will see to it.”
As Cain exited the office, Nahun fell into deep thought alone. He was racking his mind for the plan he had come up with.
To place Seere in a mid-level Demon King position in the upcoming Demon World conference three years later, he would utilize the alliance with Gremony. Forming an alliance with Gremony would increase Seere’s influence.
As this was something that Gremony was also interested in, it would not be a problem. The key would be what came next. If what Gremony desired was indeed Nahun’s knowledge and power, in exchange for providing that…
“…We could gain several ranks.”
The reason upper-tier Demon Kings do not conquer lower tiers has been explained before. Therefore, instead of accepting Gremony’s alliance, they could accept the lower tiers she had conquered.
By increasing the effective governing tiers, it was only natural that Seere’s rank would be greatly elevated in the Demon World conference. Additionally, the ranks of Citri, who was allied with them, would also rise. It would be advantageous in two ways.
If they refused to comply, then it would simply mean rejecting the alliance. There was no obligation to keep Seere in mid-level Demon King status until the Demon World conference.
Simply put, Nahun believed that it would be much better to do so.
“If only our discussions went smoothly…”
The type of individual arriving as the messenger was quite important as well. Nahun thought inwardly that it would be good if they were a person with whom these proposals would resonate.
At that moment, the office door opened. Peeking in slightly was his adorable disciple.
“Why are you standing there and not coming in, Seere?”
“Can I come in? You’re not busy, are you?”
“It’s fine.”
With Nahun’s permission, Seere entered the office with a bright smile. Observing Seere’s demeanor, Nahun remarked.
“Your horns have grown a bit more.”
“Ah, can you tell? I measured today, and they’ve grown about 2 cm!”
Her horns had grown. It was proof that Seere was gradually maturing as a Demon King. While the shape of horns varied among each Demon King, all Demon Kings had completely grown horns.
In Seere’s case, they were a pair of straight, dark red horns that grew upward. It was said that her predecessor, Seir, also possessed similar traits. Recently, some people called Seere the “Reincarnation of the Demon King” due to her accomplishments…
“Like father, like daughter, they say.”
It seemed the saying about blood cannot be deceived was accurate. Seere seemed delighted that Nahun had noticed her change, coming closer with a beaming smile.
“Can I sit down?”
“Hmm?”
Nahun momentarily didn’t understand but quickly recalled Seere’s intention and nodded. He lightly patted his thigh and said.
“Come here and sit down.”
“Yes~!”
Seere gently sat on his lap, causing Nahun to chuckle at the sight. Although she had hoped to grow up quickly and become mature, seeing her like this still showed she was still very much a child.
As Nahun smiled warmly, Seere thought to herself.
“It’s going well…!”
In fact, all of these actions were calculated on Seere’s part. She realized from a conversation she had previously with Nahun that she was still too young for him to see her as alluring as a female.
Seere was quite adept at self-objectification. If she couldn’t leave an impression of her maturity on Nahun in her current state…
“I’ll accumulate favor through being cute!”
That was her plan. Of course, she would continue receiving education to become a proper lady, but she intended to act coyly towards Nahun. Given her young age, there was no reason for Nahun to find it strange.
Moreover, Leah had taught her that one of the main aspects that captivate men is precisely the ‘gap’.
If a child who was once merely cute suddenly matured and expressed affection, perhaps even this stoic teacher would have some kind of reaction. With that thought, Seere resolved to endure for a few more years, maintaining her role as the adorable disciple.
Should she perhaps even carry around her white stuffed toy again? She briefly considered that but decided it would be too overboard.
Seere slightly turned her head to look at Nahun.
“Teacher.”
“Hmm?”
“Please pat my head!”
“…I see. So that’s what you’ve been wanting since earlier.”
“Hehe.”
Unaware of Seere’s thoughts, Nahun simply proceeded to pat her head as she wished.
#
“Hmph.”
A woman riding in a carriage headed to the Demon King Castle on the 69th floor had a sinister smile. It was not due to excitement about the 69th floor, but rather about the reward she would receive upon returning.
The platinum-haired woman, whose brilliance could not be hidden even in the shadowy carriage, appeared fragile, but below her neck, she wore dark armor. The black arming sword at her waist indicated her rank as a soldier.
She was none other than Kaya, the last of Gremony’s three generals.
“I need to confirm what schemes are being plotted on the 69th floor and return swiftly.”
“General.”
“Hmm?”
“We have arrived at the 69th floor.”
“Is that so?”
Kaya smirked.
“Then let’s see how Achilles met his end…”
The woman who held the key to the relationship between the 55th and 69th floors had just arrived on the 69th floor.