CH 13.2

Chapter 13: Lord of Lords (Part 2)

In Parose Village, an extraordinary dragon is walking right next to the "Devil's Den" 

There are so many people around us, wondering why the hell the dragon is here. One of them is Lark, who gave us advice when we first came to this village. He looks at the dragon with a startled expression on his face, but then is deeply relieved to see us on its back.

And in front of me, I see Thanatos trying to hide his upset.

His forehead is covered in sweat as he is trying to start a conversation with the dragon.

"Well, you must be the Lord who lives in the Devil's Den."

“?...I don't know. I never remember being the lord of this Den."

When Thanatos hears the words of the dragon, he nods his head while sweat drips on the ground. He seems to be expressing respect with his whole body.

"Yes, you're absolutely right. But we humans are small beings who have to respect someone to survive. You are the Lord who owns this Den and I will not mistake your voice."

"It's tough being human."

When Thanatos hears those words, he smirks and glares at me and Spica on the back of the dragon.

"Hey! Why are you guys riding on the back of the Lord? It seems that you have used your wiles to ensnare the Lord, but that will not work as long as I, Thanatos, is here! I'm going to peel your skin off just like I did last night!”

“...Well, that's okay. I've got a few questions I'd like to ask you.”

I then lightly tap Spica on the shoulder and jump off the dragon.

“Thanatos, you look like you've been leading a pretty good life. Your hands are soft and you have fat all over you. By the way, I found Human bones at the bottom of the Den. Do you mind explaining?"

"Haha, there are human remains lying around! Those must be the rogue and his family. They are villagers who rebelled against me, the protector of the peace of Parose Village. So, I had them serve as sacrifices to the Lord.

"It’s for the Peace. People spend sleepless nights shivering at the sound of the roar, and eventually, they become frightened of their own shadows at night. The fear breeds doubt, and doubt breeds fear”

"Then why did someone rebel?"

“...I suppose they could not understand this noble purpose of mine. They were ignorant.

"One more question, okay? Thanatos, what did you try to do to Spica when we first came to this village? As I recall, you said you were going to purify her, but what exactly did you mean by that? How can a mere traveler like myself bring chaos to this village? Tell me."

As I say this, I take my gaze off Thanatos and look up at the dragon.

"The big lord you're talking about is here too. Tell me the truth, please.”

"That's-" Shut up, shut up, shut up! You are the devil, after all. You are trying to bring chaos and destroy the peace of this village!”

Thanatos' face turns bright red and he shouts with all his might that he is unwilling. He is sweating and out of breath.

Here's the bad news.

“I can smell it. It smells like a lie, Thanatos! You're lying to me. And I never laid a hand on this village. That's a bit of a roar, but does that make a person divisive?"

"Aaahhhh--aaahhhh! It can't be! I… I… I…”

Thanatos collapses to the ground, staining his gorgeous robe with mud. And there is no one to offer a hand to him.

He falls to the ground helplessly, then looks up and sees me.

"You think you've done a good deed? You must have felt so good all this time, you arrogant bastard!"

"It's not like that. I'm not trying to do anything for this village, I'm just mad at them."

He may have no more words to reply. This time, Thanatos' whole body gave up.