“Keu, keuheuk….!”
The moment Shia stood up, the atmosphere around her twisted.
Not just metaphorically; the Seongnyeok exuded by Shia was laced with her fury, exerting such a powerful pressure that it made even breathing impossible for living beings.
An ordinary person would have felt not only suffocated but also as if their skin and lungs were being crushed in real-time by the pressure in the air.
‘This is much stronger than I anticipated….!’
At least the envoy dispatched from the [Promise’s Finger] was an Awakened One, so he wasn’t immediately crushed by Shia’s Seongnyeok. However, having physically experienced Shia’s power, he realized he could not even guarantee his escape, let alone fight back.
“Heh, heuk! Ha, haa… haa…”
As Shia glanced at him and released the pressure that was weighing down on him, he finally looked up at her, gasping for breath.
The pressure that had weighed down on him was so strong that he had somehow collapsed to the ground.
As the envoy tried to catch his breath, a tentacle that protruded from Shia’s waist picked up the pulsating Fragment of the Demon King and lifted it into the air.
“If you’ve been watching me for a long time, you must know that I tend to have fits when it comes to this fragment… right?”
“…Hoo, huuk… Yes, but your power is far stronger than I expected…”
“I apologize for losing my composure for a moment. But to bring this out in front of me typically means one of two things.”
Either he was terribly underestimating her, trying to blackmail her using the fragment of the Demon King along with her family and friends.
Or there was a specific reason to bring it out in front of her.
“I hope it’s the latter. If it’s the former, it’ll be pretty hard for me to show mercy as a Seongnyeo in the forthcoming events.”
“Haa, ha… kkeuh…. Yes, it’s the latter.”
Looking carefully into his eyes, Shia maintained her gaze.
Even though he had likely hidden his identity deeper than an invisible man due to his stealth abilities, the trembling in his eyes was so clear that it felt like Shia’s golden eyes were igniting in flames.
She usually wouldn’t be this sensitive to trivial matters.
Even if someone openly declared they were targeting her, she would probably just laugh it off saying, “Ahahaha, wanna give it a try?”
But bringing the Demon King’s Fragment in front of Shia was tantamount to risking not only her life but the lives of countless others in this world.
“Our [Promise’s Finger] does not have the intention to harm Hunter Isia. Rather, it is more like a request.”
“Explain in detail.”
“Before that… what do you think of that Demon King’s Fragment, Hunter Shia?”
“What do I think? Don’t you know better? You’ve probably read all my ethical audit records stored at the Returnee Management Bureau, right?”
“I won’t deny that.”
The envoy complied with Shia’s statement.
While it was technically impossible to access the ethical audit records of returnees without the consent of close relatives or the individual themselves, considering the [Promise’s Finger] was a faction deeply ingrained in politics, they likely found a way to access Shia’s records.
“Don’t worry. I alone accessed and deleted the ethical records that needed to meet Hunter Isia.”
“I’m not worried about that right now. My eyes are still yellow; let’s get to the point, shall we?”
If you keep trying to feel me out or take my measure, you never know when my eyes might turn black.
The envoy shuddered slightly, likely realizing what Shia meant.
If he had indeed looked through Shia’s various records, he would know about her [Death’s Seongnyeo] state as well.
“Yes, yes… First of all, our Promise Finger aims to assist the Hunter Association in eradicating the potential future threat known as Green City from Earth.”
“So you mean to use the Demon King’s Fragment to achieve this eradication?”
“Yes.”
Shia let out a slight sigh.
The Demon King’s hand typically seduces hosts by detecting desires and claiming to grant wishes.
Of course, while the fragment has the power to grant wishes, it does so through prolonged delays or twisted and distorted methods, promoting the mental corruption and consumption of the host’s ego.
If one hoped for dimensional isolation from the fragment of the Demon King, it would not merely isolate Green City but instead open a multi-dimensional hole that would lead to a chaotic wish-end situation.
“You do know this isn’t a wish-granting stone, right? It’s more malignant than a monkey’s paw! Why not just use it to boil water and turn a turbine?”
“First, let me explain how we acquired this Demon King’s Fragment. It was already disabled once.”
“Disabled?”
Shia glanced at the pulsating Demon King’s Fragment the tentacle was holding.
‘Now that I think about it, it is pulsating… but it’s not saying a word to me?’
It seemed there was a reason they didn’t use the term ‘disabled’ lightly.
Normally, the Demon King’s Fragment would have gone haywire from the moment it saw Shia, or sought some means to kill her.
However, this was neither a personality like a Demon King teabag nor did it seem to have any intent at all.
“This Demon King’s Fragment belonged to an out-of-control Awakened One in the Paramaribo jungle six years ago.”
“An out-of-control Awakened One?”
“They were classified as a criminal for being an unregistered Awakened One. At the time, the host of the fragment was killed by the Wooden Blackhand, who received our request.”
The black man?
Considering that the Demon King’s fragment would exponentially amplify the host’s power, it meant that the Wooden Blackhand was quite something.
“After that, the fragment with this consciousness was sent to the Pentagon underground research facility collaborating with the Promise Finger for research, but at some point, other than possessing vast energy, no notable anomalies were found. Consequently, research on the fragment reached its limits, and only recently did the Promise Finger recognize it as a fragment of the ‘Demon King’.”
“Then what have you been doing with it all this time?”
“Boiling water to turn turbines.”
“Huh…?”
“We boiled water to turn turbines, supplying 70% of California’s electricity.”
“…….”
Using the Demon King’s fragment to turn turbines…
That must have made a kickass power plant…
“Anyway, as I mentioned earlier, the Hunter Association aims to help Grakshar take control of Green City. However, if Grakshar fails to establish dominance over Green City or refuses to cooperate, the Promise Finger’s basic plan is to use the Demon King’s Fragment to completely isolate this dimension of Green City.”
“The Demon King’s fragment is probably not an obedient machine, is it? Do you think dimensional isolation will go as you wish?”
Furthermore, if the isolation fails, the resurrected monsters, and cities that repair themselves in a day.
Apparently, Green City was gradually increasing in size even at this very moment.
It would be impossible unless they completely severed it from Earth.
“While I mentioned isolation, the truth is, the Promise Finger seeks to use this fragment to detonate a permanent destructive bomb in Green City.”
“Huh…”
At those words, Shia continued to gaze down at the still-silent Demon King’s Fragment.
It was certainly more effective to use the Demon King’s fragment for sheer, violent destruction than to wish for complex desires.
“The structure of Green City essentially brings in monsters and beasts from somewhere. Even if they die, they exist through resurrection. There is no death, and the number of beasts continues to grow.”
“Thus, our Promise Finger and the Hunter Association are on guard against the growing beasts in Green City with multi-dimensional holes and are aware that one day this structure will collapse and overflow into Earth.”
“Simply put, you’re talking about creating a blazing fire with the regenerating city and resurrecting beasts and monsters, aiming to annihilate this dungeon without any hope of salvation? Just a single proper ignition would turn bringing beasts from another dimension into mere kindling?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“………”
Shia set the pulsating Demon King’s Fragment down on the table.
Even if they kept reviving, if they caused continuous destruction to the city with the Demon King’s fragment, the mechanism of resurrection would lose its meaning, and Green City would face a level of permanent destruction so severe that it would be unable to maintain its form.
“What we request from Hunter Isia is precisely to monitor for any unexpected rampage of the Demon King’s Fragment during this process.”
“……”
“Moreover, from this very moment, we would like to entrust the Demon King’s Fragment to Hunter Isia. When the time is right, the fragment can be allowed to rampage under your supervision to permanently incinerate Green City. Additionally, we’d like to fully entrust to you the judgment of all matters that occur during the interim.”
On the surface, it sounds quite plausible.
It made sense that the Hunter Association and the faction named the Promise Finger would want to reach out to protect humanity and Earth.
And since the Demon King’s fragment was already disabled, it seemed hard to think of any dangerous factors.
However, Shia couldn’t easily find the words to agree with the envoy’s statements.
Green City was a city of monsters and beasts. The common sense of Earth could not deny that beasts were a menace to humanity and deserved to die.
“It seems that Hunter Isia has sufficient capability to prevent any potential rampage of the Demon King’s Fragment or any risk of it spilling over into Earth. I won’t impose complex demands. As long as the Hunter Association and the Promise Finger can preserve the peace of humanity and Earth.”
Upon saying this, the envoy placed the Demon King’s Fragment into Shia’s hands.
Though it was labeled the Demon King’s fragment, it felt like being handed a weapon of mass destruction far worse than a nuclear bomb.
‘But they live just like people…?
Shia had seen various people when she opened a restaurant in the middle of Green City.
The majority of her customers were, of course, hunters and humans, but there were quite a few beasts as well.
She had seen a large family of kobolds desperately searching for food, saddened by their starving children.
They were beasts that had entered her restaurant begging for food, completely indifferent to their own deaths or subsequent resurrections when their children went hungry.
The scavenger that attacked Shia’s restaurant boldly came back to beg for food, claiming to be hungry.
They ended up eating tasty deep-fried Bladed Centipedes under the condition that they wouldn’t attack her restaurant anymore.
And the Grasshopper Chef, who had made excellent corruption soup for Shia, turned out to be a member of the Mangchi team.
Of course, it was undeniable that regardless of them, Green City was a place where all kinds of lawlessness and slaughter took place.
After pondering for a long while, Shia tightened her grip on the fragment.
“Alright.”
“Ah! Are you accepting the request?”
“For now, yes… I agree with preserving the peace of humanity and Earth.”
‘But is total annihilation the answer?’
Hmm, it’s complicated.
It really is.
Some might think that if they are monsters, they should be killed, but even the Elves, considered a subspecies of humanity, were once classified as monsters but now coexist with humans.
It was a tough decision to think that one would have to erase countless lives through generalization and prejudice.
“If something this difficult came up, Menelapie… No, if it weren’t for that, Rosaria or Jenna from the Rose Order would have resolved everything…”
Yet, Shia decided to think simply.
She had always acted according to her feelings anyway.
She did what she wanted.
Sometimes her whims had inadvertently led to good results.
If a bad outcome arose, it would also be the role of a Seongnyeo to rectify that bad result.
Yeah, that’s good.
“Yeah, when have I ever thought deeply?”
“Thank you! Since you have accepted the request, the upper management will deposit a satisfactory amount into Hunter Isia’s hunter account as an advance payment, and once the Green City situation is resolved, we will promise additional funds and support. Moreover, the Promise Finger hopes to maintain a good relationship with Hunter Isia in the future…”
“However.”
“Yes?”
It’s likely that things won’t go according to what you want.
—
Lilybet caressed the human figure connected to all kinds of electric wires, pipes, and conduits.
The human figure.
Lilybet declared that this was her very own self.
Kim Hana, having originated as a slime composed of multiple entities, could easily understand Lilybet’s words.
‘Is it a physical division due to the splitting of powers?’
The enchantment ability of Lilybet that Hana had witnessed was a force more magical than magic itself.
To be honest, she didn’t really understand how it worked, but it felt like an omnipotent power that would produce gold with just a snap of her fingers.
In any case, it was a fact so clear that both Lilybet, who was the heart of Green City, and the machine body that was Lilybet were the same being.
There was no way that the eccentric queen would lie at this point.
“A long time ago, there was a girl.”
Lilybet closed her eyes, seemingly lost in reminiscence.
“No, calling her a girl feels rather awkward. It was just me.”
“Isn’t it common to narrate such stories in the third person…?”
“It just feels weird to say it! Hahaha!”
The girl Lilybet.
Princess Lilybet.
Blessed Lilybet.
That’s how she was called.
“People believed that Lilybet had received the blessings of the entire world. To what extent… well, let’s exaggerate a bit and say that I had the power and blessings to save the world!”
“The world?”
“Some say I possessed talent superior to Yeonseo, who is known as the living legend, but I don’t really know what the process of testing that talent is like, but anyway, it was clear that I had extraordinary talent!”
“In fact, I still do! Hahaha!”
Lilybet spread her machine wings equipped on her back and smiled brightly.
“If you’re a princess, it should be like this.”
“Huh?”
“Isn’t it a story you hear often?”
If a powerful Awakened One is to lead a new era, they should naturally be that way.
If you’re in a position of authority, you should bear a certain obligation.
In France, there exists the term “noblesse oblige,” which means “nobles have obligations.”
“Many have told me so! While they are free to think that I should be that way, it’s comedic or tragic considering the disparity between their lofty ideals and reality!”
“But unfortunately, I am neither an ordinary person nor just Elizaveta Lilybet Rose, who is meant to become the eighth king of the Windsor dynasty in England! It’s taboo to impose idealistic appearances on others, but I was meant to embody that ideal!”
“Why? Because that’s just who I am! Born blessed, equipped with the talent to realize that ideal!”
As Lilybet extended her hand in a speech-like manner, green mana ebbed and flowed along her hands and eyes.
It was the same green mana that covered the mist of Green City and resurrected the dead like the sun.
“But back then, blessed Elizaveta Lilybet Rose was incredibly arrogant and conceited while also being utterly naive about the world.”
“She had it all in her favor! Any academic subjects taught by her private tutor were soon aced beyond genius levels, and she possessed abilities compared to the legendary first-generation hunter, Korea’s Yeonseo, so she excelled in physical skills as well—swordsmanship, shooting, horse riding, everything came easily.”
“Because of this, Lilybet became too arrogant! She perceived the whole world as a toy and believed that she could achieve everything at her will. Dismissing all the love and blessings showered upon her since birth as boring, she chased after the romance she saw in fairy tales, legends, animations, and comics.”
After all, if she didn’t think so, she wouldn’t have done such stupid shit as resetting her talent!!!
Hana looked at Lilybet, her voice echoing through the room.
It felt as if the current Lilybet was treating her past self as a stranger.
Somewhere along the line, she had come to refer to herself in the third person as if she was someone else, and her once proud and smiling face now bore an oddly twisted expression.
It was certainly a smile with the corners turned up, but that smile combined with her distorted atmosphere gave off a profoundly unbalanced feeling.
“So Lilybet, having reset her own talent, ran away from the suffocating royal family and ended up in a dungeon. Up to this point, it’s not too different from what has been publicly known.”
What happened next?
A C-grade enchantress girl who beat up goblins to regain her power and become S-grade again?
“No. Lilybet was utterly and completely defeated.”
“Pardon?”
“What do you think the combat ability difference is between a non-Awakened person and a C-grade enchantress? Of course, the C-grade enchantress would have a slight edge. But what do you think would happen when a young girl falls into a wild dungeon without any preparation at all?”
“………. “
The wiki claimed that Lilybet fought for her life against goblins and slimes and other low-level monsters, ultimately returning victorious.
But was that really true?
“…Could it be.”
“Ah, don’t worry. It’s not like she lost to goblins and was dragged off to become a mutilated breeding pouch or something like that.”
“Kyaaa! Crazy!! Who thinks of such things!? Are you really a queen? Why are your words so vulgar?!”
“Isn’t this a perfectly natural horrific fantasy? Haha!”
“No, what on earth have you been watching?!”
“Japanese manga!”
“……..”
“Hah! For the sake of romance, I’ve watched everything from fairy tales, legends, literature, cartoons, anime, to movies! Hentai is literature, too!”
“Who in the world calls that literature?!”
“By the way, you seem to know your stuff.”
“Ah, no, this isn’t… it’s all just in the head of human Kim Hana….”
Hana briefly held her forehead.
Despite being a slime, just listening to this queen’s words sometimes gave her a headache.
“I thought the atmosphere was getting too dreary, so I tried to lighten it up a bit. But wait, isn’t it me who’s ruining the vibe? Oh dear! “
“Stop talking to yourself.”
“Wahahaha! Anyway, once Lilybet skipped out, she got completely wrecked! At first, she managed to defeat a goblin or two, but then a bunch came, and there were also orcs waiting for their chance from behind. In the end, she was utterly defeated without any chance to make excuses! Her arms got torn off, her ankles twisted, and she lost her weapon, barely escaping to hide somewhere in the dungeon.”
Saying this, Lilybet gazed down at the heart of Green City.
Although the skin was flawlessly white, it felt as if the past wounds were coming to haunt her as phantom pains.
“So, what do you think Lilybet did next?”
“Huh? What else could she do?”
“What do you think a blessed princess would do after experiencing the humiliation and terrible pain of having her arm cut off for the first time?”
“…….. Uh, she would flee crying?”
“Haha! That would have been the standard!”
If she had done that, she would have earned the nickname “One-armed Princess” and it would have ended there.
“But Lilybet raged so hard.”
“Raged?”
“She got so furious that the pain from her cut-off arm was nothing, and she bit down a twig to use her bones for enchantment, shoving it right into her severed arm.”
And then she enchanted a rock to attach it to the bone instead of muscle.
She enchanted sand into flesh.
Using the valley’s water, she enchanted iron to create synthetic blood for transfusion.
During all that, she would feel hideous pain, and her teeth would get crushed too.
But even then, Lilybet didn’t care and went to kill the goblin that had made her miserable once again!
“Coincidentally, the goblins had a feast going on, roasting Lilybet’s severed arm! So she jumped straight into them. Haha, she tore every goblin into pieces, both adults and babies alike! She slaughtered every single one! Wahahaha!”
Um, yeah!
If we were to say this in comic style… it was as if the blessed Princess Lilybet had undergone a kind of awakening fueled by rage and hatred!
“Fortunately, Princess Lilybet could slay all those careless goblins, fueled by her anger and hatred!”
Of course, the sight of her arm becoming BBQ is so thrilling that no matter how much I think about it now, I’d feel like throwing up!
