I’m Telling You, I’m Not a Boss Monster!

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Sara was the Old One, or rather, an Apostle of the Outer World.

Could it really be that the Old One was a divine being? Or was it just a self-proclaimed God’s advocate?

Even if he wasn’t a god, Sara worshiped that guy like he was one.

In the game, there had never been any mention of a connection between the Old One and Sara.

It seemed like I had inadvertently become an Apostle of the Outer World due to my meddling.

“How ridiculous…”

I should’ve killed that woman, Sara, long ago.

Regret washed over me like a tidal wave, but it came too late.

There was no reason for the fanatical devotee of Solari to serve the antithesis, the Old One.

It was clear that the Old One had approached Sara first.

But why did the Old One contact Sara?

“Trying to build influence like me?”

Maybe he had coaxed Sara into submission, aware of my presence.

That was the only lead I had, and the exact reason remained elusive.

My head was throbbing.

I was at a loss for how to deal with that woman, Sara.

Just as Calandas was wary of the Holy Sword, for me as an Undead, Sara was a potential nightmare.

Calandas had his soul obliterated by the Holy Sword.

I might end up following in Calandas’s footsteps.

Even without considering affinities, simply looking at the hierarchy gave a glimpse of her power.

The henchmen of the loyal apostates numbered twelve. They were also called Sara’s Twelve Apostles.

Including Sara, the thirteen entities enjoyed the strength of rank five, while the twelve henchmen of lesser races weren’t that formidable.

It wouldn’t be far off to say that Sara held over 90% of rank five’s authority.

In terms of boss levels, she was even one level above the fourth-ranked Daron.

“And Roseha is the Succubus Queen of all things.”

Roseha, my complete ally, had evolved thanks to me, reaching level 94. If she wielded her weapon with full power, she could rise to 96.

Daron was similar, but Sara normally sat at level 95 and could surge to 97 when unleashing her full power.

The level gap was prominent, and given that Roseha belonged to the demon race, she shared an affinity with Sara.

“Sara relies on weapons far less.”

Her supremacy came not only from being Undead but also included reinforcement magic.

While the Seven Lairs had their respective unique weapons, Sara was a peculiar case.

Perhaps because she was a saint, she had no unique weapon, sealing her strength at level two in normal times.

Being a powerhouse on top of being a supreme entity was downright absurd. Assuming a one-on-one match with Sara, I wouldn’t stand a chance.

“Your Highness.”

The Demon Merchant called out to me.

I hastily composed myself, fearing that I had revealed my inner thoughts inadvertently.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I inquire about the intentions concerning Duke Sanjiba?”

“…Duke Sanjiba?”

What on earth was this about?

As I silently questioned the meaning of his inquiry, the merchant’s eyes widened.

“Were you perhaps unaware…?”

“What are you talking about?”

The merchant glanced at me nervously as he rummaged through his belongings.

“I brought this just in case.”

What he finally produced was a newspaper.

The merchant respectfully handed me the paper with both hands.

“It’s the weekly report of Duke Sanjiba’s ministry.”

The Empire was desperate to rebuild, so it was expected to be a newspaper from the Magic Realm.

I took the newspaper and began reading the headline.

– Duke Sanjiba: The Seventh Lair Lord Barugore acts recklessly.

“….”

The Duke of the Seven Magic Realms specifically called out the Seventh Lair Lord Barugore for acting recklessly.

It was quite the provocative subject. I could see how the newspaper might embellish things.

Moreover, depending on the perspective, my actions could also be seen as reckless.

I initially tried to understand this line of thinking.

– Duke Sanjiba stated that the seventh-ranked Lord Barugore was utterly reckless. Not only did he harm the fifth-ranked Lord, but he also saved humanity. This is an act that toyed with the Magic Realm and poses a significant external problem beyond the sanctity of the 72 Lords.

– Therefore, I have suspicions concerning the seventh-ranked Lord Barugore. Is he not a traitor to his own kin…?

Before I could even finish reading, I crumpled the newspaper.

The startled Demon Merchant caught my attention.

“Is this a common occurrence?”

Pushing my emotions aside, I had to grasp how big this gossip was.

“The Duke publicly slandered a Lair Lord. I asked if this is a common occurrence.”

While the Seven Lairs didn’t overshadow it, the Seven Dukes were still influential figures.

However, would it be typical to politically obliterate a Lair Lord? Probably not.

Of course, this was just my assumption, and the reality might be entirely different, which led me to ask.

“Umm… it’s not exactly common.”

“Is this the first time?”

“Yes, yes, it is.”

The article read almost like an interview. Duke Sanjiba had voluntarily expressed his opinions.

What could possibly provoke him to take such risks and afford this slanderous behavior?

‘…This doesn’t make sense.’

The more I thought, the less comprehensible it became.

What benefit could he possibly gain? A Duke wouldn’t act out of personal feelings.

“It seems he is trying to display authority.”

The Demon Merchant cautiously suggested.

“Duke Sanjiba is a demon with deep ambitions. He has a high sense of authority. His remarks and actions are usually aimed at showcasing or expanding that authority. I suspect this is just another instance of that.”

“He probably looks down upon the authority of a Lair Lord since they are above him.”

“….”

The silence was an implicit agreement.

I roughly understood what he meant.

Duke Sanjiba was the type to step on others to lift himself.

He found the authority of a Lair Lord distasteful and seized the opportunity to strike.

He likely thought this was his only chance.

Though the Magic Realm adhered to the logic of power, even that had its limits.

He must have concluded that my actions exceeded those limits.

“Did he not worry about retaliation?”

“If you react, Your Highness will only suffer. I apologize, but your reputation is currently not very good with the Seven Realms.”

The merchant continued, glancing at me.

He explained that if I retaliated, my reputation would plummet further, and it would be wise to ignore this until the commotion calmed down.

Depending on the retaliation, it might escalate into a war between the Lair and the Magic Realm.

I had suspected my reputation was in the gutter.

I mean, I did kill the fifth-ranked Lord and saved humanity.

There was bound to be a lot of gossip among the 72 Lords, and I could only imagine how much more in the Seven Realms.

Humans and non-humans alike were quick to react, obsessively pointing fingers at juicy rumors.

If we were to be precise, it was my curse.

I had anticipated it but hadn’t expected the fallout to be as severe.

“Your Highness, I implore you. The Council is also attempting to establish contact with Duke Sanjiba. He will likely give up soon.”

That was quite right.

Given my already tarnished reputation, any reaction would just appear as me being irritable.

‘…I was a bit peeved, though.’

With both the Old One and Sara weighing down on me, I had no choice but to feel agitated with the Duke’s outburst on top of it.

I took a deep breath, trying to regain my composure.

Part of me was puzzled.

Even if Duke Sanjiba had seen through everything, there was no real reason for him to step in front of me.

He was going to slander the Seven Lairs just to flaunt his authority?

‘That would only incur greater losses.’

It was obvious from my actions that I wasn’t simply a seventh-ranking figure, and Roseha was completely on my side.

To cause a ruckus despite knowing all this didn’t seem logical.

I was clearly missing something.

‘…Someone must be backing him.’

To take it a step further, Duke Sanjiba could even be a puppet.

Someone could be covering for him or perhaps using him to drag me down. I leaned towards the latter.

An individual capable of opposing me while handling the aftermath.

Two figures sprang to mind.

The Old One. Sara.

Of the two, Sara seemed more likely.

With her mind control ability, she could easily place the Duke as a puppet.

Whether it was under the command of the Old One or by her own will, it was evident that this was Sara’s doing.

“Your Highness.”

The merchant seemed worried that I might retaliate.

That was the Council’s stance as well. They must have been instructed to find out about my intentions from above.

“No need to worry. You may leave now.”

“Yes. It was an honor to meet you.”

I waved him off, dismissing him.

The merchant, bowing deeply in deference, retraced his steps through the portal.

“Lord, what shall we do?”

“Should I kill that Duke?”

The two who had silently listened finally spoke up.

Cecilia even raised the Moonlight Sword.

More furious than I was, these two were visibly upset. Though their expressions remained typically expressionless.

“For now, let’s just observe the situation.”

As the merchant suggested, reacting right now wouldn’t do any good.

It would be wise to wait and take action only if he crossed the line further.

If I stayed idle, it wouldn’t just be my reputation that plummeted, but my entire authority could collapse.

I intended to step in when the public perception turned to, “Is this a bit much…?”

Until then, I could do no more than suppress my anger.

‘Sara… now she’s the problem.’

Following Calandas, Sara was now gripping my ankle.

At this point, it seemed there was something more to her standing with rank five.

With the Lairs already contending, to drag in the Seven Dukes was unexpected.

I admit, I was caught off guard.

I never thought someone would politically maneuver to try to bury me like this.

This was all due to my lack of preparation.

‘I should have killed her long ago.’

Thinking of Sara made my blood boil.

***

“Huff… huff…!”

Duke Sanjiba slumped down against the door, helpless.

The smell of blood mixed in with his breath. Life was slipping away with each desperate gasp.

Duke Sanjiba clutched at his chest.

His agony unleashed torrents of blood that spilled forth. A sizable pool of it gathered on the floor beneath him.

“What the hell…?”

Bang!

Suddenly, a forceful impact caused the Duke to tumble forward.

Bang! Bang! Crunch!

The door shattered, and dozens rushed in from outside.

Seeing them sent the Duke’s face ashen.

His own retainers, knights, standing army, even family—those meant to protect him were now turning to kill him.

“Why! What are you doing to me! Why!!”

It was a wail aimed at some sorcerer somewhere.

In front of him, their eyes glowed with a golden light. It was clear evidence they were being controlled by some force.

The Duke, spewing blood, cried out with every ounce of strength he had left.

“I-it’s not too late now! If you kill me, you won’t escape unharmed either! Do you know who I am?!”

“You are Duke Sanjiba, are you not? How could we not know?”

A knight replied with disdain.

As the knight closed his mouth, the butler opened his.

“That’s precisely why we’re doing this.”

“…Why?”

Are they really going to kill a Duke of the Magic Realm? What the hell for? How do they plan to handle the fallout?

No, right now, questioning was a luxury. This guy clearly intended to kill him.

The Duke gasped, falling to his knees in disgrace.

“P-please forgive me! Everything is my fault! Just spare my life…!”

“Hmmm.”

The butler contemplated silently.

When he fell quiet, a maid stepped forward.

“You’ll have a chance. Confess your sins.”

“I-I, I forced my subordinates harshly and became intoxicated with power….”

“To be so unaware of your crimes. You are truly beyond redemption.”

“P-please, grant me time to reflect…!”

“Do you wish to repent?”

“Yes, absolutely! Please! I want to repent and live again!”

The maid smiled, her lips curving.

“You shall repent for your sacrilege with death.”

Swish!

A brief sound of slicing followed, and the knight retracted his sword.

With a thud, the Duke’s head rolled away. His body collapsed, limbs slackening.

Crack!

The maid’s kick split his head open, sending flesh and blood spilling everywhere.

He should’ve been grateful to have died peacefully.

She had refrained from making it more painful and had shown him mercy.

This was clearly a joy that lifted her spirits today.

The maid twirled around, humming a tune in delight.

Her face was awash with blissful ecstasy.

“The Chosen One wishes to see me.”

When I received that message from the merchant, I felt like flying, and the mere thought of it still brought a smile to my face.

The saint’s mark and the Dungeon Core of the Undead Realm now resided within her body.

If this isn’t a miracle of God, then what is?

That Being had answered her loyal faith with the mark and even destroyed the vile Lich King, granting her the blessings of the Undead.

If possible, she wished to meet that Being right away.

But rushing in her excitement would spoil everything.

Until her spirit and body were fully prepared, all she could do was serve from a distance.

The maid closed her eyes and clasped her hands together.

With deep gratitude, she prayed, envisioning the figure of that Being.

“My Lord, I shall wait eagerly for the day we meet….”

Just thinking about that Being sent her heart racing.

 

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