(3 days ago)
While the elite of the kingdom’s army, led by Arvish, were making their way through the dungeon, I was riding a homeless griffon to the Royal Capital. Here’s the plan. Using my division skill, I and my clone were to deal with the hero and his troops on one side and attack the royal capital on the other.
That doesn’t mean I have abandoned the chance for a negotiation though. Just like in the Empire, I’ll try to make the king agree with my terms. Of course, if he still resisted, he would have the same fate as the emperor of the empire. I don’t think that King Logas is that stupid.
“We’re almost at the royal capital huh.”
I sit crossed legged on top of the griffon and stared at the horizon. In the distance, the Royal Capital could already be seen, and the castle where the king resides towered in the center. When we get close enough, I made the griffon land in the meadow. We will have to wait until the night.
The goal is to carry out a night attack and conquer the Royal Capital at once. Of course, that’s not the real purpose. It is to buy time for me to have a discussion with the king.
I took a dead branch out of the bangle and set it on fire. I decided to have an early dinner while watching the sun set.
◇◇◇
I checked my pocket watch.
It’s two o’clock in the morning. In Japan, this time is known as the dead of the night. The meadow is only filled with animal sounds, and there is an unusual silence. The Royal Capital also seemed to be asleep, with only a few lights left.
The time has come. Let’s execute the strategy.
“Come forth, my familiars!”
A dazzling light filled the meadow. One after another, homeless skeletons emerge from the ground. They are commanded by the Nine Legion Commanders. All of them have evolved into golden skeletons and they reflect the moonlight dazzlingly. The summoning lasted about a second. The troops totaled to 300,000. Countless red lights were looking towards the Royal Capital.
“Conquer the Royal Capital.”
“Katakata”
Skeleton 1 clattered his jaw in response. Following the orders of the legion commanders, the horde of skeletons begin to march in unison to the Royal Capital. When they reached the outer wall that surrounded the city, they inserted their fingers into the gaps in the walls and began to climb up. There are no guards on the outer wall, perhaps because of negligence. The skeleton climbed the wall and easily penetrated inside the Royal Capital.
Seeing that, I activated my race. Horns appeared on both sides of my head and wings stick out of my back. I then opened the eye on my forehead and my preparation is done. I’m going to meet the king so I also have to focus on how I look. After all, this negotiation must proceed on the premise that it is in favor of Homeless. If I am seen poorly, I could lose the advantage.
I straddled the griffon and we fly into the night sky. The fact that I did not fly on my own is the style of a champion that I come up with. Isn’t it cool to appear there ridding a griffon? Kukuku.
As I look at the Royal Capital from above, I can hear many screams echoing through the city at the dead of the night. I told them not to attack the citizens unnecessarily so they should only be shocked seeing the skeletons.
Of course, I strictly told them not to touch the duke’s family and the house of the Earth Fang team. The people who jumped out of the building moved to the east gate as if fleeing from the skeletons. When I looked into a certain house, I saw a mother with a child in her arms trembling in a corner of the room.
I’m sorry for this, but I’m in a situation where I can’t back down.
I made the griffon fly again and ask it to send me to the royal castle.
“The king should be here.”
I stepped foot on the cobblestones and looked up at the building where the king lived. I had seen it several times when I came to the Royal Capital, but I never thought that the day would come when I would go inside like this. The gate leading inside was tightly closed, and two gatekeepers were guarding against me as they hold their spears at ready.
“I can hear a commotion in the castle town. Then, you are a demon who is aiming at King Logas, our wise king.”
“I look like a demon huh. Hmmm, that’s not bad either.”
“What are you muttering to yourself? The two of us, the twin gatekeepers, will defeat you!”
The two well-built gatekeepers looked exactly alike. The only difference is that the colors of their armor are blue and red. Their face looked exactly like the Nio statue, and they exuded an air of intimidation that could silence even a crying child. However, when I look at their status, it appeared that they are not a big deal. At best, they can boast being a high human.
““Muooh!””
The two of them fall to the ground with a thud. There is no need to fight them. I used paralyzing eye and incapacitated them both.
“I’ll go on then.”
I pushed the wooden gate and it slowly opened. I instructed the griffon to wait here, and then I stepped inside the castle.
“It’s too quiet… Haven’t they noticed the commotion outside?”
With the sound of my footsteps, I searched for the room where the king is. At this time, he should be sleeping in his bedroom, but I can’t find it. There are too many rooms. I opened each door and checked, but I only saw someone sleeping in a chair, several people wearing black robes laughing while killing birds on a magic square, and even a bed that was shaking. The king is nowhere to be seen.
“As expected, he is in the upper floor. I should narrow down where to look.”
As I moved upstairs, I ran into a knight in the hallway. As soon as he sees my appearance, he draws his sword and slashes at me. With a spinal reflex, I drew my sword and parried his sword.
“I can’t believe that a demon has entered the royal castle. As a knight under His Majesty’s direct command, I will kill you immediately!”
“Hoh-, so you’re a royal knight guard huh. Tell me where the king is then.”
“I won’t tell you that!”
The young knight, who must be in his early twenties, kicks me in the stomach while standing close to me. However, because I possess the Impact Nullification skill, his blow is no use at all.
“Ugee!?”
In return, I gave him a light belly punch. His armor dented in the shape of a fist and the young knight knelt on the floor holding his stomach. When he was incapacitated, I activated my Dictatorship skill and asked him a question.
“Where is the king?”
“Ugh… in-… in the throne room…”
Throne room? I immediately thought of the place where he holds his audience. I don’t know much about castles, but the room he just talked about should be usually large. If so, it is very likely that it is installed on the first or second floor.
“I got to look for a big door then. Thank you for your help.”
“D-Damn it… I’m a knight under His Majesty’s direct command…”
I tapped the knight on the shoulder and moves on. He’s still young. He should use today’s failure as a springboard to live. As I walked down the hallway, I found a majestic door. It was decorated with gold and it depicted elves, dwarves, wingmen, beastmen and dragoneuts kneeling in front of a figure resembling a human sitting on a throne. However, for some reason, human bones are standing near the human. They hold a spear too.
No, wrong. It’s a skeleton. It is a picture of a human subduing a magical beast and forcing the five races to prostate before him.
“What does this mean though? Why a skeleton?”
As if in response to my question, the heavy door opens on its own. At the far end of the room, I saw a man sitting on a throne.
“Welcome, my kingdom’s most wanted criminal.”
The man wearing a crown seemed to be welcoming me with open arms. His body is as fat as a pig, and his sticky gaze makes me feel disgusted. This is King Logas. The pinnacle of humans.
“It looks like you were expecting me to come.”
“Gufufu, I knew when you attacked the royal capital. It would be a disgrace to the royal family if I didn’t welcome the guest.”
“A guest you say?”
“Indeed. I guess you came here because of the bounty. I am a generous person. I’ll at least listen to what you have to say.”
I feel something unfathomable from King Logas. I, who should have an overwhelming advantage, is now under pressure. Sweat dripped from my forehead.
| 【Analysis Result: Sodom Logas: Lord of the Kingdom of Logas. Contrary to his appearance, he possesses high intelligence and physical abilities. He has assassinated his 20 brothers in the past. Rarity: SS, Overall Ability: A】 |
| 【Status】 Name: Sodom Logas Age: 67 years old Race: Primordial Human Occupation: King Magic Attribute: Water Magic: Aqua Arrow, Aqua Cure, Spearrain, Aquarius Recovery Skills: ▹Special: Search ▹Advanced: Appraisal, Clairvoyance, ▹Intermediate: Impact Nullification, Intimidation ▹Beginner: Spear Emperor Technique, Limit Breakthrough, Slash Nullification, Dictatorship Evolution: Conditions are not met. < Evolution Conditions: Spear Divine Technique (Beginner Level), Limit Breakthrough (Special Level), Self-Regeneration (Beginner Level), Awakening (Beginner Level) > |
As far as the status is concerned, I don’t think I am inferior. However, the impact nullification and slash nullification skill seem to be a threat. When it comes to the race, it’s impossible to even tell what characteristics he possessed.
“Are you looking at my status? How is it? Great, right?”
“Why is it that your ability is so high? Isn’t it normal for a king to be inferior to his royal knight guard?”
“That’s a stupid question. It’s because I’m the king. Knights are just decorations after all. A true ruler must also be at the top of his or her own power. Well, I don’t hate strong pawns.”
King Logas takes a sip from the glass he holds in his right hand. There was sparkling water in it.
“I see, it’s the saint water huh. I’ve heard that all the water sources are monopolized by the royal family.”
“Wouldn’t it be foolish to share the mysterious water with the commoners? I think you can understand my feelings.”
It’s a painful word to hear. Indeed, I too, want to keep that water a secret. This is because it is my biggest advantage. It was all thanks to saint water that I was able to build the foundation of my life. I am discomfited, but I partially agree with the king’s words.
“There’s nothing to worry about. The kings of the six kingdoms all have a monopoly on the Saint Water in their territory. It’s not that you’re special.”
It makes sense. The imperial royal family also had an unnaturally high status. Considering that the conditions were the same as mine, the difficulty can be explained.
“Now that we know the secret of our strength, let’s get down to business. I would like that you remove the bounty on our heads.”
“Fine, but there are conditions in return.”
“Mmm, tell me.”
“Homeless can only be under my direct control. And of course, that’s not all. You will receive the title of Hero and marry my daughter.”
No matter how I look at it, it’s insane. He branded me as a criminal and now he says that he will give me the title of hero. It’s like he just returned the palm of his hand. Moreover, I was stunned and speechless about marrying a princess.
“At first, I was annoyed with you guys. But I changed my mind after seeing tonight’s amazing military strength. To take down my capital city in one night, you are worthy of becoming my pawn. Gufufu, I’ll praise you for that. You have shown me your worth.”
“Do you not really care even if your city is conquered?”
“Your abilities are excellent, but in my mind, you’re nothing but a servant. No matter how much the parasites living under my feet disappear, I won’t have any feelings for them. I’m the king and the Kingdom of Logas itself.”
Did he just call his people, parasites? In this case, the empire’s emperor was better. Emperor Dragnil was obsessed with hegemony, but he still saw his people as people. It makes me sick to think that I spilled so much blood to protect this man.
The king continues to speak,
“I’m going to appoint you as the overall commander of the invasion operation. You shall lead those skeletons and restore back our former glory.”
“Invasion? To the five kingdoms?”
“That’s right. Five thousand years ago, we humans, were defeated by them. Until then, we were a superpower that ruled the continent. Why should we, their descendants, be content with such a small kingdom? Isn’t that unreasonable? That is why we have to get it back. I should sit in the original throne.”
“I refuse. I don’t have the intention of accepting such ridiculous proposal.”
“Then, are you’re saying it’s okay with you that you remain to knows as a criminal? Don’t you want to become a hero?”
“I’m not interested. I’ve decided to get rid of you.”
I smoothly draw my sword. It’s ironic that I will be the one to kill the king of the kingdom I protected. But now that I’ve heard those words, I can’t leave him alone. He wants to raise another war for his own self-interest.
“Negotiations have broken down. I’ve given you a chance and you rejected it. For a beast that does not understand my merciful heart, I’ll grant you a death you well-deserved.”
King Logas commanded, “Kill him!”
Then, from behind the throne, two skeletons with metallic bodies suddenly appeared. Unlike the silver skeleton, the surface of its body is a smooth mirror surface made of stainless steel, and both eyes have blue light. The sword held in his right hand reflects a dazzling light, perhaps made of the same material.
“Magical beasts… you subdued them?”
“This is the legacy handed down to our royal family. With their advanced technique skills, their superpower has strengthened, and they subdued these skeletons. They are harder than steel and possesses high offensive skills, it can carry out any command. It’s a lost art now though.”
“I see. That’s why you set your eyes on Professor Jill. That is also why the dungeon of the dead is full of skeletons.”
“If you know about the dungeon of the dead, then your army must have been taken from there. That mass grave was an important military force that the royal family was preparing to once again pacify the world. I was planning to have Professor Jill create an army of hundreds of thousands of immortals. I didn’t expect you to get ahead of me.”
Did the humans’ created superpowers because they wanted to lead an army of immortals?
I finally got it right. Even if I don’t intend to do it, I can say that I was imitating the ways of humans in the past. But even knowing that, I won’t let go of the skeleton army. I am me. Like I care!
““Katakata!””
The two skeletons slashed at me.
This is translated by Yume Neiji. Kindly read at yumeineijiworks.wordpress.com.
Previous ⚜ Table of Contents ⚜ Next
Yume Neiji's Works 