Act Like a Boss, Mr. Swallow

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[Translator – Kie]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

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“Ar Edel… What?”

“I am Ar Edelbreas Garr Livistem, a knight of the Edelbreas Black Wolf Knights order.”

“Black… what? …Why is the name so long?”

Well, whatever. Let’s just call you Ar. The rest is probably all titles. Devourer, looking puzzled, casually nodded his head.

“Yeah, you… You just called me ‘Mr Devourer,’ right? How did you know?”

“I simply have a talent under my command who can recognize Mr Devourer, that’s all.”

Ar bowed his head once again, and a faint smile of discomfort appeared on his lips as he spoke formally.

‘Typical smirk of guys with hidden agendas.’

Devourer, thinking such, raised an eyebrow. He, too, has aged as time passed. Judging by his experience, dealing with this type of guy is quite tricky. They enjoy manipulating conversations to ridicule others, and he has had instances where he couldn’t stand the irritation and just devoured them.

Not proud of having a quick temper.

“Well, it doesn’t matter anyway.”

After all, the plan to quietly handle things in the empire has fallen apart.

Continuing to ask, ‘So, what’s the matter?’ Devourer hesitated.

Even thinking about it, it’s a stupid question. Obviously, that sky-blue-haired─ Wooin must be the reason they came. If not, there’s no reason for them to come all the way here, and there’s no reason for them to try to crack her head open a moment ago.

Devourer, counting the number of people in the group, spotted a familiar face among them. A girl with pink-streaked hair. Clearly, the one who was with Wooin. Devourer, observing the girl with pink hair, seemed to understand something, ‘Oh-ho,’ and lightly tapped his chin. The girl with pink hair is related to that Wooin. It’s certain since she tried to protect Wooin even when she blew away the auction house. If that’s the case, the human force that came to save Wooin must be brought in by that girl.

If Ar, the black-haired man, mentioned the “talent capable of recognizing Devourer,” there’s a high probability that it refers to that girl. At least the girl with the pink hair knows something─ that was the strong conviction. Using protective and teleportation magic in the auction house at that moment was possible only because she already knew something. If she didn’t know, logically, she would have used an immediate attack spell instead of teleportation.

─The situation is roughly understood. It seems the story of the guys who came to rescue their comrade ending up in total defeat.

“I’m not feeling great right now. I wasted quite a bit of time on that Wooin girl, and now I’m wasting my time in real-time because of you guys. So, come at me all at once.”

Devourer gestured toward Ar with his finger. If things got worse, he was planning to Devourer them all.

However, Ar’s reaction was unexpected to Devourer.

“There seems to be some misunderstanding. We have no intention of fighting against Mr Devourer.”

“What?”

“We have no intention of engaging in a battle with no chance of winning.”

“Not going to fight and trying to rescue that guy? Against me? Do you think you can escape? How much time do you think I’ve wasted? Do you think you can run away?”

“We have no intention of fleeing either. As I mentioned, we avoid actions with no chance of winning. The reason we came here is to propose a deal to Mr Devourer.”

“A deal? With me? What’s so unsatisfactory that you want to deal with me? Human, you better understand the situation properly. Playing with me without knowing anything will make it hard for you to die comfortably.”

Devourer’s expression momentarily distorted upon hearing the word ‘deal.’ The Demeura on his wrist shook left and right. Ready to tear everything in front of him to pieces, Devourer glared at Ar. If he uttered anything nonsensical, he was ready to Devourer them all without further conversation.

After a few seconds of maintaining silence, Ar’s lips finally moved.

“It seems there is a misunderstanding. We have no intention of fighting against Mr Devourer.”

“What do you mean?”

“Our goal is not to engage in a meaningless battle. We came here, as mentioned before, to propose a deal to Mr Devourer.”

The monstrous presence that dominated the front had taken down two of the empire’s powerful warriors and remained unscathed. Would such a creature hide its identity out of fear of humans? No.

It’s more accurate to say, “I don’t want to cause a disturbance.”

“Then at least your purpose here isn’t to pass judgment on humans.”

“So? What do you propose in this deal?”

“We will assist you.”

Ar’s emotionally restrained response even stiffened Devourer’s movements.

“I don’t think you came all the way here just to reclaim the Brachycephalic Tooth.”

After saying that, Ar closed his eyes as if waiting for judgment. While the situation could be predicted, predicting Devourer’s reaction was unpredictable. From this point on, it was a gamble for their lives.

Earlier, according to Garrote, who rushed to the Dungeon Raid Union headquarters after losing one arm, intruders had entered the auction house.

Their number was two. Emerging from the back of the auction house, they declared the retrieval of the Brachycephalic Tooth. From one of them, the traces of ‘Vern’ were strongly felt. Considering the density of the marks, it was likely that there had been several ‘direct contact’ with the individual, making it clear that the intruder was Devourer. After Devourer declared he would slaughter all humans in the auction house, Wooin attacked him, and when Devourer retaliated, Wooin was thrown out. In the process of rescuing Wooin, Garrote lost one arm and barely escaped.

The crucial point here is that Devourer declared ‘recovery,’ not ‘plunder.’ Furthermore, he stated, ‘Since it’s an item with an owner, I will return it to the original owner.’

─Devourer came here to retrieve someone else’s weapon.

Why did ‘that Devourer’ move directly? Whatever the reason, it must be crucial enough for Devourer to reveal himself in his ‘human form’ at the heart of the empire. After all, they couldn’t predict Devourer’s reaction despite anticipating the situation.

─Devourer hasn’t left this place yet.

He turned the Raize into a sea of flames, pushed Wooin to the brink of death, and still remained. Did he stay to kill Wooin?

─It’s hard to believe. Given the situation, it’s more likely that Devourer didn’t find Wooin. The probability is much higher that Wooin followed Devourer.

‘Devourer didn’t use teleportation after reclaiming the weapon…’

There is still something lingering, something Devourer tried to handle quietly. Something that needed attention even after the retrieval of the Brachycephalic Tooth. However, unexpected interference from Wooin likely escalated the situation that Devourer intended to handle discreetly. And now, they’ve reached the current situation.

Up to this point is Ar’s speculation.

If this speculation is true, and if Devourer still has unfinished business with Raize, the entire situation might lead to the burning sea engulfing Raize. In the current circumstances, with Vern Hishutalt dead and potentially losing Wooin as well, if Devourer, or any other enemy for that matter, prevails, the empire would undoubtedly collapse in an instant. That is something they must prevent.

“I don’t know what I’ll do from now on, but for now, I’ll help. What’s it to you? If I say, ‘I don’t need anything,’ what will you do? Or if I say, ‘I just came because I was bored, and I retrieved the weapon just for fun, and now I’m going to judge humans.’ How will you handle the aftermath?”

“Regardless, if everything is going to be destroyed, wouldn’t it be better to cut your losses?”

Ar laughed as if joking, but it was undoubtedly sincere.

“What do you plan to help with?”

“If the mighty Devourer is facing difficulties, it’s probably due to a lack of information. Even though you possess everything, safeguarding the Primordial ore might have left you with limited knowledge. I’ll provide top-quality information to ensure the smooth progress of what you’re currently dealing with. If you need additional personnel for information exploration, we promise to reinforce them as much as necessary. If there’s any knowledge we are unaware of that you require, we’ll dig into the imperial confidential documents if needed to find it. It’s about saving Wooin and stopping the destruction of the empire.”

In response to that statement, Devourer chuckled. At this moment, Ar, the human, had laid bare all his tricks and cards. If the cards he possessed were information, there was no need for a deal. Information could be obtained by pushing it into the brink of terror and questioning. Yet, boldly demanding a deal, it was an expression of an unwavering will not to disclose information by any means other than a deal.

“Interesting. Can you take responsibility for that?”

Grinning, Devourer revealed the Brachycephalic Tooth.

“Find out right now where the owner of this item is, what situation they’re in. Then, we’ll consider meeting your demands.”

In response to Devourer’s demand, Ar turned his head to glance briefly at Garrote.

Garrote’s footsteps headed towards Devourer. Perhaps struggling to maintain balance, she slightly staggered as she approached Devourer and opened her mouth.

“I can roughly determine where the owner is, although I don’t know who it is or the current situation.”

“…Then find that much at least.”

“To pinpoint the location, we need to make contact with a being that has traces. I can briefly examine the Brachycephalic Tooth to see if we can confirm any traces…”

As if expecting Garrote to come forward, Devourer casually handed the Brachycephalic Tooth to him.

“If you make futile attempts, it won’t end with just one arm, as it did before.”

* * *

“All right, bring her. By the way, this woman, Wooin, is like a monstrous human. If she were an ordinary human, she would have died a long time ago.”

“Even though she looks like that, she’s the ‘Hope of the Empire.'”

With the permission granted, several humans who had been tense behind Ar rushed towards Wooin. Still not letting their guard down towards Devourer, the woman who carried Wooin looked at Ar. After exchanging glances, the woman quickly moved away from Devourer. Devourer paid no attention to the scene, merely questioning Garrote.

“Let’s confirm one last time. Is it definite that it’s to the west from here?”

“The distance is too far, making it challenging to precisely determine the location, but I definitely felt it from the west.”

“…That’s what you said.”

Smirking meaningfully, Devourer glanced around. There were no additional reinforcements coming.

While those cunning fellows were on their way here, they must have mobilized reinforcements to prevent further casualties. He raised his head and looked at the castle.

In the sky obscured by the black and hazy smoke of the fire, only the massive silhouette of the castle wall, the last gateway to the palace, was revealed.

Pink hair. No, was it Garrote?

She has a quite remarkable ability. A ‘tracker,’ if I recall correctly. A human belonging to the category of ‘special condition’ or ‘mutation.’ Someone who possesses the ability to trace unseen traces—a common term being ‘unique constitution’ or an individual belonging to the ‘aberration’ category.

Whether it was coincidence or destiny, it seemed to be the only solution to remedy the current situation.

“…There is an overwhelmingly abundant trace of one individual. Presumed to be the owner of the weapon, that person is located to the west, centered around the Raize Palace. However, the distance is too far. It’s so far that the exact location cannot be estimated.”

To the west.

In this context, to the west lies Hastin. Of course, it’s not the only thing in the west, but when you think about it simply, the probability of being nearby is highest. Since Devourer was heading towards Hastin, it made sense to start looking for Renee from there.

Above all, the fact that she is in the west means—one thing for sure—she is alive.

Renee is alive.

That alone is enough.

A feeling of relief washed over him, lifting the guilt in his heart.

Sighing, Devourer scratched the back of his neck. Walking slowly forward, he headed towards where Ar stood. In response to Devourer’s actions, the humans behind Ar drew their weapons. There was a full measure of wariness in their gazes. Ar reached out a hand to stop their actions.

“It seems I owe you one.”

Devourer said casually, brushing past Ar and hitting his shoulder.

“It was an honor to be of assistance.”

Ar nodded his head. Ignoring even that response, Devourer continued to walk forward, towards the direction Ar was standing. Observing Devourer’s actions, the humans behind Ar raised their weapons once again. Ar extended his hand to halt their actions.

It wasn’t until the black creature walked for a long time, and the sound of footsteps could no longer be heard, that Ar raised his head again. The human next to him nodded towards Ar. Devourer had disappeared completely from view, but the uneasy memory still lingered in place.

Once the rear man asked Ar, “What should we do, commander?”

Ar didn’t respond. He just shrugged his shoulders.

* * *

Devourer walked towards the location with a teleportation hub.

How much time had passed since he told Melje he would catch up soon? Maybe not even 20 minutes had gone by. Due to living life leisurely, his sense of time tended to lag. Still, it had been quite a while since he casually mentioned it would be “soon.”

It’s troublesome, really troublesome.

His steps towards the teleportation hub were quite diligent. Anticipating Melje waiting for him, he walked briskly, secretly admiring his own diligence.

What’s this? I can walk quite fast, can’t I? There might be a side to me that’s surprisingly diligent.

As he thought so for a few seconds and walked, the rapid accumulation of fatigue in his legs made him walk at his usual sluggish pace.

As he neared the hub, scattered corpses became more apparent. Blood adorned the ground. Devourer, getting closer to his destination, turned a corner.

Once around the corner, the teleportation hub came into view. As agreed, Melje stood guard in front of the hub.

There were dozens of human corpses.

“Sir Devde.”

While some were damaged, the teleportation hub still stood intact. In front of it, barely holding on with mental strength alone, was Melje in a state of complete disarray. Underneath her, without any space to step on, dozens of human corpses piled up.

Traces of fierce battle were everywhere.

“Sir Devde… You’re a bit late.”

Melje’s parched lips trembled. Her cracked voice and dim focus were clear evidence that Melje was barely holding onto her sanity.

“I kept my promise… Look at this. I admirably secured the teleportation hub.”

“Oh, I see.”

The red flowers blooming in the pale corpse were marks pierced by sharp objects. The once beautiful purple hair was tangled in dried blood, a testament to the substantial amount of blood Melje had shed.

Mana that once showcased the Demon king’s spirit seemed completely depleted. Approaching Melje, Devourer couldn’t sense any flow of mana. Melje was alive, but she was fading away.

“This should be enough… to repay the favor.”

“Good job.”

Replying with a brief but meaningful word, Devourer approached Melje. Through her blurred vision, Melje extended her arms. She seemed to have no strength left to stand, falling forward into the embrace of Devourer.

“Thank you.”

Embracing the seemingly peacefully sleeping Melje with both hands, Devourer shifted his gaze to the teleportation hub. The internal structure of the device wasn’t as complex as Melje had described. Perhaps Melje had taken heed of his advice to prepare in advance; the coordinates stamped into Hashtin were still intact.

After a simple operation, the inside of the teleportation hub glowed blue amid the fiery red flames. A tremendous amount of mana from the crystal shone intensely, as if pouring into it in an instant.

Melje and Devourer, inside the hub, floated in the empty air. Devourer, feeling the mysterious atmosphere, closed his eyes tightly.

A sensation of gently falling refreshing things onto his body. Soft mana spun faster and faster, reaching its peak.

Then, the worst-case scenario he anticipated became reality.

Boom!

“Ah.”

Even without opening his eyes, Devourer could tell that the crystal connected to the hub had spectacularly exploded.

“Damn it.”

This was mostly how it went. Almost every magical tool interfering with Devourer’s body was destroyed. The few surviving ones were those like the Demeura Patrick provided, designed for mana stability or suppression. Even though he thought he could endure them sufficiently, given the vast amount of mana stored in the crystal, it turned out he couldn’t ignore it. It was disappointing rather than despairing. It was just that the best option had collapsed. There was still an alternative.

‘…I feel needlessly sorry for Melje.’

Devourer, having made a decision, slowly directed his gaze upward. The current outcome was a half-destroyed area and a reality already irreversibly chaotic.

At this point, one might say, “It couldn’t be helped.”

With determination, Devourer undid the bracelet.

After taking a deep breath, he released Polymorph.

This was what Devourer considered the “last resort.”

Ultimately, the chaos in Devourer’s magic was due to the inability to stabilize the mana flowing within his body. The occasional erratic movements even in the Polymorph state were for the same reason.

Thus, by wearing Demeura, which stabilized mana flow, Devourer could achieve stable Polymorph. Using only one Demeura was barely enough.

So, if Devourer used all of Demeura’s mana suppression function for Transmutation magic, perhaps he could use Polymorph more stably.

It was uncertain because he hadn’t experimented with it, and even if Devourer’s hypothesis was correct, it was doubtful whether Demeura could withstand it. Also, to use all of Demeura’s mana suppression function for Transmutation magic, he had to release Polymorph. Consequently, it would reveal Devourer’s presence to all living creatures nearby.

Therefore, he called it the “last resort.” It was the final means. He didn’t want to use it if possible.

“Well, we’re screwed anyway.”

He messed up the conclusion he wanted to make gracefully.

Sorry, Patrick.

As the human shell burst, the black form expanded. Unidentifiable black substances, whether solid, liquid, or gas, oozed out and grew in size.

Expanding, expanding again, and expanding once more. It swelled endlessly. The black substance, like corrupting the air it touched, expanded with each repetition—expanding, expanding, expanding, expanding.

Soon, the surroundings of anyone watching Devourer were covered in darkness. The black mass, emitting a subtle purple light, created an illusion of sucking in even the light, causing the viewers to lose their sense of depth. The body, not casting shadows, pushed away everything around it—buildings, forests, even flames—and reshaped itself.

Devourer engulfed the surroundings. As the black mass, taking the form of a quadruped, landed on the ground, earthquakes shook in all directions. The sounds of numerous buildings collapsing due to the impact were quite loud, but Devourer seemed to be in a good mood, murmuring as if he didn’t care about such trivial things.

“Indeed, much more comfortable than the human body.”

The coordinates were in the center of Hastin. The goal, for now, was the mage tower ‘Wing.’ If Devourer went to the source of the problems, the mage tower ‘Wing,’ he could more definitively find out about Renee’s whereabouts. If he arrived safely, he might as well destroy everything and start anew.

A gigantic body floated up. The dark figure disappeared from the center of Raize as if evaporating into thin air.

—

In the chilling atmosphere that captivated his entire body, Ar glanced unconsciously as he moved towards the palace.

It was at that moment when the shape that had swelled up, destroying everything around it, entered his sight. A moment of uncontrollable dizziness gripped Ar’s head. A feeling of losing direction, as if being sucked into something black, like a black hole.

Instinctively, Ar could recognize that the presence was Devourer.

“Ah…”

As if the black entities had taken control of Ar’s brain, he couldn’t think of anything. Only one question lingered in his mind.

How would Vern Hishutalt, who had to fight against that existence, have felt?

Phase. 8

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[Translator – Jjescus]

[Proofreader – Lucky]

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