Read Novel Full Vol 12 Chapter 2 Part 6
Vol 12 Chapter 2 Part 6
Sponsored chapter by Patreon, and you may also want to check our new Patreon tier & new Ko-Fi offer here~
Enjoy~
ED: LonelyMatter
Part 6
It’s late at night when the night breeze was piercing. But there was a place as bright as midday.
A meadow stretches across the horizon, where wood is used in large quantities, and bonfires are built everywhere. There were no tents to protect them from the wind, and human-shaped “monsters” huddled together in places where the flames lit up as if they were humans, trying to withstand the night winds. No human language was spoken. Most of them sounded almost like animals, and many of them had no intelligence. They fought with each other, and some of them even ate pieces of the flesh of the people they had killed.
New wood was being thrown into a huge bonfire. It was from the ruined houses in the surrounding villages. The man known as the Faceless King watched in silence.
“My beautiful children are always ugly, but that is why I love them so much.”
He was muttering in a nonchalant manner without smiling.
He turned his gaze upward and narrowed his eyes somewhat nostalgically.
“When the stars are this close, I even feel like I can go to our Father.”
He straightened his back, raised his arms, and thrust out his hands as if to grasp the sky.
But he still couldn’t grasp anything. Snorting at the ridiculousness of it all, the Faceless King looked at his arm and stroked the bruise on it.
“No matter how far away I am, no matter how hidden I am in the crowd, no matter how deep underground I hide, the Black Dragon King knows where I am.”
As he had known from the beginning, the “Black Dragon King” had sent Ladon back alive with a strong “curse” in order to find out his whereabouts. This bruise was like a “declaration of war,” a sign that he would not let him go. However, the Faceless King felt no need to hide anymore. On the contrary, it was not a bad thing for him to be approached by the other side. It was just like the time when he found the Faceless King straight away without hesitation and saved Selene from danger.
“As a result, it seems that the “Black Dragon King” had no intention of saving Selene in the first place.”
The Black Dragon King never approached or even spoke to the wounded woman, but he kept staring at the Faceless King with a murderous intent that made one tremble even just remembering it.
“But you cannot kill me. As in the past… “Black Dragon King,” you have no means to do so.”
The Faceless King cleared his throat as he recalled the past.
He remembered a boy who had failed to find happiness after pursuing power in the past.
He had turned his eyes away from reality and only pursued his ideals.
In the end, the boy who was trapped in his illusions met an unhappy end.
“As a “king,” you must stop dreaming and start looking at reality. Only then can you talk about ideals?”
The Faceless King muttered into the void, but his voice was drowned out by the wind, and no one could hear him.
Just then―the sound of plants and flowers being trampled behind him.
The Faceless King turned around without surprise and saw the king of the “demon tribe” known as the Twelve Demon Lords, who had remained loyal to him for a thousand years―Chimera and Keryneia.
A thousand years ago, when the “Demon Lords” were in control of the central continent, they ran the country as kings. Eventually, the country was destroyed by the “God of War,” and the twelve powerful “Demon Lords,” or kings of the “Demon Tribe,” are now, after a thousand years, only three in number. Unfortunately, they do not have the power they once had. Their power has also been taken from them by the “God of War.”
“O king, our king. Why didn’t you capture the God of War right then and there? With our combined strength, we would have had the best chance to capture him.”
Keryneia gave a small nod, and then she covered her mouth with her cuff as if to express her sorrow. The Faceless King looked annoyed at their exaggeration and waved his hand in a gesture as if he were warding off a dog.
“It’s not time yet. We have to drag out the “Spirit King,” who is hiding and watching us.”
“But, shouldn’t we have taken care of that after we captured the God of War?”
“We won’t be able to catch the “God of War” until we get rid of the Spirit King. He has his own plans. Even if we find him, he will resist desperately.”
The Faceless King showered them with merciless words as if he was too tired to argue with them.
“In the first place―you’re not good enough for this right now. You must learn to stand on your own two feet.”
The Faceless King tells them only the facts in a simple manner. The two bowed their heads, their bodies trembling with shame.
“If I had tried to neutralize the God of War right then and there, you would not be here now. And I would not be safe either. My body is not strong enough for battle.”
The two were biting their lips in frustration, but they were listening silently as if they could not deny it. To these two faithful individuals, the Faceless King turned his emotionless eyes.
The Twelve Demon Lords were a group of people with strong personalities, but these two tended to listen to orders relatively well. And only Verona, the other one, would not pay any attention to the instructions. It was a cute thing to be able to do, but because these two accept unreasonable orders… he tends to treat them harshly.
“Anyway, I have my doubts about this body.”
“Doubts?”
“Why is the body of the first emperor, who drove the “demon tribe” into a corner, so fragile? Is this really his body? This is the question that has been bothering me ever since I took on this form.”
When he touches his skin, it peels as if it is burning, and if he cuts his finger, it bleeds and breaks the bone easily. He feels no pain, but he cannot stand up on the battlefield if he is hampered by mobility problems.
“But it was in the tomb of the first emperor… so even if it were to be replaced, the cemetery is not easy to find because it was sanctified by the spirits. The only way to find that place is――”
The Faceless King, who had interrupted her words by holding up his hand to Keryneia, began to speak instead.
“It must be someone related to the first emperor or at least to the king. Even without an explanation, I understand it well because I was there.”
After saying this, the Faceless King patted his head and blinked his eyes as if something had just occurred to him.
“Come to think of it… the Black Dragon King didn’t seem to be upset.”
“Could it be that he tampered with Altius’ corpse?”
“No, he wouldn’t do that.”
“But the fact is that Faceless King-sama’s body is not in good condition. If he did something to it, it would make sense.”
“He would not disgrace the corpse of his brother-in-law. His guilt will be deep, and the punishment will be heavy. Therefore, he will not set a trap for this body―he will never be able to do so.”
“Could it be that he expected it to be taken?”
“That is also unlikely. But if he knew that it would be taken, I can’t understand why he didn’t take any countermeasures.”
The Faceless King shrugged his shoulders. Although he was suspicious of Hiro’s inexplicable behavior, his attitude showed no signs of irritation, and in fact, he seemed to be enjoying himself.
“The mystery will only deepen, but there is no point in dwelling on what we don’t know. It will all come to light. Sooner or later.”
The Faceless King abruptly dropped the subject, removed his gaze from the two, and looked into the darkness.
Then, a number of signs swelled up, and Keryneia and Chimera, sensing an unusual power, braced themselves. The flames of the campfire made several shadows appear in the darkness. But none of them were human, and it was hard to imagine that they were not humans.
“You are finally here; you have made a long journey.”
When the Faceless King spoke to the shadow, it was a large, tall man who responded. He took a step forward, and the firelight clearly revealed the man’s entire body in the darkness. The man’s upper body was naked, even though it was the cold season, with only a cloth wrapped around his waist, and his body was slender with prominent ribs. However, there was something that made it clear at first glance that he was a marked tribe. What differentiates him from ordinary people is the intricate patterns engraved all over his body, and his skin is a darker shade of purple than that of the “demon tribe.”
The man casts a piercing look at the Faceless King and opens his cracked lips to speak.
“It has been a long time….. Our father.”
“You were very small when we last met, but you seem to have grown up.”
The Faceless King was not particularly moved and, as usual, showed no signs of anger, sorrow, or joy, but the man of the marked tribe called “Ains” looked around after he had let his words sink in.
“I don’t see Zwieben. Where has he gone?”
“He is dead. I thought he had grown up in the time I have not seen him, but it seems that he has only grown in size and not in intelligence.”
Although it was an open-and-shut statement, Ains did not seem offended but rather looked downcast.
“…..I see; I guess he wasn’t much use to you, Father.”
Ains said after a short pause, then turned to Keryneia and Chimera.
“…..Then why are these two alive? They are more useless than Zwieben, and they should be the first ones to die.”
“Ains… you bastard, who are you talking to?”
Chimera, perhaps unable to hold back, approaches, but Ains glares back at him head-on, unfazed.
“It is a fact, isn’t it? You have served our father for a thousand years, and you have done him no good.”
“While you have not been able to cross the Spirit Wall, the Twelve Demon Lords have always acted as the limbs of the King. Unlike you, who are nothing more than mongrels and failures, we have been very useful.”
Both sides refused to budge, and the air became so fierce that it seemed as if they were about to kill each other.
“You’re in front of me.”
With a single word, the two men gasped and stared at the Faceless King.
The murderous energy emanating from him is emanating all around them. It is like poison to “monsters.” For them, who are more like animals than humans, the murderous intent that grabs them by the heart makes them choose to flee by instinct. Therefore, the “monsters” who sensed something unusual in their surroundings began to distance themselves as if frightened.
“The marked tribe is beginning to gather. The flesh eaters are beginning to starve. However, war is still a long way off now that we don’t have all our forces in place, so it would be good to fight out of boredom. If you can’t stand it, you can kill each other here. But you both know that tomorrow, you will be fed to the monsters.”
Forgetting that they were in the presence of the king, they started an ugly fight, and the Faceless King revealed his emotions.
His anger shook the air, cracked the ground, and shot up into the sky, cutting through the clouds.
The two finally realized that they had offended the “King” and hurriedly got down on one knee and bowed their heads.
“I apologize.”
“…..O Father, I hope you will forgive me.”
The two of them apologized together, and the strange presence that had been emanating from the Faceless King vanished.
“Tonight, you may talk slowly. Discuss slowly tonight and share your wisdom on how to continue to torture, kill, devour, and cause suffering to the humans.”
At last, the Faceless King announced that he would rest and began to walk away.
At his back, Keryneia, who had been watching the proceedings, called out to him.
“O King. That stubborn―What do you do about Verona?”
“I told you to leave her to her own devices. Of course, the Demon Creator in the hands of that little girl is also useless. It will come back to me in due course. There is no need to panic.”
Without stopping and leaving only his words behind, the Faceless King disappeared into the darkness.
Even though he was nowhere to be seen, Keryneia bowed her head and said.
“As you wish, as you will, my king.”
Although her words were compliant, her attitude was not, and her voice trembled with dissatisfaction.
<< Previous Table of Content Next >>