Chapter 5

Chapter 5

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[Translator Kie]

[Proofreader Demon God]

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Im sorry for coming so suddenly. Its always a favor.

No need to apologize. Helping each other among neighbors is only natural. I had nothing to do anyway.

Snip, a sound echoed as a few strands of Renees silver hair fell to the ground.

Elizabeth Batory, the boss of Cheite Castle, one of the The Seven Great Evil Dungeons, chuckled. Each time her beauty scissors moved swiftly, Renees body trembled slightly. Whether it was because the length of the falling hair was longer than she thought or not, Renees gaze kept turning toward the ground. Ignoring Renees uneasy behavior, Batory hummed a tune happily.

As expected, anything looks beautiful if the foundation is pretty. When I went inside the dungeon last time, it was quite humid, but living in a place like that, having such smooth skin is cheating, really. I envy the Humunculus in times like this. Not aging at all.

Even if you say that, Miss Batory, you look much younger than Renee. Your skin is much fairer too.

Dont flatter me. How much blood do you think I use in a day?

At Batorys lament, Renee smiled awkwardly. She didnt express her thanks, but Renees blushing face was conveying gratitude. Batory, with a satisfied expression, looked at Renees reflection in the mirror.

In the mirror, instead of a Blood-stained Homunculus, there was an Ordinary, shy girl.

By the way, Renee. Who are you dressing up for? Are you trying to impress someone? Confessing your feelings, perhaps?

Confession Yes, Im going to confess. Yes, Ill confess.

Huh? Is it real? I thought it was a joke. Then whos the other person? Dont tell me, a human?

No, its Mr. Devourer.

Youre making an incredible joke so casually.

Its not a joke. Im going to confess to Mr. Devourer this time.

Perplexed, Batory waved her hand, and the ghost in the form of a maid, which had brought the full-length mirror, nodded and hid its appearance. After confirming that there was no one around, Batory whispered to Renee.

Is it serious? Are you really confessing to Devourer? Whats good about him? Isnt he a bastard whose strengths are hard to even point out?

He has lots of strengths. Hes reliable.

Reliable Yeah, he must be the most reliable in the world. I guess hed protect you even if a great flood happened. But hes so lazy that it emphasizes his reliability. On top of that, hes unnecessarily big, so his laziness stands out more.

Yes, hes lazy. Hes big. He eats sloppily, sleeps as he pleases every day, snores when he sleeps. Hes even developed a belly recently.

If youre going to confess, youre saying quite harsh things. Smirking at Batory, Renee also laughed.

Maintaining her smile, Batory looked at Renees reflection in the mirror again.

In the mirror was a girl in love. Nothing less, nothing more.

Two days had passed since they entered such a dungeon.

And whats this? How can you say they were annihilated? All this time, have we, experts who regarded fools as nothing more than blockheads, been sitting here and discussing with these idiots who couldnt even handle that? Its the end, the end of an era.

In frustration, Phaemore wiped his forehead. After scanning the surroundings with an irritated gaze, his eyes met with the young man who had been stuttering through the questions. Clearing his throat, Phaemore politely asked,

Is there any more information? Yes, what about the Hishutslt familys sacred sword?

It seems that the 14th masterpiece, Tanabella, is considered irretrievable. Since communication magic was severed from the heart of the Primordial Core, we can only assume its somewhere within the Primordial Core.

Sigh.

Even Tanabella This is truly the worst. Phaemore muttered, running his tongue briefly over his lips.

Vern was dead. Vern, the warrior known as the strongest in the empire.

This defeat was on a different level from the defeat of an ordinary expedition team.

In dungeon conquests, the name Vern Hishutslt meant victory. He had single-handedly conquered the two demon castles that various expedition teams had failed to conquer, the boiling Aggrumund, the witch of the Undermountains snowy plains, and even the dragon of Tamriel, known as the Forbidden Land.

All of it was built by Vern. He was a man known as the Undying Warrior. Even if he suffered wounds so severe that he couldnt lift a sword again, he would miraculously recover. More than anything, his skills, character, virtue, and humilityhe possessed everything and had been awarded the highest decoration, the title of hero, by the Emperor himself.

Yes, Vern was a hero. The spiritual leader of the imperial citizens.

And that hero was dead.

How did things get so tangled up?

Phaemores forehead showed a burst of veins. The symbol had crumbled. Vern, who was called the hope of the empire, the symbol, had disappeared, and with that, the hope of the imperial citizens vanished as well. At least, thats how it would be perceived by the imperial citizens.

Moreover, this was not a situation that only affected the imperial citizens. Since the title of hero was directly bestowed by the Emperor, the nobility considered the hero as their possession. The hero existed for the imperial citizens, and since the imperial citizens owner was the Emperor, by the logic of being the Emperors possession, the hero belonged to the Emperor as well.

When Vern declared that he would conquer the Primordial Core, who here tried to stop him? Wasnt almost everyone around here waving their swords in celebration? Didnt they shout for joy, thinking that losing was unimaginable and looking forward to the money and glory that would return several times over later?

Yes, we threw the hero worshipped by the nobility into death. Even if thats not the case, if the Emperor thinks so, thats what it is.

And that alone was not enough. The entire imperial leadership, including the Emperor, was closely watching one of the 36 masterpieces, Tanavella, being lost.

Can the one who committed this crime bear the weight of it on their own?

When the stress had completely filled his head, Phaemore woke up again to the loud voices coming from all directions. It seemed that the chaos had subsided to some extent, and the investors and nobles who had been causing a ruckus were engaged in fervent discussions.

It was a discussion about whether they should continue to conquer the Primordial Core.

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[Translator Kie]

[Proofreader Demon God]

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