Chapter 174

Power like he had never felt before surged through every fiber of Kaeld’s body.

It was nothing compared to when Pirensha had once fed him souls.

After sharing his strength, Velosian said to Kaeld,

“Now I need to rest for a while.”

“What? Why?”

“Handing over the Demon King’s power to a human isn’t something that can be done with light interference. Let’s see… I will have to hole up in this room for about three months.”

“……”

“In the meantime, you know what you have to do, don’t you?”

Kaeld replied with full confidence.

“Of course. Find Mide and kill him.”

“Hide.”

“…What did you just say?”

“You have certainly grown stronger. Perhaps even stronger than Mide, who earned fame of 1.2 million.”

Kaeld tilted his head.

“But outside this room, you can’t defeat Mide.”

“……”

“So how could I possibly be stronger than him right now?”

“This room is especially harsh on me. If I want to leave this place as my true self, I’m bound by limits. Far stricter limits than yours.”

Kaeld didn’t really understand, but decided to accept it as it was.

‘In any case…’

So right now, he was stronger than Mide?

His whole body trembled.

Ever since the great earthquake in Tetra Territory, he had always lagged behind Mide.

There had been moments when he briefly surpassed him in fame, but they never lasted.

“At last… that bastard…”

“I will say it again. Hide.”

“What? Didn’t you just say I’m stronger than him?”

“Yes. But the vessel holding that power is far more foolish than Mide.”

Velosian pointed at Kaeld.

“With an idiot like you, who knows how you will find some creative way to ruin everything.”

“You bastard.”

“If you do something stupid and drag your 800,000 fame down, that would be disastrous. Or worse, you might just get yourself killed by Mide.”

“Shut up!”

“If I had my way, I would chain you in this room for the full three months, just to keep you from doing anything reckless.”

Velosian stretched.

“But I will be asleep soon. And with no one left to watch you, I know you won’t stay here.”

“……”

“This place could drive even a saint insane within a single day.”

That much was true.

Kaeld didn’t want to stay in this room a second longer.

Just being here made his head spin and his stomach churn.

“If you’re going to leave anyway, then heed my warning well.”

“……”

“If you pull something foolish while I’m asleep, the first thing I will do when I wake up is kill you.”

“H-heh. But outside this room, I’m stronger than you now, aren’t I?”

“Was Adin weaker than me outside the room? Is that why he bowed his head to me?”

Kaeld flinched.

From the start, Adin had been completely bound to Velosian.

Even as his faith dwindled, he still had to follow Velosian’s commands and deliver his oracles.

‘So the power I received really did come from Velosian… meaning he can take it back whenever he wants.’

Kaeld’s face twisted.

Velosian lay down and spoke:

“You may leave now.”

“…See you later.”

Kaeld stepped out of the room.

Once outside the imperial palace, he gazed toward the distant mountains.

He wanted to go there.

He wanted to stand tall at the summit.

Thinking that, he took a step.

Shoo… crash!

The next moment.

He stood at the mountain peak, overlooking the capital far below.

“W-what? What did I just do?”

Teleportation? Spatial authority?

No, nothing so crude.

He had simply run.

From the distant ground all the way to the mountaintop… in the blink of an eye.

“Khkhkh.”

A laugh slipped from his lips.

Soon it became a mad, booming laughter.

Kaeld threw his hands toward the sky and laughed like a lunatic.

“I’m invincible. I’m invincible now!”

At last, he had grown this strong.

Idria and Mide no longer mattered.

No one could look down on him anymore.

No one.

We returned to the capital first.

Night had fallen, so we spent it at an inn and, the next day, requested an audience with the emperor.

It shouldn’t have surprised me anymore, but even so, an audience with the ruler of the empire was granted in just five minutes.

And despite having kept us waiting only five minutes, the emperor spoke with an expression like he had committed a grave sin.

“I am terribly sorry to have kept you waiting so long.”

Honestly, it was awkward.

I replied gently,

“Not at all. We were the rude ones, dropping by so suddenly.”

“Please, don’t say that.”

The battle with Idria.

The shocking truth that Velosian intended to devour her and become a demon god.

The plan to use Idria to raise our fame.

So much had happened it felt like ages had passed, but thanks to Agril and Mime’s terrifying speed, all of it had taken place in barely a single day.

Meaning our last audience with the emperor had been just one day ago.

Even so, he welcomed us as though it had been years.

“What brings you here today?”

“First… how are the preparations going for the evacuation of the capital and the imperial citizens? Forgive me for asking again only a day later.”

“Right after the heroes departed yesterday, I issued the imperial decree. But to be honest, there has been no real progress yet.”

“How long will it take to complete the evacuation?”

“Generously speaking, two months. But from your expression… I take it you want it sooner.”

I gave a small nod.

The emperor stroked his beard, closed his eyes briefly, then spoke.

“It will be completed within a month.”

“Yes. And please ensure that even in their refuge, the citizens can at least live decently.”

“Heh. A difficult task, but I will do my utmost.”

“Thank you.”

I answered, then sank into thought.

‘So it’s set for one month later.’

[What is?]

‘Killing Velosian.’

[…]

‘I will earn fame beyond measure by defeating Idria. And one month from now, once the citizens are safe, I will turn that soaring fame into power and use it to kill Velosian.’

It won’t be long now.

I gathered my thoughts and said,

“First, I will deal with the Demon King, Idria.”

“……!”

“And once the safety of the capital’s citizens is secured, I will immediately kill Velosian as well. The Celestial God… no, Adin, you remember I told you he already fell to Velosian?”

“Y-yes, that’s true.”

“In other words, within a month at the latest, every threat to humanity will be gone.”

Xenia cut in.

“There’s one more, isn’t there?”

“Who? Ah, Kaeld.”

“Yes. That cockroach seems like the type who would keep squirming to survive no matter the hardship. Only once he is dealt with too can humanity’s true threat be said to be gone.”

The emperor let out a hollow laugh.

“Even having heard everything already, I still flinch when you speak so plainly.”

“Your Majesty.”

“Well, Kaeld was once called the hope of mankind, after all. Then again, knowing now that the Celestial God was just a man, perhaps nothing should be surprising anymore.”

“Calling that bastard mankind’s hope was a disgrace to everyone.”

“Yes. Now I wholeheartedly agree.”

Offense steered the topic back.

“Anyway, the little miss is right. Kaeld has to be taken care of too, or none of us will be able to sleep soundly.”

“He will be holed up in the special room with Velosian anyway. We can kill him while we’re dealing with Velosian.”

“And the reason he is in the special room is to receive power from Velosian.”

“……”

“No one knows how strong he will become. Better to handle him before the final battle, or he could be a thorn in our side.”

That was true enough.

Then Lisel interjected.

“But how do you plan to deal with him? Like you just said, he will be in the special room.”

“……”

“He will be hiding behind Velosian’s back, how do you propose to strike him first?”

“Ugh.”

Offense groaned.

Still, I felt this point needed confirming.

It was true Kaeld’s ultimate destination was the special room.

But who could say for sure he was still there now?

Perhaps the process of granting him power had finished faster than expected, and he was already free.

[Want me to check?]

‘You can’t.’

[What are you talking about? Why not? Hold on.]

Trail confidently invoked the Eye of Omniscience.

<Error. “The Secret Between Velosian and Kaeld Wake.” Classification: ???.>

<Requires Eye of Omniscience Level ??? or higher for access.>

Trail fell silent.

‘It’s fine. I even accept your recklessness.’

[Just curse me already.]

‘Remember what was said at the banquet with Impelium? That with the current Eye of Omniscience, the special room couldn’t be seen inside.’

And whatever secret had formed between Velosian and Kaeld, it must have been within that room.

The Eye of Omniscience couldn’t tell whether Kaeld was in or out of it right now.

‘….’

But still. ??? classification? ??? level?

That was a notation I had never seen before.

Perhaps my guess was right.

Maybe raising the Eye of Omniscience’s level couldn’t be done by fame alone anymore.

Then Trail asked,

[So what now? Just ignore Kaeld?]

‘No. Offense’s point was sharp. Listening to him left me uneasy too.’

Smack.

I slapped my knee.

Everyone jolted and looked at me.

“What’s wrong?”

“Offense made an incredibly good point.”

“Why is my good point treated as something incredible…?”

“As I thought, before we face Idria or Velosian, Kaeld must be taken care of.”

Serein spoke up.

“But Lisel just said, he will be in the special room.”

“All we know for sure is ‘Kaeld will receive power from Velosian in the special room.’ Whether that’s done or ongoing, no one can say.”

I went on.

“If he is still inside, there’s nothing to be done. But if by chance he is out, that’s a different story. It would mean he is no longer under Velosian’s protection.”

“……”

“Depending on how you see it, that could be the perfect opportunity.”

“That’s true.”

“It’s a gamble, but one worth taking. Let’s try luring him out.”

Neril tilted her head.

“Lure him? How?”

“……”

“If that guy has even a scrap of a brain, no ordinary trick will work. It’s his life on the line.”

She was right.

But there was one thing Neril was overlooking.

There was something Kaeld valued even more than his own life.

“Don’t worry. It will work.”

If he is the same fool I know.

Kaeld was running across the continent.

The only reason for this meaningless sprint was one.

He was too fast.

More precisely, the sheer speed itself made him euphoric.

This strange run that started from the capital had already brought him to the continent’s center.

In less than a day, he had covered a third of the land.

It wasn’t as fast as Agril with Mime’s support but it was far faster than Agril’s speed alone.

“Heh.”

He reveled in the overwhelming power coursing through him, unlike anything he had ever imagined.

“This is no joke.”

“…..”

But then a thought struck him.

Why was he hiding and obeying Velosian’s orders when he had grown this strong?

At this strength, couldn’t he just crush Mide and his party outright without any messy schemes?

“…No. No need to rush.”

Kaeld barely restrained his surging desire.

This Velosian he had chosen over Idria was unfathomable.

It wasn’t Mide who was the issue, this was the Demon King who had even slain Impelium, who secretly aided Mide.

Not like Idria, who played at family games.

At the very least, listening to Velosian’s counsel wouldn’t harm him.

With that resolve, hunger set in.

“Now that I think of it, it’s been ages since I have eaten real food.”

Far ahead lay the entrance to a territory.

He decided he would have lunch there and stepped forward.

Before entering, he remembered to pull his hood low.

‘Why do I have to endure this humiliation… damn it.’

Then it happened.

From somewhere in the bustling heart of the territory, lined with taverns and eateries, came a cursed voice he never wanted to hear again, not even in his dreams.

—“Greetings, everyone. I am Mide Mohan.”

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