Act Like a Boss, Mr. Swallow

Chapter 49

[Translator Clara]

[Proofreader Demon God]

Isnt this a bit much That splendid sight of you rescuing me in Riaze is still so vivid in my heart.

Even the process of rescuing Melje, who was caught by the guards, was a trial. I tried to buy her using money, following Patricks method, but since Patrick took all the gold, that option was not available.

It probably took about five minutes to persuade the guard and bring her here. Around the time I felt the urge to just knock him out to make it quiet, they finally let her in.

No matter how many times I think about it, its too much.

No from my perspective, its you whos too much.

Thanks to that, I also got my face stamped by the guards. But really, as a Demon King, she didnt really need to come in through the main gate so boldly.

You could have used flight magic to cross the castle walls, or incapacitated the guards with mind control or sleep magic before entering. Wait. Come to think of it, theres also teleportation magic Are you a fool?

The more I think about it, the more profound it gets. When we first met, Melje seemed genuinely determined to break through head-on while adopting a mature demeanor.

As Devourer chuckled, Melje, whose face had turned red, waved her arms in frustration and shouted.

Im not a fool! Do you think I dont know Hastins geography? Moreover, if its Mr Devourer, I was convinced youd come in through this door. Uh-huh! I was planning to ask the guards if theyd seen you before erasing their memories!

Well, why not just use mind control from the start then? I wanted to say that, but

Come to think of it, youre right. Sorry.

The Demon King seemed to have roughly anticipated what kind of objection might come, as her expression turned gloomy. Devourer, who glanced at her with a quick look, promptly apologized.

Well, you cant always make the best choices. Rather, perhaps because she had lived a life revered as great, after hearing the word fool, the Demon King seemed as if her spirit had left her. Devourer apologized again, thinking he might have been a bit harsh.

But she did seem a bit foolish.

I shouldnt say that, though.

After accepting the second apology, Melje grinned again and replied, Its okay.

Upon hearing the response, Devourer thought to himself, None of the women around here, whether human or magical beings, seem to have normal emotional changes. Why is that?

So, what brings you here?

Devourer asked, minimizing his stray thoughts.

In response to that question, Melje put her hands on her hips and confidently said, as always, but Melje was always so active.

Well, obviously, I came because I wanted to see Mr Devourer!

No, thats not it.

-If that were the reason, Renee wouldnt just have let her go.

Devourer glanced at Meljes eyes slyly. They were sparkling. Unless he scared her, she seemed to be determined to push through with that reason to the end.

After returning, Ill ask Renee, so I hope you give an answer without any shame.

As soon as he applied a bit of pressure, a whimper escaped from the Demon Kings mouth.

Renee is Meljes arch-nemesis. Melje remembers receiving quite harsh treatment from Renee every time she got caught causing a ruckus inside the dungeon.

There was even a time when Renee tried to trap her with 116 black tentacles once, causing quite a commotion.

If Melje had just admitted her mistake, things would have been fine, but she insisted on maintaining her pride as a Demon King, almost letting the situation escalate.

I wont help you even if you end up in a situation like last time.

At the mention of a situation like last time, Meljes expression became increasingly complicated. It seemed like it wasnt the first or second time she had experienced such a thing, making it hard to gauge her reaction.

Ugh I was going to tell you everything without acting so tough. I came as a messenger because theres news about the Primordial Core.

News? Did the humans infiltrate?

Not really. But someone else did come.

What are you talking about? I dont understand.

I dont know where to start. Anyway, Elizabeth Batory visited the Primordial Core.

Oh.

Elizabeth Batory.

Upon hearing that name, a look of disgust blatantly appeared on Devourers face.

Its really fortunate that I happened to leave at such a miraculous timing, he thought, followed by a relieved sigh.

So, heres the thing. Batory Miss Batory?

Call her whatever you want if its confusing. Just be careful when addressing her in person.

As the king of demons, Melje, who had always ruled over someone, had various issues with formal titles. Even if Devourer casually told her to call him comfortably, Melje continued to address him as Mr Devourer, and perhaps, she used the title Sir upon Patricks request.

Renee also requested to be addressed with the same title, saying, If you call Mr. Patrick that way, you cant address me differently.

Melje, who had her hand on her ample chest as she pondered, came to a conclusion and spoke.

Yeah, then lets go with Miss Batory. The reason Miss Batory came to the Primordial Core was to convey a message. It seems that the undead might invade Hastin.

Saying so, Melje raised her head and looked at Devourer with anticipation.

Although Meljes expression seemed to hope for surprise, Devourer, from his perspective, didnt need to be surprised as he was already aware of the situation.

Ignoring Meljes slightly disappointed reaction, Devourer mumbled.

As expected.

Huh? As expected? Mr Devourer, did you already know about this?

Yeah, I was already investigating that area. But Melje, how did Batory know about it?

Miss Batory explained it. She saw the direction of the march with some phenomenon.

Starting with the open statement, Ill explain everything!, a few minutes of explanation followed. Disappearances near the Astrisha Forest, some doubts, and the fact that the direction of the march mentioned earlier was towards Hastin.

Although Batorys opinion was more of a conjecture than a certainty, most of what she said seemed to align with the current situation.

Devourer remained expressionless throughout Meljes narrative.

And Miss Batory said. Perhaps the mastermind behind this incident is

In Meljes final words, the name Devourer had briefly considered was revealed.

Erebos.

.

Certainly, he is currently the most likely suspect.

In fact, most of the undead on the continent are under Ereboss control.

If its Ereboss doing, I cant understand why hes causing trouble in other territories.

You dont need to know the details of that guys situation.

The crucial question is whether this is the work of Erebos or not.

If Erebos is the culprit, causing enough chaos to utterly destroy him would be the only solution.

We need to find out where Erebos is.

Therefore, to resolve the incident, its urgent to discover Ereboss whereabouts. Considering Erebos is one of the bosses of The Seven Great Evil Dungeons and tends to be cautious, he is most likely observing the situation from a safe location.

Um, Mr Devourer. Ive thought about something related to that.

As if she could read his thoughts, Melje, pressing Devourers finger against her temple, spoke.

What is it?

When undead attack a village, its typical for them to push in with numerical superiority. Of course, in a sturdy stronghold, they might employ different methods, but at least the current situation in Hastin doesnt qualify as a robust fortress.

Thats true.

It had been a peaceful village for decades. Moss growing in the shadow of the walls would indicate its not exactly what youd call a solid fortress.

But why use a method of infiltrating from within? Well, thats secondary. Im curious about the specific method theyre using to infiltrate the village. Thats what I think.

Interrupting her thoughts, Melje suddenly looked around. After confirming the absence of humans, she pulled out the staff she had hidden.

Midway through her words, Melje abruptly scanned her surroundings. Once she confirmed the absence of humans, she retrieved the staff she had concealed.

Low-level magic: Mana Detection.

As she slammed the staff on the ground, faint waves emanated from the point of contact, quickly reading the mana in the surroundings.

Unless its a special area called the Mana Source, mana circulates in most areas of the continent.

Fine particles of blue magical dust hovered around Melje. With a serious tone, she spoke.

And the mana flowing through the ground here is intertwined into several threads, all heading in one direction.

Are you saying someone deliberately altered it?

Yeah, thats what I think. Moreover, its the work of someone highly skilled. If an inexperienced person had tampered with it, they might have disrupted more mana than necessary, causing unusual phenomena. But this was done with precision, subtly redirecting only the required amount of mana.

If it werent for a capable Demon King like her, one probably wouldnt have noticed. Finishing her explanation, Melje smirked. The mature version of her ample chest aggressively flaunted itself, but to Devourer, who already knew the truth, it seemed like nothing but a hollow show-off.

Oh, youre amazing.

Heh,, Mr Devourers praise seems insincere Anyway, the problem is finding out why someone twisted the ley lines like this.

After saying this, Melje coughed again. As if there was still something to show, she grabbed Devourers hand.

Confused, Devourer expressed a quiet question. Nonetheless, he followed Melje, who led her. After reaching the rooftop of a building far from the castle gate, Melje, standing on tiptoes, looked down at the scenery.

It wasnt a very high vantage point, but still, most of Hastin came into view. Confirming her predictions, Melje spoke with a triumphant tone.

Look at this. My guess was right.

With these words, she immediately cast a magical barrier in front of Devourer.

Now able to see what Melje saw, Devourer silently gazed at the sight of Hastin.

His expression was slightly distorted.

Hastin, surrounded by a circular wall.

Starting from the edge of that wall, a dense ring of mana encircled it, forming countless paths of mana within.

Combine them all, and magical runes emerge.

Hastin itself, the mana flowing through Hastins land, forms one giant magic circle.

It was the moment when all doubts turned into certainty.

Melje had said, If I werent as competent as you, I wouldnt have noticed. If so, the magician behind this magic must be someone who is much more skilled than a mere demon king.

While Melje didnt say it directly, there was only one undead being among them who fit that description: Erebos.

Then those emanating the undeads aura from the lords castle, the ones toying with the experiments all of them must be Ereboss subordinates.

Devourer, landing on the ground, fell silent. It took dozens of seconds before he spoke again. Melje just waited quietly for Devourer to break the silence.

Melje, can you figure out where the person who casted this magic circle is right now?

Theres no surefire way. Typically, such massive magic circles maintain the flow of the ley lines continuously.

It was a safeguard against interference. By keeping the direction constant, even if someone tries to disrupt part of the ley lines, the user can quickly regain the intended direction.

If its being maintained it means the user might be nearby.

They could be nearby, but its not a guarantee. Another possibility is using a medium to consistently maintain the direction of mana flow. Ah, yes. Think of it like a teleportation hub. In my opinion, it seems more like the latter. What do you think?

Well, I guess youre right.

Considering Erebos, who is known for his caution among the bosses of The Seven Great Evil Dungeons, if Erebos is behind this incident, he would undoubtedly ensure his safety even if he didnt come in person.

Melje, observing Devourer pondering, added a remark.

This is just my speculation, but if a magic of this scale, encircling Hastin, and a crystal assisting it exist, they must contain vast amounts of mana. If they werent thinking of manipulating the ley lines, they wouldnt have embedded such a massive chunk of mana into the ground. So

Having said that, Melje turned her head. Following Meljes gaze, Devourer turned his head to see a massive building.

The Lords Castle.

It was the only structure within the territory that could easily conceal such a medium and maintain a sufficient distance from the ground.

Of course, theres no certainty. Its all just speculation.

This should be enough.

He meant it.

Even if they didnt know what kind of trick the undead were up to, if they could overturn everything they were attempting, someone would likely show up. Dealing with those scheming behind the scenes required dragging them out by their feet. Of course, even if they begged for mercy, there was no intention of showing any mercy.

Since Patrick is probably over there anyway Melje, is there anything urgent you need to take care of right away?

Of course! Didnt I come because I wanted to see you?

Then lets go visit the castle together.

We can think about the details later.

Truly in the silent midnight, Devourer smiled silently. At the end of his laughter, madness followed.

Devourer muttered, Its time to wipe out one of The Seven Great Evil Dungeons.

Phase 7

[Translator Clara]

[Proofreader Demon God]

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