READ NOVEL ONLINE Chapter 133
Flirting? Nah, I just took out the Seven Dukes, and suddenly, my favorability is at MAX.
At first, I was like, “What kind of situation is this?” But thinking it over, it wasn’t that surprising.
You see, demons have an admiration for strength.
The fact that the Demon King worships the Undead Lair shows that overwhelming power is what it’s based on.
The feelings of the Undead Lair Lords weren’t much different.
Renlin and Daron’s favor towards me was probably rooted in strength.
It’s a unique situation with the Undead Lair being a single entity and my exceptional actions.
If you think about it this way, for Roseha, it might be the ultimate form of flirting.
The Seven Dukes just popped like balloons right in front of her.
She probably thought they were out of her league, and that awe ignited her MAX favorability.
Of course, I had already released her sealing stone, saved her life with Evolution Technique, and did a bunch of flirting before this.
So, after all that favorability piled on, maybe the Seven Dukes exploding was what finally hit MAX.
“A cold-blooded killer like you losing to just one woman. Isn’t that kind of romantic?”
“….”
Roseha pushed against me with her warm body, and I could only step back in defeat.
But then, unable to withstand her strength, I lost my balance and—
Thud.
I fell on my butt but didn’t even notice the pain.
Before I could stand up, Roseha was already on top of me.
Her eyes, gazing down at me, dripped with honey.
Her cheeks flushed red, her breathing rough, and she licked her lips as if pondering her next move.
Roseha looked ready to pounce right then and there.
To behave like this just because I killed the Seven Dukes made no sense in a normal way of thinking.
Then again, that’s probably why she’s a Lord of the Undead Lair.
Anyone could mistake me for proposing after taking down the Seven Dukes.
‘… anyone could?’
I quickly glanced around.
This was the banquet hall where the nobility of the Seven Marvels gathered.
And sure enough, all eyes were on Roseha and me.
What on earth were we doing in front of everyone?
I carefully pushed her shoulders away.
“Let’s finish what we need to do first and then talk.”
“Are you saying we should do it right now? Just you and me?”
“… I don’t think that’s what we’re talking about.”
“Hmm- that’s all I’m thinking about. What else is there to do in this situation?”
This was a conversation I simply couldn’t comprehend.
Desperately, I tried to pry Roseha off me.
Even after calming down a bit, she kept looking at me with that hungry gaze.
Watching her, even my nonexistent heart felt like it was shrinking.
I left Roseha behind and approached Duke Prifatana.
The stench of his fear was overwhelming, which didn’t exactly lift my spirits.
The Duke, trembling at the sight of me, hastily prostrated himself.
“Pla-please! Just spare my life!”
“You think I’d just kill you? I have a lot of questions.”
I wondered if the Old One had silenced him through some trick, but there seemed to be no real gagging for Bellevar.
I shook the shard of the star I held in my hand.
“This relic, is it from the Old One?”
“Y-yes! It is! The Old One’s orders!”
Just like Bellevar, he was spilling his guts without hesitation.
I couldn’t help but wonder if this was the Old One’s intention, to leak information like this.
After all, the Old One couldn’t have possibly anticipated the current situation.
It seemed more likely he hadn’t prepared for it on purpose.
But for what reason? Thinking about it was futile.
I tried to probe the Duke for more, but as expected, I got nowhere.
So, I cleared my doubts and continued my interrogation.
“What kind of relic is this?”
“Y-yes, it’s one that seals magical power…”
The Duke mumbled out his reply.
But he mumbled so much that it was hard to interpret.
I only understood after he repeated the same explanation three times.
There were a total of five star shards, and the condition for activating them was to form a pentagram with a certain interval and breadth.
Once activated, as long as the shards remained intact, they could seal the magical power of targets within a 1KM radius.
Moreover, it also allowed the option of designating exceptions.
It resembled an artifact similar to the sealing magic inscriptions.
“It seems you took a potion.”
“Y-yes! The Old One gave me that too!”
The moment I tested the waters, the Duke immediately answered.
Then he reached into his pocket, and I aimed the Holy Sword at his neck just in case he was pulling some nonsense.
What he pulled out was a grotesquely shaped eyeball.
“I-I-I swear, if you take this, your physical stats will increase dramatically! Th-that’s why we…”
Looking at the eyeball made me picture a notification window.
An EX grade item, the Old One’s eyeball. The same notification I saw with the six Dukes.
At this point, it seemed doable even for the two Lords of the Undead Lair.
“I-I’ll tell you everything! Just spare my life…”
The Duke was crying and pleading.
I turned my gaze to Roseha.
“Do you have a talent for torture?”
As the host of the banquet, she must know a lot, but I didn’t believe she’d confess freely.
Roseha smiled and nodded.
“I do have a knack for it. After living for over a thousand years, I’ve tried various things.”
“Can you take him in?”
“Sure. Leave it to me.”
This kind of thing is best left to the experts.
The Duke’s face turned pale, but that wasn’t my concern.
As I glanced around, everyone in the hall was as pale as the night.
I mean, it was always dark, but now it was downright black as a black hole.
From their perspective, I hadn’t even lifted a finger and just annihilated the Seven Dukes, so they could easily think that way.
On the ground lay the scattered swords of the Seven Dukes.
Duke Prifatana’s sword was missing, leaving six behind.
The Seven Dukes’ seven-colored swords were all S+ grade treasures from their clan.
I unintentionally scored some nice loot.
‘What would I even do with those though?’
While more was good, I was already overwhelmed with just one Holy Sword.
Out of the Mausoleum of Faith, if there was any knight, it would only be Cecilia.
Even she had the Moonlight Sword, which couldn’t be compared to the Duke’s swords at all.
‘… six?’
That number triggered a sudden memory of Balutak.
Balutak had four arms aside from his two legs and special appendages that looked like tentacles on his shoulders.
Miraculously, that number matched precisely.
I imagined Balutak wielding his sword in a fight like a scene from Star Wars with General Grievous.
Should I ask Cecilia?
To teach Balutak swordsmanship?
***
In the absence of the Boss at the Mausoleum of Faith.
Charlotte gathered the high-ranked officers and pulled out a crystal ball in front of everyone.
“Don’t be startled. We have invaders.”
“Gah!”
“Whoa!?”
Despite being told not to panic, the words had the opposite effect as Isabella and Estizel gaped in shock.
“Of all times, now while the boss isn’t here?”
“H-how many are there…?”
The name of the Mausoleum of Faith had soared to new heights following the defeat of Calandas.
And just when the Empire had barely been restored, suddenly, someone was targeting the Mausoleum of Faith?
In contrast to the others, Balutak scratched his head unbothered.
“Kirik. Invaders? Not good, right? We can eat them and evolve.”
“Must be because they’re bugs, their brains might be small too.”
At Cecilia’s remark, Balutak looked glum.
Balutak wasn’t scared of the other officers, but he did feel a chill around Cecilia.
He remembered the time she had diced him limb from limb.
*Cough cough.*
Clearing her throat to regain order, Charlotte continued speaking.
“However, something feels off. Look here.”
As Charlotte spoke, she held out the crystal ball.
Everyone gathered around to see the vision.
It didn’t take long to notice the oddity.
“There can’t be more than ten of them. Moreover, they’re all unarmed.”
The intruders were unarmed and in a vulnerable state.
They weren’t even advancing, just waiting at the entrance of the first floor as if they were guests.
Seeing this, Isabella and Estizel let out relieved sighs.
Cecilia, gazing at the scene, widened her eyes.
“Is that… the Princess?”
Her soft mutter was heard by everyone.
In an instant, all eyes turned to Cecilia.
“Kirik? What do you mean by Princess?”
Balutak’s confusion was only natural.
Following this, Charlotte asked for confirmation.
“Did you just say Princess?”
“Well, the woman in front, she looks like the Empire’s princess. I think they know each other well.”
Her calm tone carried an outrageous revelation.
Having lived in the Imperial Palace, Cecilia had a passing acquaintance with Elize.
And it didn’t stop there. They often exchanged greetings, and she’d heard about Lucas too.
Thanks to that, they had gotten close without any barriers, making her one of the more approachable nobles.
Cecilia again focused on the crystal ball.
“…They somehow look like they’re here for a diplomatic call.”
Charlotte quietly agreed with her thoughts.
Not to mention, the fact that they were unarmed was one thing, but they also stood calmly at the entrance, signifying a different intention.
It seemed less like aggression and more like goodwill.
“It seems their purpose is dialogue. Should I go take a look? I might be the only one who can communicate with them.”
“You, the traitor?”
“But we’re acquainted with each other, aren’t we?”
“What if it’s a trap!?”
“Then we just kill them all.”
Cecilia waved her hand dismissively, and Estizel fell silent.
Starting with Cecilia, everyone turned their attention to Charlotte.
With the Boss absent now, Charlotte, the deputy, was in charge.
Regardless, it was true that they were invaders, but if a princess was involved, it likely meant she held a greater purpose.
After pondering for a moment, Charlotte looked at Cecilia and spoke.
“Let’s talk it over first. We’ll go just the two of us. If we go as a group, it’ll only create tension.”
“I can go alone, you know.”
“There’s no reason to worry. It’s better with two.”
“You’re overly concerned for my well-being.”
Charlotte, surprisingly, fidgeted her lips a little.
After a moment’s delay, she finally spoke.
“…Your safety is directly tied to the strength of our dungeon. As a deputy, it’s only natural for me to worry.”
“Alright, then.”
While Cecilia seemed unconcerned, Estizel was glancing back and forth between the two, a sly grin appearing.
Since the day they had talked about Lucas all day long, a strange air had settled between them.
Estizel felt it was a sign of intimacy.
“And you don’t know the traps of the Ascendancy, do you? I’ve got it all figured out.”
“I get it, I get it. Let’s go together.”
The two went up to the ascendancy, keeping a little distance between them.
Once the three were left behind, Isabella whooped softly.
Remember when they were itching to kill each other?
“So, what do you think? Am I right? You two seem pretty friendly now, huh?”
“Y-yeah, it seems so. How did they change overnight like that?”
“Kirik? What do you mean?”
Only Balutak was clueless, scratching his head in confusion.