## C395
Clac.
The door opened and Raon burst in.
“Human!”
Bat, bat!
He had been away from Cale for a while in that manner, and perhaps, since it was almost the first time they were separated for a reason that wasn’t adverse, the flapping of his wings was particularly lively.
“Did you break it well?”
“…I went to steal.”
“So you didn’t break it?”
“I broke it.”
“I knew it was like that! Hehehe! Next time I’ll go to the Third Land too! I’m the best at breaking things! Hehehe!”
Since what Raon was saying wasn’t a mistake, Cale simply remained silent.
He didn’t know that Raon, on his own, had already decided that next time he would join Rosalyn in a collaboration to destroy things.
“Cale-nim.”
And finally, the calamity. Well, it wasn’t a calamity yet, but he encountered Clopeh Sekka.
“Eh, um.”
Somehow, Cale was left speechless.
[Hatching Rate: 99.31% (Remaining Time: 23:19)]
[Birth Ritual Progress: 159%]
[Reward Level: Undetermined]
I would like to know why the mission progress has become like this.
“Did everything go well?”
But seeing Clopeh Sekka smiling, it was scary to ask.
‘…Could it be that I made a bad decision?’
After all this time, Cale felt regretful of his choice.
“I have performed the work entrusted to me with all my being.”
Ah.
A sigh escaped Cale’s lips.
“With everything ready, Cale-nim, you just have to wait one day.”
Clopeh Sekka’s smile.
His calm voice.
A look full of happiness.
Plus, eyes that sparkled with excitement.
‘This is a disaster.’
Cale understood that, no matter what happened, he was finished.
And then—
“Jajaja—”
He laughed.
“Yes. Well done!”
Yes, somehow everything will be fine!
And besides, I’m not going to live inside the game, and even if that Dragon Half-Blood feels a little sad…
‘Yes, the birth ceremony will be forgotten in no time!’
Honestly, look around.
Even the family, who would remember the moment of someone’s birth and talk about it for more than a decade?
‘Exactly! It’s just an event! A mission!’
Then!
I’ll sit back and wait to receive the mission rewards.
“Jajaja!”
Cale laughed.
“Human, why are you still smiling? I’ll laugh too! Jajaja!”
Raon also laughed.
“Jaja—”
Aurora, seeing the reward in Cale’s hand, smiled happily.
“Hmm.”
And Clopeh Sekka let out a soft chuckle.
“!”
That laugh, so sinister, made Cale stop, but there was something he had to do first.
“Clopeh, I’ll listen to you about the process later. First, I have something to do.”
“Yes, understood. Then, I will head to the incubation room where Eden Miru is.”
Is there an incubation room for Eden Miru too?
Cale sensed that many changes had taken place in the days he was away, but he decided to pretend not to know.
“Ah, I’ll go there.”
“Yes, but, Cale-nim...”
Before leaving through the door, Clopeh Sekka told Cale cautiously:
“Once the birth ritual begins, there will be something that, without forcing yourself too much, you will need to put some effort into, Cale-nim. It’s nothing serious, just something small.”
“Ah, yes. As long as it’s not excessive, there’s no problem.”
Cale replied without giving it much importance.
“Yes.”
Clopeh Sekka smiled broadly.
‘Eh?’
Should I have said that this wasn’t right?
Just when Cale was about to have that thought…
“Then, I’m going.”
Clopeh Sekka retreated very quickly all of a sudden.
Clac.
In the blink of an eye, the door opened and closed, and Clopeh Sekka was gone.
“Human, why that worried face?”
“…No.”
Cale dismissed the sinister premonition and approached the bed.
The small glass vial he held in his hand. The liquid that was inside.
“They say you just have to sprinkle it on the forehead.”
Hearing Cale, Aurora clasped her hands, unable to hide her tension.
“Human, will the Dark Ghost Lupeh awaken?”
“Yes, shortly.”
Cale opened the glass vial.
The liquid it contained had neither scent nor color.
……
Count Lupeh, who seemed to be sleeping soundly,
Cale tilted the vial, letting the liquid pour down.
Toc!
And the instant the liquid touched Count Lupeh’s forehead…
Paaaah!
“Ugh!”
“How dazzling!”
A light so intense that even Aurora and Raon covered their eyes, poured out.
Cale narrowed his eyes, but he emptied the vial completely anyway.
Toc!
The moment the last drop of liquid came out of the vial…
“Human, the liquid is gone!”
With a radiant glow, the liquid was completely absorbed into Count Lupeh’s head, leaving no trace.
Ding!
Cale heard a notification sound, a sound only he could hear.
[Reward Used!]
[The Dark Ghost Lupeh has regained the lost memories of the “Count Lupeh”.]
“Hmm.”
Lupeh whimpered, contorting his face.
“Count!”
Aurora called out to him in a trembling voice.
……
Lupeh slowly opened his eyes.
He blinked several times.
After blinking a few times, he soon looked around.
His gaze fell on Aurora.
“Ma-”
Ahem.
Regaining his composure, he spoke again.
“You have grown.”
“Ah.”
Aurora collapsed back into the chair.
As if all her energy had escaped, she leaned back in the chair and soon broke into a smile.
“It’s been a long time, Count.”
Count Lupeh.
That memory returned vividly.
Despite his youthful appearance, in his words Aurora could remember the imposing figure of the Count Lupeh she knew.
……
Lupeh’s gaze fell on Cale.
After observing Cale for a long moment, he began to speak.
“Thank you.”
And he added:
“You are the worst.”
At that moment, the corner of Cale’s mouth rose slightly.
‘As expected.’
Lupeh’s true nature is more that of a “Dark Ghost” than a “Count of the Demon World”.
He had simply regained the memories he had lost.
Confirming this, Cale opened his mouth.
“There will be many things to talk about between you, so I’ll just leave you a message and withdraw.”
“Eh? Aren’t you going to stay together?”
Aurora, who believed there would be much to talk about between the three of them, showed her disappointment, but Cale pretended not to notice.
‘I can’t get involved in Demon World affairs any further.’
Although Aurora wanted to discuss the Demon World, Cale considered that he had already fulfilled his mission by capturing Viscount Deshuran, the commander of the 6th army among the 8 of the current Demon King.
He pulled a handful of papers from his coat.
“This is the report of the experiments conducted on the captured demon minions (slaves) by Transparent. And also, there are documents that prove that these minions were provided by the current Demon King.”
“……!”
Aurora’s eyes widened.
With trembling hands, she grabbed the documents Cale had handed her.
“This—”
“Yes. I think you can discuss among yourselves how to use this.”
Gulp!
Aurora’s eyes narrowed as she swallowed.
In a word,
Cale’s voice reached her ears, as her heart raced.
“When we attacked the Transparent laboratory, we pretended to be the God of Chaos ‘Arm’. Also, the current Demon King thinks that the God of Chaos ‘Arm’ has taken his subordinates and is interfering in his affairs.”
Seeing the sharp gleam in Aurora’s eyes as she listened, Cale stopped talking.
‘I guess they’ll know what to do.’
Aurora.
She is the leader of the Mediators organization, and although she is the only descendant of the former Demon King, she still has a long way to go to face the immense power centered on the current Demon King.
But, depending on how she takes advantage of this advantage she has finally gained, she will have much to gain.
“We’ll have to count on the help of the God of Chaos ‘Arm’, right?”
At Aurora’s mischievous smile, Cale replied with another smile.
‘Yes, that’s right.’
The Demon King, the Hunters, and the God of Chaos.
Provoke a rivalry between them until they take the conflict to extremes,
meanwhile, increase your own influence to, in one fell swoop, turn the situation around wielding the truth as a weapon.
“I think it would be perfect to make them face each other.”
Cale expressed his modest desire and, when he was about to leave the dormitory with Raon, he stopped.
“Ah, and you know it, right?”
He mentioned something he had told Aurora earlier.
“Please make sure you have the cooperation of some minions.”
Demons who use gray mana.
They would be perfect to pose as devotees of the god of chaos.
“Soon, when I take something from the god of chaos’s sanctuaries, I plan to pose as a saint. Haha!”
“Human, are you going to cheat? Hehe!”
With a carefree smile, he said goodbye and disappeared with Raon, who was cheerful.
Clac.
Aurora, who was watching the closed door with a fixed gaze, turned her head.
Count Lupeh, who was watching her, upon meeting her gaze, opened his mouth.
“We must plunge the Demon World into chaos.”
Lupeh, the dark ghost.
“The current Demon King is the King of Boredom.”
Because he was bored with everything, he is likely to be known as such.
“That’s because he hasn’t tasted hell.”
Lupeh remembered the time he was being experimented on and died.
He managed to succeed in the experiment and was reborn in the game as Count Lupeh, but his family died in the midst of that pain.
That terrible hell.
“In hell, you can’t be bored.”
Behind his small smile, Lupeh concealed a silent fury.
……
Looking away from Aurora, who couldn’t utter a word, Lupeh fixed his gaze on the ceiling and said in a very low voice:
“There must also be a being who governs both chaos and hell.”
“Eh?”
When Aurora, not having understood well, repeated:
“It’s nothing.”
She simply smiled.
The Demon King, the God of Chaos, and the Hunters.
To make these three gigantic forces clash…
Really, you should be the Most Evil One.
“…So I’ll have to believe it.”
Count Lupeh, or rather, the dark ghost or specter Lupeh, harbored a clear expectation, despite his desire for revenge.
* * *
“Has the god of chaos faction also appeared on Transparent’s side?”
“That’s right.”
The Demon King of Boredom.
Hitting the armrest, he let out a chuckle.
“And haven’t they found those who dared to touch my soldiers yet?”
“…That’s right.”
The subject’s entire body, kneeling on the ground, trembled.
But the Demon King’s gaze wasn’t fixed on him.
Looking out the window, he opened his mouth to speak.
“How interesting.”
Toc. Toc.
As he hit the armrest, his touch showed considerable enthusiasm.
“Really, it’s fascinating.”
The subjects couldn’t tell where the Demon King’s gaze was fixed.
They simply perceived that, in his usually apathetic eyes, a slight enthusiasm was emerging.
The Demon King of Boredom had only one way to get rid of boredom.
“Gather the soldiers.”
And also.
“Summon the seven generals as well.”
With Deshuran absent, the Demon King’s 8th army has been reduced to 7.
“Also, contact the god of chaos and those from Transparent.”
War.
The Demon King of Boredom only got rid of his tedium when he unleashed a war,
and only then, when facing ordinary citizens, did he seem like a truly living being.
* * *
Eden Miru, the Dragon Half-Blood.
A soul that, after living for more than nine hundred years, transformed into a dragon to continue its existence.
The time remaining for that soul to be reborn in a new form is—
“…10 hours and 29 minutes.”
Calculating.
Noon.
After tonight passes, when dawn breaks and the sun rises to its zenith, it will be noon.
At that moment, Eden Miru will be born.
……
Cale closed his eyes tightly.
In the incubation room, there were only Cale and Eden Miru.
On his knees rested Clopeh Sekka’s report.
……
Opening his eyes, he fixed his gaze on the egg wrapped in a flower cloth.
“…I’m sorry.”
…clac clac.
It was a gesture of understanding and resignation.
<-About 100 scouts have been detected sent from the 6 evil camps (excluding 3 Evil and 7 Evil). However, they pretend not to know.
–It is expected that, from at least 4 evil camps, personnel of intermediate or higher boss level will visit, either officially or covertly, to spy on the birth ritual.
–Security has been reinforced on the borders of the Western and Eastern Empires. From various magic towers, magic scouts have begun to be sent towards the 7th evil camp.
–A hint of birth has been sent to all the forces of the New World: the 3 Greats, the 5 intermediates, and the 10 minors.
: The hint of birth consists of provoking various anomalous phenomena —not through invitations or texts, but they insinuate “the birth of evil”—, making it clear that a “legend” is being formed.
*The anomalous phenomena are, for example, “a dark red sky covered in crows”, “skeleton soldiers emerging from the earth”, “sudden whirlwinds, storms, lightning in a clear sky”, among others, that manifest periodically in 39 different patterns on a certain scale.
Clopeh Sekka’s report reached almost one hundred pages.
It is so voluminous that it is difficult to hold.
“…39 types of phenomena… and he manifested them all over the continent…? This madman!”
Clac clac.
“Have you been baffled too?”
Clac clac.
“Good job, friend.”
Clac clac.
“Anyway, tomorrow everything will be fine. Hm.”
Da-al?
“Hmm. Sure it will be fine.”
…da-al… geu… raak……
Cale made an effort not to look at the report that detailed the order of the birth ritual, or rather, the legend of the birth.
“Hey, you just make sure you’re born well. We’ll take care of the rest.”
…da-al… geu… raak……
Eden Miru also avoided looking.
<Birth Concept: The worst birth.>
<It is intended that all who witness it tremble in fear at the imposing, dark, and grandiose scene of the birth.>
<Essential Elements: Cale-nim’s energy, Heavenly Demon’s energy, Choi Han’s energy, the magic circle of three dragons……>
Cale realized that he really didn’t have to overdo it tomorrow.
-Cale, I want to celebrate the birth with all my might!
His dominating aura expressed itself in a grave and solemn voice.
“Hmm.”
Well, we’ll see what happens.
Cale took it indifferently.
After all, it’s just a mission.
* * *
As noon approaches.
The time when, of course, it must dawn in the Land of Fairy Tales.
“…The… the sun has disappeared…!”
The gaze of the one who screamed in fear focused on a single direction.
The White Castle, also known as the Sugar Castle.
The place where Eden Miru will be born.
There, the gazes were concentrated.
Clac.
Cale dropped the egg he was carrying at his side and looked at the screen.
[Hatching Rate: 99.98% (Remaining Time: 0:57)]
[Birth Ritual Progress: 197%]
[Reward Level: Undetermined]
…At a time when there was less than an hour left for the birth ritual.
The progress rose to almost 200%.
Cale seemed to sense the reason.
Cac, cac—
The crows brought the news.
The shaman of the tiger tribe, Gashan, exclaimed:
“The supreme mage of the Eastern Empire has infiltrated the Seventh Evil!”
“It also seems that the group of the Sword Master of the Western Empire has arrived!”
“Members have been detected in three magic towers!”
The human world is also in turmoil.
“Oh, the second boss of the 2nd Evil has arrived!”
“The shadow of the 6th Evil has been found!”
Those of the 8 Evils are also in an uproar.
“All the inhabitants of the Seventh Evil and the boss-level mobs are breaking into the Sugar Castle! With that number, estimated at around 100,000, they will soon surround the castle!”
The vast field that covers the surroundings of the Sugar Castle.
There, the residents of the Seventh Evil gathered, waiting for the birth of the new master of the Seventh Evil.
“It will soon begin, je, je.”
Cale, seeing Clopeh Sekka smile, narrowed his eyes.
Fsss, fsss.
Unexplainably, he gently stroked Eden Miru’s egg.
Clac!
The egg, as if rejecting that touch, shook vigorously.
“Je, je.”
Clopeh Sekka’s laughter silenced the atmosphere.
Soon the boss baby of the Seventh Evil would be born. Although almost a
