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

Chapter 130




As time passed, the turmoil subsided, and the empire regained its stability.

On the surface, it seemed peaceful, but beneath it lay darkness.

“Your Majesty! If we hesitate, it will be too late!”

A summit attended by the royal family, the pope, and archbishops of various sects was in session. The pope, seated at the head of the round table, shouted in a strained voice.

His normally composed demeanor was shocking to those around him.

Although the empire’s leaders and the public had managed to restore stability, it was only superficial.

Even the archbishops, who had been listening quietly, chimed in.

“This isn’t just some new religion. How can we just sit back and watch them worship the monsters of the Undead?”

“We must eradicate it quickly! We can’t let their influence grow any larger!”

The emerging religion, which had taken root in the empire’s shadows, referred to itself as the Undead Church.

The Undead Church had developed its strength beyond Solarian, even within the empire itself.

For the Solarian Church, this situation was a grave concern.

The Apostle, led by the Undead Lair Lord, worships the very essence of the Undead.

Rational humans wouldn’t idolize such monsters.

That should have been the case, but with circumstances being what they were, it couldn’t have been worse.

Recently, Calandas’s power had easily overturned the empire.

Thus proving the might of the Undead, which no human could challenge.

Gains from Barugore, who had eradicated Calandas, were engendering a newfound respect among the few.

While some were already idolizing him, the Undead Church emerged in the shadows.

Moreover, the Apostle turned out to be a newly ranked fifth Lord, a saint who had received revelations from Solarian.

With her as a focal point, the Undead Church was growing rapidly.

Given the background and the saint’s reputation, this could be seen as a natural outcome.

“I’m not saying I support it, but…”

At that moment, a quiet individual finally spoke up.

Naturally, all attention turned to her.

The newly appointed princess, Elize, opened her mouth again.

“I understand the public’s feelings. It’s true that Lord Lucas saved the empire, right? He didn’t ask for anything in return.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Ha! Is that something a princess should say?”

The archbishops narrowed their eyes, and even the emperor frowned.

Elize boldly stated her beliefs, unbothered by the glances around her.

“He’s a fifth Lord. Don’t you recall how the empire nearly fell to the Lich King?”

Rooting out the Undead Church would mean confronting a fifth Lord.

Elize scanned the Pope and the archbishops one by one.

“You all know he’s a fifth Lord too, don’t you?”

Silence fell after Elize’s words.

As she suggested, they felt the power of the fifth Undead Lair from their own skin.

Naturally, eliminating the Undead Church, the fifth Undead Lair, was nearly impossible.

Elize also understood their sentiments to some degree.

When the state religion is threatened, how could they just stand idly by?

But realistically speaking…

“There’s no reason to poke a hornet’s nest. If we use force, we’re just repeating the same mistakes.”

The nightmare of the Lich King could return once more.

It was thanks to Barugore that they survived the Lich King, but this time the fifth Lord was being backed by Barugore.

Rather than saving humanity, they might end up facing two Undead Lairs.

“Are you suggesting we just watch? The empire could end up as a vassal of the Undead!”

“Exactly. If we don’t resist, we’re implying we will submit, right? Dying is better than becoming a dog of the Undead.”

So far, the Undead Church had been operating in the shadows, expanding its influence.

One day, they might raise their heads to the light, but who knows?

Of course, their arguments made sense, and Elize’s words weren’t wrong either.

…It was at this point that Elize decided to voice her thoughts.

“What do you all think about unity with the Undead Lair? Specifically, the Mausoleum of Faith.”

“…Unity?”

“I’ve been thinking about it for a while. We can’t treat the Mausoleum of Faith as our enemy. Given their power and their past assistance without demands, it doesn’t seem right.”

The Solarian Church was simply uncomfortable with the idea of the public worshipping the Undead, but there was no strong refusal towards an alliance.

“You’re right. If we let the Undead Church be, it will eventually pose a significant threat. Yet, isn’t it risky to label the Undead Church as an enemy right now?”

“Hmm…”

“So I thought of a different approach. What if the Mausoleum of Faith becomes an allied sanctuary? Then the illusion of Barugore being a god would remain among the citizens. Instead, the perception of being the head of the allied sanctuary would emerge.”

It was an intriguing proposal that could resolve many issues.

However, the key issue with an alliance was mutual trust.

In that regard, an alliance between the empire and the Undead Lair was nothing more than a ridiculous illusion.

Knowing that, Elize added a remark.

“As you know, we must bend to them. That means we need to prove our trust first.”

Elize took a deep breath and spoke with a hint of solemn determination.

“How about a marriage alliance?”

There was a collective gasp from those in attendance.

Among them, one face appeared particularly shocked. The emperor stuttered with trembling lips.

“What… a marriage alliance…?”

“Yes. A marriage alliance.”

Historically, royal families of both nations had entered into marriage alliances.

But a marriage alliance with the Undead Lair? It was an unheard-of proposal that left everyone stunned.

“It wouldn’t be just a marriage alliance. We’d be living together as partners and at the Mausoleum of Faith, beside Barugore… You could say we’d be hostages.”

A marriage alliance was essentially handing over royals as hostages.

But what could be done? Given the situation, it was a fact that the empire had to lower itself.

“As you all are aware, sacrifices are unavoidable. And if the sacrifice can be made without bloodshed, there’s no reason to hesitate.”

Elize placed her hand over her heart.

“I’ll sacrifice myself.”

“What!? No! Elize! You can’t do this!”

“Your Majesty. Please allow it.”

While there would be resistance to a mere Undead Lair, the Mausoleum of Faith was different.

Moreover, if it was the royal family, the Mausoleum of Faith would surely be taken seriously.

Additionally, if Elize could seduce Barugore, or perhaps use sweet whispers to guide an alliance with humanity, it may be possible.

“No! Absolutely not!”

Even if Barugore saved humanity, he was still of the Undead.

The emperor vehemently denied it, but Elize had already made her decision.

She wiped away the tears welling in her eyes.

“For the sake of humanity… someone has to sacrifice.”

With a confident smile blooming within her.

“It’s right for me to sacrifice. Please allow it, Father.”

…The other party hadn’t even mentioned the notion of a marriage.

They were busy slurping their own particular soup.

***

After passing through the Duke’s castle gates, Roseha suddenly stopped.

Confused, I tilted my head to look at her.

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh, yeah.”

Roseha hurriedly approached.

When I asked her with my gaze, she stuttered back, “I just… have a strange feeling all of a sudden.”

“Strange feeling? Is it about the Seven Dukes?”

Well, I too had an unsettling premonition. What if the banquet hall were a trap set by the Seven Dukes?

That was also what I was concerned about.

However, Roseha shook her head.

“Um, no, not that.”

“Then what is it?”

“To be honest, I’m not quite sure. I just… have a feeling that something unpleasant will happen, not just with the Seven Dukes?”

Maybe it’s the intuition of a woman; it seems Roseha also believes in her ominous premonition.

I’m not a woman, yet I also tend to overestimate my intuitions.

Even now, there’s a slight sense of doom at the banquet of the Duke’s mansion.

The Duke’s castle ahead boasts an impressive scale.

I didn’t find it very impressive compared to Roseha’s grand castle that she had entered before.

Roseha seemed indifferent as we entered the castle.

Inside the Duke’s castle was a typical noble mansion.

Spacious interiors, dazzling chandeliers, and nobles dressed in extravagant attire.

They clinked champagne glasses, conversing with one another.

“Whoa.”

A brief gasp served as a signal, diverting everyone’s gaze toward us.

At the same time, their levels turned a dark shade of black.

They seemed to be nobles of notable caliber in the magical realm, but their expressions were excessively simplistic.

Nobles approaching us greeted Roseha with bows.

“We are pleased to see you again, Queen of the Grand Castle.”

“Yeah, I’m doing well.”

“We’ve missed you dearly, Your Majesty. I sometimes dream about you?”

“Must just be your dream, you know.”

Roseha casually exchanged greetings.

The nobles only glanced at me or offered polite gestures, failing to engage in conversation with me.

Well, given their levels, it made sense why.

They weren’t just afraid; they were utterly terrified.

I turned my gaze away from them and looked around.

A meticulously carved demon was coming down the central staircase.

Pushing through the crowd, he was the first to reach me.

He met my gaze and extended his hand.

“Nice to meet you, honored Lord. I am Schoenne, the Duke who governs this region.”

Is it standard practice for Dukes not to bend at the waist and extend their hands as a greeting?

It seemed typical, at least for this encounter.

However, the way the surrounding nobles looked at me and the Duke was uncanny.

It dawned on me that the Duke was trying to assert his pride before me.

The host of this banquet, Duke Prifatana.

If the Seven Dukes were conspiring something, naturally, he would be the ringleader.

I subtly glanced over the Duke’s head.

“Pleasure to meet you.”

I shook his hand without showing any response.

Duke Prifatana smiled and attempted to shake my hand. Or rather, he intended to.

“It’s a pleasure to—”

The Duke’s face began to twist in real-time.

Crack! Crack! The sound of breaking bone resonated from his grip, and his face contorted.

He managed to meet my gaze without screaming in the end.

His crimson gaze resembled an intense shade of red representing his level.

Once the handshake ended, I let go of his hand and pat his shoulder with mine.

“You’re quite bold.”

“…Thank you.”

Although I wanted to sever his hand, I restrained myself.

If I killed him unnecessarily, the others would flee upon hearing the news.

I was planning to eliminate all Seven Dukes at once when the time was right.

 

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