Chapter 55

At the moment of death, Maxim's equipment, including the Golden Rule, flew away, leaving only his body behind.

What should I do with this guy?

Fortunately, he was treated as a raid boss monster, but Maxim was nothing more than a meat shield with high stats.

While pondering how to use him, I stroked my chin.

《You have completed the 'Hidden Trait Quest: Ironblood Overlord.'》

《The hidden trait 'Heart of the Ironblood Overlord' granted by 'Eternal Randolph' evolves into 'Heart of the Eternal Overlord.'》

... The hidden trait 'Heart of the Ironblood Overlord.'

The fact that it evolved into 'Heart of the Eternal Overlord.'

The moment I confirmed the changes brought about by this evolution, I couldn't help but shudder.

*

Duke Cyien tilted his head.

'Why haven't I heard from Maxim?'

Maxim, who should have returned long ago, has not sent any news.

It was a very easy task to bring Selengeti from Viscount Wiser.

Is he wasting time playing with a woman again?

Or perhaps...

Has he fallen deeply for Selengeti and gone astray?

"Lord Maxim has arrived!"

"Oh! Yes, let him in quickly!"

As the knights at the door spoke, Duke Cyien called out eagerly.

Soon, Maxim entered his quarters.

"Maxim! My excellent successor. You've come just in time. However, where is Selengeti?"

The problem was that Maxim returned empty-handed.

"He, he asked me to deliver this."

"He? Who is he?"

"You'll see when you look."

Maxim's tone was strange. Was he injured somewhere?

But Duke Cyien didn't care.

Maxim being strange was nothing new.

Maxim was his successor, one of the Eight Heroes, and a trusted loyalist.

If he couldn't trust Maxim, who could he trust?

Maxim then approached Duke Cyien and pulled something out from his coat.

A dagger.

The moment Duke Cyien saw it, his eyes widened.

Thud!

In that instant, the dagger pierced Duke Cyien's heart precisely.

"Gah! How could you... to me...!"

Duke Cyien gasped.

He looked at Maxim in disbelief.

"What's going on here!"

"Ma, Maxim! This bastard!"

Hearing Duke Cyien's gasp, the knights waiting at the door rushed in.

The knights quickly beheaded Maxim, but they couldn't prevent Duke Cyien's death.

... Maxim, one of the Eight Heroes and the official successor to Duke Cyien.

The news that he assassinated Duke Cyien quickly spread across the continent.

The Resurrection of Selengeti

A heavy silence filled the room.

Six people gathered in a circle around the round table, maintaining silence without any significant conversation.

This place was the ancient city of Rundella in Pangeania.

The 'Round Table Conference' held here could only be attended by the Eight Heroes.

And the five currently gathered were all known as the Eight Heroes, unparalleled geniuses.

『War God Master.』

『Thunder Emperor Darkstar.』

『Nine-Tailed Fox Heuiyo.』

『Corpse Queen Banhee.』

『Lucifer.』

"Gracia, is she absent again this time?"

After a long silence, Master spoke.

Sword Saint Gracia. She was absent from this 'Round Table Conference' as well.

With Maxim and Wilhelm dead, everyone except Gracia was present.

"She probably wants to act like a proud swan again."

A man with a black band over his eye, Darkstar, sneered.

Gracia's absence from the Round Table Conference was not a one-time occurrence.

She almost always skipped it and acted alone.

Though packaged as a 'proud swan,' everyone knew who she was modeling herself after.

'Knight King Wilhelm.'

The pinnacle of solo play, Wilhelm.

Following in the footsteps of his legendary and mythic path in Pangeania, even in reality.

"Is that rumor true? That Maxim killed Duke Cyien?"

Heuiyo, with her nine tails swaying, asked.

It was hard to understand why Maxim, the official successor, would kill Duke Cyien.

"It's true."

Master nodded, confirming it.

He had verified it himself; it was not just a rumor but the truth.

Maxim attacked and killed Duke Cyien.

As a result, the Kingdom of Valan was in turmoil.

Especially since it involved the 'Eight Heroes,' the entire world was in an uproar.

"The Earth's issues are already a big problem, and now Pangeania too. Master, didn't you say everything was on the 'board' you created?"

A giant man with long black hair covering his face chuckled.

Lucifer. He openly bared his teeth at Master.

Master's brow furrowed slightly.

Indeed, everything on Earth and Pangeania was on a well-orchestrated 'board.'

But it started to go off track at some point.

Precisely after Wilhelm's death.

'At least the Earth's issues were somehow resolved...'

The first dimensional rift.

Everyone in the world saw the other-dimensional Pangeania floating in the sky with their own eyes.

After the gate opened, monsters were about to invade, but suddenly the 'King of Dimensional Rifts' died, clearing the quest.

And the one who cleared the main quest was none other than Randolph.

Someone who believed Randolph was a phantom.

Moreover, he cleared it alone, before even crossing the dimensional rift.

This led to suspicions among Earth's inhabitants.

Was the prophecy, the warnings of the other-dimensional warriors, wrong?

-It's a sign of invasion. The monsters, having seen our strength, fled in fear.

-The invasion from the other dimension is a fact.

-The warriors managed to stop the monsters before they crossed the dimensional rift to Earth.

The warriors began to speak with one voice.

In any case, everyone had seen the other-dimensional 'Continent of Pangeania' with their own eyes, leaving no room for doubt.

Moreover, the heroes gathered here were thoroughly controlling the situation, so no word would leak out to the players.

Except for the players, no one knew that 'Randolph' had killed the King of Dimensional Rifts.

So, the players just needed to keep their mouths shut.

However... the problem was Pangeania.

Master shook his head.

"This is also not a problem. We'll announce him as a 'sinner.'"

Sinner.

A possessed person that the reapers are determined to kill.

Everyone here is a possessed person, and according to the reapers' terminology, a 'sinner,' but few people know that the Eight Heroes are sinners.

Moreover, most people in Pangeania don't even know what the term 'sinner' means.

Therefore, if we announce Maxim as a sinner, we must clearly explain what a sinner is and what reapers and possessed people are.

Darkstar's lips trembled slightly.

"Isn't that too risky a gamble?"

"Eventually, it will be revealed. It's better if we take the lead. None of us have a 'reaper' attached, right?"

"We don't know. They might be hiding it."

If a player is targeted by a reaper, they would hide it at all costs.

The same goes for the Eight Heroes.

Perhaps someone here is also targeted by a reaper.

The reason they don't reveal it is due to the reaper's persistence.

Those targeted by a reaper will eventually be killed by them.

And anyone nearby will inevitably be affected, especially if they are a 'player,' as the reapers might notice when they come to kill someone.

Since everything about reapers was unknown, they had to be cautious.

Master spoke grimly.

"Handling reapers could also be a golden opportunity to confirm if the imperial royals are truly reapers."

However, the only group that raises suspicion is the empire.

The empire is the only unknown world that players have not reached.

Nothing is known about its royals.

Even during the grand expedition, they did not participate.

They are so secluded that they never appear in public, and all players associated with the empire have been killed.

Thus, it is logical to suspect that the imperial royals handle reapers and the reaper cult.

'Using Maxim's death to our advantage.'

By revealing information about reapers and possessed people, we could bring the empire to the surface.

The continent would fall into chaos, and suspicions about the Eight Heroes would quickly dissipate.

Stirring up this place would be easier than on Earth.

"Phantom's suppression will also be achieved. If we receive information about 'sinners' directly, reports will flood in from across Pangeania."

"Phew...!"

Darkstar clapped his hands.

The picture Master painted.

He was essentially saying they would handle the reaper cult's affairs.

The reaper cult, shrouded in mystery, would either have to fidget or act directly.

Moreover, if they reveal information about sinners and receive reports from across the continent, they might finally catch Phantom's tail.

Most importantly, his reckless actions would be somewhat restrained.

"Not a bad method."

"Indeed."

Everyone briefly marveled.

They never imagined Phantom's strong pitch would be countered this way.

Master emphasized, "This is the real fight now. Although he interfered once, there won't be a second time."

The moment Phantom, Randolph, was publicly named at the Round Table Conference.

*

The Eight Heroes already have no honor.

Even if Wilhelm's name was included, it would be the same.

Pretending to have honor when they don't, it would be better to bury them in the sewer.

《'Pardon' used.》

《Sin values are purified.》

After cleanly reusing Maxim, I used the pardon to cleanse all sins.

Then, I returned to the knight's courtyard and bestowed a blessing on Selengeti.

"Will you... wake up?"

Hudson swallowed hard, his face showing deep concern.

Bruises all over his face.

This revealed how much Hudson had suffered since Maxim arrived at the estate.

To protect and help Selengeti recover.

His efforts led to Selengeti regenerating her lost lower body completely.

All that remained was for her to wake up due to the blessing.

Honestly, I wasn't sure.

My holy power had increased after visiting Kramdel, but the Demon King's curse wasn't just any curse.

Moreover, it was a curse used in exchange for half of the demon realm's treasures.

《'Blessing of the Stars' bestowed.》

《All holy power is consumed.》

《Insufficient holy power to completely remove the Demon King's curse.》

《'Limit Curse' temporarily (56 hours) lifted.》

As expected, completely removing the curse was still far off.

But the time for the temporary lift had definitely increased.

If my holy power exceeds 100, complete removal might be possible.

"Ugh."

"A...!"

Selengeti opened her eyes again.

Hudson's body trembled at the sight.

Viscount Wiser was the same.

Both had worked hard to protect her.

If I had been a little late, Selengeti and the estate would have been lost.

Selengeti looked around.

"Hudson, and... Lord."

This was the second time.

In response to her call, Viscount Wiser said,

"Call me Father."

"Y... Yes?"

"If it's difficult, you can call me as you used to."

Viscount Wiser is the lord of the city.

As a noble, he is authoritative, and he was extremely strict in raising his daughter.

He focused solely on training Selengeti as a knight from a young age, never allowing her to call him 'Father.'

Selengeti's eyes wavered.

She didn't expect Viscount Wiser to say such a thing.

Despite a life of training and sword practice, with no trace of father-daughter affection.

"Father."

"Daughter. Are you feeling better?"

"Ah...?"

Daughter.

Had she ever been called that?

Selengeti slightly furrowed her brow and asked,

"Am I still in a nightmare?"

The Demon King's curse made her have endless nightmares.

It was eating away at her mind.

If this was still a nightmare, she was worried about how the curse would affect her.

"Reality."

"Wil... No, Successor."

Seeing me, Selengeti quickly corrected herself.

She knew I was Wilhelm, but there was no need to reveal it to others.

But with my assurance, Selengeti finally looked relieved.

Reality.

Not the nightmare of the curse, but the real world.

"Many things must have happened while I was asleep. Who...?"

Selengeti couldn't help but feel angry.

Hudson's bruised face.

And Viscount Wiser's sudden change in attitude.

Someone must have caused them a lot of trouble.

Her murderous intent rose.

Then, objects around her floated.

She was a transcender who had officially consumed a star.

Clearly, she felt very different from Maxim.

A transcender state created by a mere Demon Heart couldn't compare.

Maxim must have known this, which is why he targeted her while she was asleep.

"Don't worry. He has paid for his sins."

"If it weren't for you, the estate would have fallen to Maxim and Duke Cyien."

Viscount Wiser added.

His attitude towards me had completely changed.

His thoughts had shifted after this incident.

Especially since he was the only witness to my killing Maxim.

Seeing me easily handle one of the Eight Heroes, he seemed to have made up his mind.

Selengeti tilted her head.

"Maxim...? That coward Maxim? What relationship does he have with Duke Cyien?"

Viscount Wiser answered.