Chapter 133 : Assassination - 1
Chapter 133: Assassination - 1
Edgar and Louis safely finished the game.
The two of us were lying on the bed of a small cabin.
Celebrating that we had safely completed the quest.
Louis rubbed her face against my chest and spoke.
“You’re really amazing. How did you realize so quickly? That place was a dream.”
I replied to her half-heartedly.
Louis was satisfied just knowing that I was safe, but in truth, I was feeling bitter inside.
‘We missed the first-place reward. To think someone realized it was a dream faster than me.’
Was it Mason?
A frown formed between my brows.
At that moment, I heard Louis’s voice.
“Edgar…….”
She gently closed her eyes and puckered her lips.
And she expected the kiss that should naturally follow.
But then.
Chiiiik.
Suddenly, a black hole opened behind us.
It looked very similar to the hole Magireta used to take out the first-place reward.
As we stared in shock, an unfamiliar voice came from inside the hole.
-A monster and…… a half-monsterized human, huh. You two are Edgar and Louis, right?
“Who are you?”
-For now, come inside the hole. Let’s talk face to face.
“…….”
-Hurry up and come in. You’re not my subordinates, so I can’t forcibly suck you in.
Naturally, Louis grabbed my collar and shook her head.
But I had already made up my mind.
‘Looks like he’s an administrator of Hell on the same level as that Helena.’
A mere monster couldn’t pull off something like this.
I soothed Louis and said,
“Stay here.”
“Edgar!”
“It’s fine. Even if I die, I can revive.”
Louis firmly shook her head.
There was such resoluteness in her eyes that I had no choice but to let out a sigh.
In the end, the two of us entered the hole side by side.
The next moment, we saw a man reclining halfway on a soft sofa.
Judging by appearances alone, he could be called quite handsome, but I read the base desires hidden deep within his face.
“Nice to meet you. I’ll skip the introductions.”
“No. Don’t skip them. You already know our names, so isn’t it unfair if we don’t know yours?”
“You two need to help me with something. One of my subordinates, a Dream Demon, disappeared from the world this time. The guy’s called Kaid Bel.”
So he was an administrator who didn’t listen to reason.
That administrator, Odline Ragna, adjusted his posture and continued.
“But he didn’t die. His body and soul disappeared as if they were annihilated.”
“…….”
“My guess is that the first-place reward from the recently finished Eighth Quest is that kind of item.”
At that moment, I swallowed hard.
If that guess was correct……
‘Does that mean the first-place winner of the last quest wasn’t Mason’s group?’
He said Dream Demon.
Just from the name, it was obvious that it was a monster related to dreams.
He must have been someone who entered the world’s game through the revival round, like Louis.
If he was a Dream Demon, it was only natural that he had an overwhelming advantage in the last game.
‘I want it. If that first-place reward isn’t in Mason’s hands…….’
Wouldn’t I be able to take it easily?
At that moment, Odline continued speaking.
As if he knew exactly what I was thinking.
“I don’t know exactly what shape the first-place reward takes, but take it from him.”
“Take it?”
“Honestly, I don’t care if you steal it, destroy it, or burn it. As long as you make it possible for me to call him back to Hell.”
He picked up an apple in front of him.
Then, chewing it crudely, he said,
“I need to check whether he carried out my orders properly. Judging by how he’s hiding, it looks like he failed.”
“Orders? What orders?”
“To kill Mason Gear.”
At that instant, my cheek twitched.
I carefully asked,
“Why are you trying to kill Mason?”
“That’s none of your business.”
“Did your subordinate, the Dream Demon, clear the quest together with Mason?”
“Yes.”
“Then he might still be with Mason even now. That’s troublesome. To be honest, I really don’t want to directly clash with that group.”
“So you’re saying you won’t do it?”
So you’re saying you won’t do it?
That was a line he often used on Kaid.
But of course, I wasn’t Odline’s slave.
I merely smiled faintly.
Odline frowned and said,
“What’s so funny?”
“Your personality is really something……. Fine, I understand. I’ll try somehow. But in return, I’ll take the first-place reward that your subordinate claimed.”
“As I said, I don’t care either way.”
“Yes. Then please send us back.”
“Alright. Before that…….”
Suddenly, Odline moved like lightning.
The next moment, he forcibly grabbed Louis’s face and pried her mouth open.
On Odline’s finger, a small maggot wriggled.
“Mmph!”
“Eat this. It’s good for the body……. Huh?”
But the insect failed to enter Louis’s body.
Thud. Slash.
In the blink of an eye, I drew my sword and severed Odline’s arm.
For a brief moment, Odline blinked, then opened his mouth.
“Heh. You’re quite a useful one.”
“What were you trying to do to my wife?”
“No, never mind. I’ll give up.”
He raised his only remaining arm as if in surrender.
“I heard from Kaid that you really tormented Mason. You’re indeed a fine piece of talent.”
“…….”
“But let me tell you this. You must not kill Mason with your own hands, understand? I’ll kill that guy myself.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“If you don’t know, then so be it. Go.”
He opened the space.
I took Louis by the hand and slowly backed away into the hole.
When the hole closed, Odline rubbed his chin and muttered,
“A picture-perfect couple. Someday, I too with Lady Magireta…….”
Normally, when we returned from a quest, it was customary to rest well for the day, but this time was different.
More precisely, we couldn’t.
Because we had slept soundly during the quest, we were wide awake.
Our bodies were tired, but sleep wouldn’t come.
So until late at night, we placed low-proof alcohol on the table and continued our discussion.
Naturally, the topic was about the MVP.
“What kind of guy is he really. That bastard.”
We still didn’t know the MVP’s name.
I should have asked before parting with Kaid.
Well, since he was trying his best to avoid trouble, he probably wouldn’t have told us willingly anyway.
“Why is he targeting Mason in the first place?”
“Doesn’t Mason also have some kind of past connection with that MVP from a previous life? Like Karin?”
“Don’t say something so disgusting.”
“It’s because I’m her love rival. According to him.”
…….
Who said that last line?
We let out a sigh in unison.
“Annoyingly enough, that bastard fell for me.”
“…….”
“But lately I’ve been paying a lot of attention to my little brother, so he’s jealous. That’s why he’s trying to kill him.”
We weren’t even surprised anymore as we glared at Magireta, who was sitting comfortably in one of the chairs.
Armelia spoke.
“We just finished the quest and finally caught our breath. I don’t want to start another incident here.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I’m telling you to get lost.”
“You’ve gotten quite rough with your words. Especially toward me.”
“What did you come here for?”
Magireta leisurely picked up her glass and answered,
“I just wanted to have a drink.”
A lie.
Magireta clearly had a purpose in coming here.
I recalled the time when Helena descended upon the world.
Back then too, Magireta appeared before us.
Although she couldn’t give us a direct warning because of the rules, her appearance, her attitude, and the expression on her face when she tried to say something had been enough of a hint.
It must be the same this time.
“So that MVP is planning something again, isn’t he?”
“Who knows.”
“Why didn’t you tell us his name last time? No—even if you couldn’t say it outright, you could’ve at least written it down somewhere like before.”
“Who knows.”
“Did he block even that?”
She only smiled faintly.
A smile of affirmation.
I leaned back against the chair.
The creaking sound grated on my nerves today.
“That smile must be the best you can do for me, Sister. Thank you.”
“I didn’t do anything. You’re imagining things on your own, Little brother.”
“Anyway, it’s enough to know that he’s plotting something again. I’ll figure out the rest myself.”
“Do that. Just like you always have.”
Magireta stood up from her seat.
Before she disappeared, I hurriedly opened my mouth.
“But Sister. Why is he trying to kill me?”
“I told you earlier.”
“No, not the joke. Please tell me the truth.”
“Yes. I suppose it’s hard to believe.”
“……Wait a second. Hey, wait. Huh? What?”
I was probably making quite a foolish face right now.
The others looked the same.
Karin shouted,
“Hey. Seriously? He’s really trying to kill him because he’s a love rival?”
“That’s right.”
“No, that’s insane. What kind of lunatic is that?”
“Mm-hm. For once, I one hundred percent agree with you.”
Magireta clasped her hands together playfully.
“A popular woman carries many sins. To think they’d try to kill each other because of me. My heart aches so much.”
“Get lost.”
“Princess, you’ve really gotten rough. I’m going, I’m going.”
Wait.
There’s one more thing I need to ask.
I hurriedly threw out the next question.
“Sister. How long are you going to let that guy run wild?”
“…….”
“What he did in the last quest was on a completely different level from the Helena incident. He tried to sabotage things during the quest. By using Kaid.”
“…….”
“If I hadn’t reached an agreement with Kaid, he would’ve used that ability to put me to sleep forever. That’s an act that breaks the game itself.”
Magireta remained silent.
I continued in a subtle tone.
“Are you planning to just leave someone like that alone?”
Magireta’s voice changed.
She replied as if spitting the words out,
“No.”
“Do you have a specific plan to punish him?”
“Honestly, I can’t do anything on my own. I need your help, Little brother.”
“……What?”
“There’s only one way to deal with him. But I can’t be the one to say it first.”
Something Magireta couldn’t say first?
From my experience so far, there was only one answer.
‘Hidden Rule.’
There must be something else among the Hidden Rules. Something I still didn’t know.
And if I used it, even the MVP could be dealt with.
‘What could it be.’
Suddenly, my head started to ache.
Magireta looked at me with slight anticipation, but when I didn’t speak even after some time passed, she turned away.
“Well, think about it slowly. At least he won’t descend to the surface like Helena did.”
“Now that you mention it, why doesn’t he do that? He’s more than willing to mess up the quest.”
“His true body is honestly quite weak. It’s impossible for him to travel between Hell and the world by his own power. Instead, he interferes with the world through a special method.”
“What is that special method?”
“I can’t tell you that.”
I see.
Magireta was giving me as many hints as she could within what was allowed.
At least when it came to dealing with that MVP, it seemed she wanted to join hands with me.
If I discovered a Hidden Rule I didn’t yet know and cooperated with her, would we be able to eliminate him?
‘What on earth could it be.’
At that moment, Magireta said,
“Goodbye then. Have a pleasant night.”
After Magireta disappeared, silence lingered over the table for a moment.
Sienne opened her mouth.
“What do you think he’s planning this time? That MVP.”
“Wait a moment. I’ll check right now.”
“Ah……. Yes. How should I put it, it’s still amazing to hear that kind of answer to that kind of question.”
I smiled and summoned the Diary Book.
‘You’ve grasped the situation, right?’
[Yes. Would you like to see the last page?]
‘Yes.’
Soon, the Diary Book flipped rapidly.
[Points Consumed: 50]
[Remaining Points: 2,255]