Chapter 140 – Arcana (2)

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Translated by Heavenly Cat

Read it only at Novelbyu.com & Utoon.net

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Time was urgent, but still, preparations were completed thoroughly.

Even to avoid dying a meaningless death in the Arcana continent while crushed by pride. One of them was coordinating with the dwarves.

-“I have understood your grand intention.”

The one to adjust the timing was expectedly the shameless…….

No, the reliable Hiel.

Because taking after someone, her handling of work is certain.

There was no deviation from the procedure.

Anyway, I hadn’t even thought of such a message till here.

[You have entered the Arcana continent, which is heading towards destruction.]

Below the entry notification.

The messages that floated up in succession.

[Conditions have been met.]

[Rewards will be distributed.]

Firstly, I could tell just by looking at the first two lines.

……It’s a quest-related message.

Including the Class Quest.

There were several quests currently in progress, but only one quest came to mind that would distribute a reward.

[Demon King, Flauros vs Dwarves].

It was definitely that war quest where I accumulated a million merit points.

How is it, my answer is right, right?

[The ‘Oath’ with the corresponding faction is valid.]

[Relationship level with the corresponding faction is already at maximum.]

[Influence within the corresponding faction is already at maximum.]

Indeed, it is the correct answer.

I examined the messages with no time to be triumphant.

The corresponding faction is naturally the dwarves.

The oath must be the oath between Akshan and the dwarves.

These were messages I had guessed up to here.

So what kind of reward are they giving instead of that.

I had been secretly anticipating it.

However.

[You have acquired command over the Flying Machinery Castle, Iron Castle.]

……This was a reward that surpassed my bloated expectations.

I was someone who had acquired command a few times.

So I had no choice but to make a fuss.

‘I, can command the dwarves’ decisive battle weapon?’

I, Lee Ho-yeol, also have a conscience.

No matter how much I am the Last Demon Hunter.

I am not brazen-faced enough to milk Akshan’s oath that I didn’t even know.

At best, about one dwarven-made weapon or armor.

That was the reward I expected.

If you hand me a reward like this, my conscience wavers……!

Who were the dwarves.

Those who possessed technological prowess on par with the Mage Tower, although their direction was different. The collective body of that technological prowess, ‘Iron Castle’. It means a flying ship will become my backing.

‘Really, bring it all on.’

Be it demons or monsters.

Leaving aside whether [Natural Enemy Relationship] activates or not.

If it’s not severe weather, wouldn’t there be nothing that could stop the Iron Castle? Why, even right now, it was a match for a hundred and more.

From the ground to the sky. Because it was the Iron Castle leisurely flying in the Arcana continent filled with demons.

However, I know.

This tiring personality.

This damn incidence of being clean and honest.

‘He wouldn’t utilize it contrary to pride.’

This personality that’s beyond upright and straight-laced.

There’s no way he could use the Iron Castle for matters unrelated to the ‘Oath’.

However, today, precisely this moment is fine.

‘Ultimately, the goal is hunting demons.’

This too was like an extension of the holy war.

“Well then, we have arrived.”

While I was diligently racking my brain.

We finally reached the entrance of the mansion.

As expected, the scale is huge.

To think there’s such a grand mansion in a location not far from the Imperial Capital.

Marcelo, you were a highly well-off young master of a family, weren’t you?

Unlike our Granfel, who doesn’t even have a rat’s tail.

“The garden management is thorough.”

“Haha. It is an honor that you recognize our hard work. For the Simuard family. I, Seo, along with the servants, are doing our utmost best.”

I, Lee Ho-yeol.

Enduring Granfel’s pride, I did major cleaning every day.

Around the time I worried if I might get housewife’s eczema.

There is one thing I realized.

‘Doing household chores properly is no ordinary task.’

Even organizing an office in a studio apartment was that bothersome.

The toil of the servants managing such a mansion.

I couldn’t just brush past it again.

“I have acknowledged your pride.”

“My, you give us too much praise.”

Did my words put him in a good mood.

Seo’s gaze headed towards the lakeside.

“The scenery of Nania Lake is also as beautiful as the garden. If you do not mind, guest, I shall guide you to a guest room with a good view of the lake’s scenery.”

A beautiful scenery of a lake.

So you mean that lake, where the demon’s blinking pupil in the sky reflects? Had I known nothing, I would have flinched. Wondering if he was seeing the same thing as me.

‘Status abnormality, hallucination.’

But I know the reason for it.

I also know that the culprit is a demon.

I mean I know it is not Seo’s fault.

“I see.”

What popped out of my mouth was a moderate answer.

Simultaneously.

Seo placed his hand on the mansion’s door.

“Then I welcome your visit to the Simuard family.”

Creaaaak!

As the door opened, demonic energy was felt.

Even if one wasn’t a Demon Hunter, they would have no choice but to pause, wouldn’t they?

First of all, the interior of the mansion is excessively dark.

It’s difficult to find a single light.

To the point where it would pose a strain on activities.

“You have worked hard. Miss Emma.”

“Ah, Chief Butler. The person beside you is……?”

“It is a guest. Please prepare an additional seat for the meal.”

However, Seo and the rest of the servants didn’t seem to realize.

As expected, if it’s a status abnormality, it wouldn’t be a strange matter.

The belly of a demon.

Coming in directly and confirming the scenery makes me slightly worried.

‘At least a High Demon.’

It was a guy who completely swallowed a whole magic family.

Considering that Velliere, not to mention Marcelo, was also in a state of status abnormality……. What do you mean High, wouldn’t it be Demon King level? If it really wasn’t for the [The Last Adventurer] effect, I did something I wouldn’t have even dared to.

However, even if I realized it.

There was no change in my confident attitude.

I opened my mouth calmly.

“I am grateful for the hospitality.”

“Not at all. Since it will soon be time for the Head of the Family to come down…….”

Seo gestured as if guiding me.

“If you are alright with it, would you like to take a seat first?”

Following his recommendation.

I took a seat at the dining table.

The tableware being placed neatly.

The servants moving without breaking etiquette even in the darkness. It’s somewhat awkward to say this when I’ve walked into a demon’s jaws on my own two feet but…….

Why is this.

I am deeply satisfied at this moment.

No, beyond satisfied, the degree is that my heart is comfortable.

『Born as the successor of a great family, he tasted the end of abundance…….』

Right, it must be because of that damn setting!

Thanks to that, a medieval-style mansion that should naturally feel unfamiliar to a modern person.

I’m feeling that it’s comfortable like my own bedroom.

Even when putting down the tableware, there’s no way they make a clattering sound.

Seeing my muzzle, which can’t just move past a single small fault, staying still……. It must mean there truly isn’t a single flaw among the servants of the Simuard family.

Of course.

[Skill, ‘Natural Enemy Relationship’ activates.]

That side is an exception.

A presence felt from the upper floor.

Swallowed the Simuard family.

The culprit of the curse of numbered days.

A demon was approaching.

It’s voice could be heard.

“Did you introduce the mansion to the guest, Seo?”

“I shall guide him regarding the details after the meal is over.”

“Yes. Do as you find comfortable.”

It knew of my existence.

Well, Seo coming out to greet me means it noticed my approach from the start.

But it probably couldn’t even imagine that I’m a Demon Hunter.

Until I activate the [Exorcism Ritual], that is.

Soon, a shadow drew closer to the dining table.

Countess Simuard.

The demon greeted me.

“My, introductions were delayed. I am Yulla Simuard. I have unintentionally been taking on the role of the Simuard family head. By the way……. You are wearing unfamiliar clothing?”

If you say unfamiliar clothing.

You’re talking about the suit that is inseparable from me.

Yes, an attire that receives weird stares even in reality.

There’s no point in even mentioning the Arcana continent.

However, I did not reply.

The reason?

It’s simple.

I do not have unnecessary conversations with prey.

“……?”

Silence

Did the servants also notice the sudden quietness.

The hand filling the glass paused for a moment.

However, Noblesse Oblige.

Because I had to be grateful for the hard work of the servants again.

“Thank you.”

I greeted them, putting the silence to shame.

“……A, ah, not at all.”

Thanking oneself while not answering the Countess’s question.

The servant seemed startled, but once my mouth opened, there was no way it would stay still.

Swoosh

I lifted the glass and swirled it in the air.

Swish swish.

Wine emitting a profound reddish light.

Even though I’ve only drank wine a few times in my entire life.

I chattered shamelessly.

“A heavy fragrance with no stickiness.”

I don’t know what makes it different from the smell of grape juice.

“An aging period that is neither insufficient nor excessive.”

Naturally, I don’t know what vintage this wine is either.

“An exceptionally suitable wine for a banquet.”

……Sommelier or what.

I’m the one who spat the words out, but I can’t help but doubt it. Because I was someone who attached all kinds of flowery words even while drinking merely a green tea teabag completely worth a few hundred won.

I continued speaking as I set down the glass.

“I can tell it will be excellent without having to drink it.”

“……Th, thank you.”

Not only the servant, but this time even Chief Butler Seo looked flustered.

Because I chattered away continuously while ignoring the actually important words.

Towards me, Yulla Simuard once again.

No, a demon’s question flew in.

“……You are quite knowledgeable about wine. Are you perhaps coming from the South?”

However, I don’t reply this time either.

Didn’t I say it?

Noblesse Oblige.

I am merely observing ‘procedure’ for the sake of the servants serving Marcelo’s Simuard family. So I’m saying you, an inferior kin, shouldn’t cross the line.

The chilly silence flowing anew

Only after food came out in front of me did I open my mouth.

“A cooking method befitting excellent raw ingredients.”

Anyway, even if I don’t drink alcohol, there’s a need to eat the meal.

‘You know, even a ghost that died eating has a good complexion…….’

Wait no, even if I say the same thing, let’s refine it.

Before and after intense activities.

Because protein intake is naturally a necessity, not a choice.

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The Simuard family.

Godmother, Yulla Simuard.

Since when she self-proclaimed to be the mother of the Simuard family.

There is no one who knows exactly.

Even the members of the family themselves.

However, there was also no one who doubted Yulla.

A status abnormality engraved as it came down the generations of the Simuard family.

Because ‘Demon’s Curse’ was such a thing.

Beyond the window, Yulla looked at the night sky reflected in the lake.

“What an enchanting scenery.”

To think the scenery seen only in the Demon Realm would unfold in the Arcana continent too.

Indeed, rotating in a trivial human’s body for decades was worthwhile.

“Leisurely like now in the future as well.”

Yulla had no thought of stepping up rashly.

Because she had no thought of being stuck in hell like those dull Demon Kings or pitiful Great Evils such as Greed. Because unlike those foolish ones, she knew the method to cultivate strength without stepping up herself.

“Your time is not far off either, Marcelo.”

Humans are foolish.

Even those called mages, the somewhat clever ones among humans, are no exception.

To trade lifespan to blossom talent.

“They aren’t even gods. Could such a thing be possible?”

It was a trick.

It was thanks to the status abnormality that made them believe the deal was truth and genuinely had an effect. To bargain one’s lifespan for petty confidence. Yulla leaked a smile.

“Weak humans. Well, thanks to that I grew like this.”

Yulla knew.

That quality is as important as the quantity of sacrifices.

In that sense, the bloodline of the Simuard family was the highest grade sacrifice.

And among those sacrifices, Marcelo Simuard, that guy, was an enchantingly good prey.

‘If I reap his lifespan, I will……!’

Finally.

She would grasp a power that could overturn the ranks of Demon Kings.

She could also quit the act of wearing a human’s skin.

Compared to the years passed, only a time close to an instant remained.

“Luckily enough, an amusement rolls in.”

The reason she greeted a guest while acting as the head of the family?

As she said, it was simple amusement.

Because watching humans paralyzed in fear was always an enjoyable matter.

So she worked her trivial subordinates.

To greet the guest.

And that was now.

‘……What is he?’

Yulla was engulfed in a sense of incongruity.

The silver-haired man’s reaction was exceptionally heterogeneous.

Normally, if it were an ordinary human before she revealed herself.

Already in fear, or if not that.

He should have shown at least some signs of agitation.

A mansion buried in darkness. The subordinates unable to feel incongruity in such a mansion. Being overwhelmed by the atmosphere coming from that is the suitable reaction for a human.

But to behave so naturally in this kind of mansion?

‘An unfamiliar attire.’

Yulla racked her brain.

Currently, the Arcana continent was in a distorted state due to the tectonic shift of the Demon Realm.

Could he be a man who drifted in from a distant region in the aftermath of the tectonic shift?

Is that why he can’t even grasp the situation.

In order to fathom the man’s feelings, Yulla spoke to him.

“……You are wearing unfamiliar clothing?”

……But, an answer did not return.

She thought, did he not hear my words.

It wasn’t that either.

“!”

It was ignorance.

“A heavy fragrance with no stickiness.”

“An aging period that is neither insufficient nor excessive.”

“An exceptionally suitable wine for a banquet.”

Because the guy was shaking his glass and chattering in an arrogantly upright posture.

And it wasn’t just once.

While he conversed perfectly fine with the trivial servants.

He was blatantly ignoring her own words.

As if he wouldn’t even mix words with her.

‘How dare a mere human. To me.’

For a moment, anger surged up but.

Yulla suppressed it.

‘Rather, it turned out well.’

It had been a long time since she ruined such a human.

In that sense, she rather caught an interest.

Imagining how that arrogant face would crumple and crumble.

“You may clear my seat. Emma.”

Yulla set down her tableware and looked at the man.

This time, she openly emanated malice.

To a level that an ordinary human couldn’t withstand.

However, the man finally emptied his plate cleanly.

“Seo, could you pass on to the chef that it was an excellent meal?”

He didn’t even forget to give a greeting.

‘……What on earth?’

The sense of incongruity grew larger and larger.

Yulla also couldn’t hide her emotions indefinitely.

Did they notice her uncomfortable mood?

“We shall excuse ourselves for a moment.”

The trivial subordinates all retreated.

There would probably be no need for acting anymore.

It was the moment Yulla tried to open her mouth.

“The play is over.”

Rather, a chilly voice could be heard.

Simultaneously, the silver-haired man raising his head and looking at her.

Putting the malice she had continuously spewed to shame.

“……!”

Not even the slightest trace of wavering was seen in the man’s gaze.

“Let us move to a suitable location, inferior kin.”

……Inferior kin, he says?

Before she could even fathom the meaning of the words.

Yulla’s field of vision changed.

“!!!”

Because she was in a magic family, she could realize.

This was magic, a portal.

So she had no choice but to be astonished.

‘I didn’t let my guard down for a single moment……?!’

But at what gap did he manifest a portal?

Yulla came to her senses and looked around.

Fortunately, it was an familiar place, above Nania Lake near the mansion.

But…….

That enchanting scenery had been reversed.

The water surface where the Demonic Eye of the night sky should have been reflecting.

However, what floated up on there was only the silver-haired man.

“……The Demonic Eye disappeared?”

No, that cannot be.

Even if the Demonic Eye closed its eye, it made no sense that only the single man was reflected in the lake. If so, does it mean I am seeing an illusion……?

“Don’t tell me?”

Simultaneously, Yulla realized.

It was intuition.

The instinct as prey that she had forgotten, placed before a natural enemy.

“……Demon Hunter!!”

However, what returned was a question that was neither an affirmation nor a denial.

“Are you done with what you had to say? Hideous demon.”

A chilly voice continued.

“From this hour onwards, the only words you will be able to spit out will be apologies directed towards the Simuard family.”

“……!!”

Soon, the magic power surging from the man.

Yulla only then properly recognized him.

……It’s him!

That guy right there is.

The survivor of Akshan who sent one Great Evil and four Demon Kings to hell.

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.

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[The First World Tree has noticed your presence.]

[The First World Tree blesses you.]

[Vitality and magic power regeneration rate increases significantly.]…….