abcnovels
Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Chapter 32 – Epilogue
The turmoil that unfolded in the empire spread uncontrollably fast.
The aftermath was particularly devastating in Riaze, surrounded by layers of fortifications and boasting itself as the empire’s pinnacle. This was the very heart of the city, where the incident involving the Emperor’s palace and one of its protective walls occurred.
The sudden appearance of the ‘Black Calamity’ without any warning claimed numerous lives in an instant. The once proud and joyous district of pleasure, Capital Raize, was reduced to unrecognizable ruins, and the disaster left thousands of imperial citizens in shock – among them, even the Third Princess.
The arrival of the ‘Black Calamity,’ known as Devourer, led to the near-annihilation of the elite Imperial punitive force, the Languere Blue Crane Raid Force.
The death of Vern, the consecutive tragedies involving Historia, and the overall impact were staggering.
Though the Imperial Palace itself was not attacked, the mere fact of the event was enough for people to recognize the vulnerability. It wasn’t that the palace wasn’t attacked but rather a conscious choice not to attack.
While the empire still had many powerful figures to maintain its strength, it was merely a facade in the face of this calamity. A facade of strength. This notion was enough to instill anxiety among the citizens who once believed in the empire as the blessed land that promised eternal peace.
The initial response came from the Imperial government. The suggestion that the calamity might be the work of Devourer was incessantly debated at the highest levels. The evidence included dramatic accounts from those who miraculously survived the encounter with the darkness and a synthesis of Devourer’s description from myths, leading to uncanny similarities.
It was despairing. The next ones to react were the common people. Eventually, under the Emperor’s decree, the official stance announced by the government was as follows:
“The presence of the calamity in Riaze was not Devourer.”
Whether it was truly Devourer or not was uncertain. However, the majority of the citizens did not believe those words. Instead, rumors spread even faster, fueling dissent.
Despite considerable trust in the Imperial family among the people, the thin-skinned citizens paid more attention to rumors. The emergence of the ‘Black Calamity’ was so mythic that it only heightened the credibility of the myths. The rumor that ‘the identity of the Black Calamity is Devourer’ spread rapidly within the empire, giving rise to new religious sects predicting the empire’s downfall and groups venerating Devourer as an absolute being.
Even amid oppression, signs of the end of the century stubbornly emerged. Everything seemed to be heading towards disaster. As the Imperial oppression intensified, baseless rumors spread uncontrollably.
The phenomenon was akin to an epidemic, a mental illness that debilitated everyone’s mental state.
Everything shook. In less than an hour, the nightmare that swept the empire rendered it ‘unstable.’ Essential goods for survival began to skyrocket in price. The land values around Capital Raize plummeted one after another. Noble factions emerged, debating the identity of the calamity. Parts of Hastin and the forests of Graphenia were declared off-limits.
Traders passing through those routes were hindered, causing abrupt price changes for certain goods. The scarcity of potions and medicinal supplies led to the death of hundreds within a few days.
Citizen dissatisfaction grew, and countless rumors circulated in the city. What started as rumors in Riaze, within a week, spread throughout the entire nation through the mouths of many mages and merchants.
The rumors even included malicious gossip like ‘monsters appeared due to the aristocracy’s mistake.’ This mix of rumors, combined with the already mythical nature of the ‘Black Calamity,’ brought about a phenomenon that undermined the authority of the aristocracy.
The nobles were unable to live without the respect of the commoners, and a purge of the origin of these rumors began. Innocent people perished.
In due course, a special unit was formed to unveil the truth behind the incidents. Based on the testimonies of witnesses who had seen Devourer at the auction house, the secret investigation team considered the possibility that the appearance of the Black Calamity and Brachycephalic Tooth might be linked.
The trail led them to Hastin. However, Hastin had become a chaotic scene much like Riaze.
Assuming that the key to the incident lay with the tower ‘Wing,’ the investigation was halted. The tower was demolished, leaving only its foundation. Devourer must have come and gone. The symptoms similar to those in Riaze among the residents of Hastin confirmed the suspicion.
The Black Calamity that had been in Riaze had moved on to Hastin – it was natural to think of the ancient core near Hastin, and the hypothesis that ‘Devourer is the Black Calamity’ gained strength. With no further leads and all related witnesses either dead or missing, the investigation came to a close. Even the Lord of Hastin, left a suicide note before hanging himself in his room. The members of the investigation team grimaced after reading its contents.
The ancient monster raged. Humans could only await the judgment of death. Not only the empire but the entire end of humanity had arrived.
Under the colossal entity known as the empire, numerous suppressed elements began to stir.
* * *
A cold droplet of water fell from the ceiling with a soft, distinct sound, landing on Melje’s forehead.
She opened her eyes as if waking from a deep sleep. The cool air tickled her nostrils.
Even though she had fully opened her eyes, the ceiling remained slightly dim. Where was she? What had happened?
With various thoughts swirling in her mind, Melje touched the ground with both hands, slowly raising her upper body. From the side, a faint rustling sound of scratching ears could be heard. She turned her head towards the source of the noise.
Sitting down, a skeletal figure with a knife came into view.
A skeleton.
“Ah…”
Only then did Melje’s mind, still groggy from just waking up, become clear. Memories of the last moment before she blacked out started to resurface. Yes, that’s right. If that’s the case, the current situation makes some sense.
“Ah, you’re awake.”
Just as Melje heard Patrick’s voice at the right moment, she looked at him with a clear but somewhat amazed expression. Patrick, in turn, seemed subtly uncomfortable and turned his head away, while Melje, looking at him as if fascinated, slowly lowered her lips.
“You…?”
“Yes?”
“You… are death. Are you a reaper? Is this hell?”
Melje asked. From her perspective, the stale air, the dark space, and the skeleton all made sense. Why a reaper was carrying a sword instead of a scythe was a mystery, though.
“Yes?”
“The gatekeeper of the afterlife is a skeleton, I read it in a book, and it turned out to be true. How did the author of that book, who hasn’t died, know that reapers are skeletons? Amazing. So, Reaper, I am Melje De Lymph Agrea, the 17th descendant of Asmodeus. I have no regrets in death.”
“No, it seems like you’re having a serious misunderstanding…”
“What will happen to me in the future? Heaven? Hell? Where am I going? Humans who believe in gods have always talked about a place called Purgatory. Does Purgatory really exist? Before that, do places like Heaven and Hell exist? Truly intriguing. If they do exist, I’m in trouble going to Heaven. I’m a demon lord, after all. Yes, Hell suits a demon lord. Now, take me away.”
“Are you sure you haven’t mistaken something…?”
“What about the boss? Is there a boss among the reapers?”
“Um, miss, this isn’t the afterlife.”
“…Huh? Then, where am I?”
“You might want to listen carefully since I won’t say it twice.”
A loud voice, as if hitting her eardrums, reached Melje’s ears.
“Here is Primordial Core.”
A moment of silence followed before the response came.
“Huh?”
The surprised voice was succeeded by another silence. It seemed like there was more to say, as Patrick, tapping his ribs with his fist, expressed his frustration. Soon, Melje’s face turned pale.
“So, you’re not the reaper but… Patrick?”
“You’re smart.”
* * *
Melje still seemed to have trouble grasping the situation, and Patrick, holding the edges of her doll-like clothes and dragging her along, headed towards Devourer’s room. ? By the way, Patrick felt embarrassed about Melje’s quite tattered clothes. However, the material seemed to be of good quality as it didn’t tear even when pulled.
“Get up.”
Patrick said after kicking the boss, who had been sleeping for hours, with all his strength, and he threw Melje in front of him. The gazes of Melje, who couldn’t bring herself to speak in front of Devourer, and Devourer, half-closed eyes in a half-asleep state, crossed.
? Both were stiff.
At a glance, it seemed so, but they were just not saying anything. Both were actively moving. Melje’s eyes moved busily, and Devourer’s brain worked rapidly. Soon, Melje’s eyes sparkled with amazement, and Devourer’s mind went completely black.
“D-D-D-Devourer!”
“Who is it again?”
“Devourer, the ruler of Primordial Core, the guardian of the ancient ones captured by fear, the pinnacle of everything, the ancient monster… Devourer!”
“That again…”
At the excessive epithets, a mocking sound from Patrick was heard.
Ah, where should I start explaining?
It’s awkward. Devourer, who mumbled like that, covered his face with his front paw. He didn’t intentionally hide anything… well, the news is quite surprising.
Patrick, with a clenched fist, was also watching from the side. He seemed to plan on hearing the whole story of the incident he missed last time. The movement of Patrick, who swung his sword as if ready to cut it off if an unsatisfactory explanation was given, was very annoying. ‘I shouldn’t have given him that sword for no reason,’ thought Devourer, but it was already spilled milk and past.
“Devourer, I, if I may introduce myself… No, I’m sorry! A mistake in addressing you in front of the great Devourer! Well, let me introduce myself first…”
“Uh, I know it.”
“Huh, how? How did Devourer remember my name? Did Sir Devde tell you? Sir Devde must have told you! Sir Devde, even among the demons belonging to the Primordial core, is clearly different! Ah, more importantly, Devde, where is Sir Devde?”
“It’s me.”
“Ah, yes, right! Devourer, what did you just say…?”
“I am Devde.”
“Huh?”
“I’m Devde, and Devourer is me. You’ve been with Devde, who’s been Devourer all along.”
“Ah-ha!”
What’s ‘Ah-ha’?
A delayed reaction. Melje replied with a voice that seemed to understand. However, her expression contradicted her voice, indicating not understanding but a refusal to understand.
“Devourer, your witty jokes have been understood by humble me now.”
She spoke with a tongue-twisted voice, and Patrick’s derisive laughter was heard from the side.
Ah, so where should I start explaining?
“You don’t have to understand everything.”
“It’s not a big deal.”
“Not a big deal… it is.”
Not a big deal. It was all just a reinterpretation from start to finish. Praising Devourer in front of Devourer, trying to outdo Devourer, well, that’s it.
Melje, who couldn’t accept reality, collapsed.
“Is she dead…?”
After going through all the trouble to keep her alive?
“She’s not dead… Seems like she fainted from the shock. Is it really useful to keep someone so weak as the Demon King, Boss?”
“Now I’m not sure either.”
“Let’s talk about bringing her into the dungeon as a member in a more genuine situation. By the way, Boss, there was something that Melje, the Demon Queen, mentioned just now.”
“Yeah?”
“The part about being a bit late because you were passing judgment on humans in Raize.”
“Oh.”
“Follow me.”
“Yes.”
It took more than six hours of turmoil to be forgiven.
* * *
The process was somewhat drastic, but in the end, even Renee came back, and peace was restored.
“Where did you get that from?”
“I had it hidden. After all, it’s my favorite. Boss, would you like a drink?”
“…You drink it.”
A hole-ridden ceiling at the top of the central hub. Patrick, raising his glass, enjoyed the moonlight flowing through it as an accompaniment. Although a skeleton with no digestive organs, he had a strange gas that mimicked the taste to some extent. Patrick, driven by the zeal to learn polymorph to at least feel the taste, had tried his best. However, due to the magical limitations of the skeleton, learning polymorph properly failed. Still, he managed to achieve some success in replicating the sensation of taste, even though he didn’t fully reproduce the role of the tongue and digestive organs, and some weird gas was emitted from his mouth.
In Devourer’s eyes, it didn’t seem like he could feel the taste with such a thing.
‘Sucks that I can’t get drunk.’
Looking at Patrick with a wry smile, Devourer thought for a short moment.
—Dropping alcohol on the floor, would he get drunk?
Without saying that thought out loud, Devourer looked up at the moonlight again. He didn’t find it beautiful or anything, just thinking, ‘When did that hole appear again?’. Oh well, it must be busy. There must be more than a couple of things to repair.
“Boss, what are you going to do now? After causing a ruckus in Raize, are you going to destroy the Empire?”
“Huh? Why would I?”
“…Yes.”
The sound of dripping water echoed in the silent central hub.
“Do you honestly not regret it, Boss?”
He looked serious. It was also a talk that needed to be addressed since Devourer, in his current situation where he pulled out his eyes and gave it, thought it was necessary to go over it.
“Whether it’s about eyes or not, well, I’ve never done it, but maybe it will regenerate. It feels like my eyes are itching. Is it because of my mood? Anyway, even if it doesn’t work, I can live with three eyes.”
“Really… Honestly, Boss, you didn’t have to go this far. Even if it was a mutual mistake, there was nothing good about what Renee did.”
“Everyone has their own thoughts.”
“Things have escalated so much. Renee didn’t do anything right, so there’s no denying that it got bigger because of her excessive thoughts and actions. In my eyes, it just looks like Boss accepted Renee’s act.”
“You, you don’t even have eyes….”
“Really… Take this seriously!”
“I don’t know.”
Saying that Devourer lay down on his back. Patrick also said nothing and picked up his glass again.
Back to everyday life.
That’s enough.
* * *
Adults have always said not to enter the Grephenia forest. They claimed that the dense Grephenia forest is inhabited by terrifying monsters cursed by the forest.
But I know it’s all a lie. According to Darian, a long-time friend and a gate guard in Hastin, there are no scary monsters in the Grephenia forest. He said people just avoid going in because they’re afraid of Primordial Core, and there has never been an incident of monsters attacking from the Grephenia forest.
So, occasionally, Olene would venture into the Grephenia forest on dark nights. Secretly, with a softly glowing lantern in hand, she would find abundant fruits and numerous mushrooms in the forest. The untouched gifts of nature had enough value to allow the girl to roam the darkened forest alone.
The giant mushrooms reaching up to Olene’s waist in secluded areas sold for quite a high price. Occasionally, rare herbs, more expensive than the money exchanged in the hands of dirty streetwalkers, were sold.
Finding such herbs in the dark forest was not easy, but even if she found just one every three days, she could buy trendy dresses and still have money left over.
Why does no one approach such a treasure trove? People are just cowards.
?Today, should I go a little deeper?
With that thought in mind, Olene headed deeper into the forest than usual. The overgrown grasses up to her knees were intimidating, but she kept walking. Although there seemed to be a path, it appeared abandoned as if human presence had been severed long ago. As she ventured deeper into the forest, unfamiliar plants started appearing one by one. Somehow, if she went a little further, it felt like there would be truly extraordinary things.
The little girl moved forward without fear. She walked and walked. How long had she been walking? Just when she began to feel a bit uncomfortable, thinking it was time to turn back, she heard strange sounds from somewhere.
The frightened girl froze in every movement. Only then did she listen closely to the rising sense of terror. There was a sound like an animal’s howl. It was unusually irregular.
Heuk. Heuk.
To her ears, it sounded like a human’s labored breathing.
Sounds rustled in the grass.
“Who… is there?”
Shaking off fear, she asked in a small voice. Instead of an answer, she heard even more labored breathing. No matter how it sounded, it was human breathing. But why would there be a human in this forest?
After a few minutes of silence, fear turned into curiosity. If it were a beast or a monster, it would have attacked Olene already. Slowly, she walked towards the origin of the sound.
As she got closer, the sound became faster—no, it decreased. Almost like a flickering flame dying out.
Deep in the Grephenia forest, there was a dying boy.
“…!”
Momentarily shocked, Olene couldn’t say anything. Seeing the boy lying on the ground covered in blood, she instantly thought he was dead.
However, the laborious breathing heaved out clearly indicated he was alive. The boy’s arm trembled weakly. Holding out her lantern emitting a faint light, Olene checked and found his whole body was in a state of mutilation.
Between the belly button and the upper body, there was a tear, and things inside were spilling out. Tears welled up. She wanted to vomit. Suppressing her instinct to reject the gruesome scene before her, the girl made a quick decision.
She must save him. Even though he seems already dead? Still, she must save him. She must try, and do her best in any way she can.
“Just wait a little, a little longer! I have herbs!”
It’s not like wounds could be healed with herbs, but in her confused state, this was the best choice the girl could make. She pulled out herbs she crammed into her pocket. She hadn’t learned herbology, but she knew one of the herbs she collected had anesthetic and healing effects. With trembling hands, she scattered several herbs on the ground. It was hard to see in the dark night. After placing the lantern on the ground, she rummaged through the floor.
Unbeknownst to her, the boy on the verge of death suddenly drew a knife from his bosom.
Thunk.
Chkaduk.
[End of Volume 1]
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