LIGHTNOVELWORLD Chapter 94
‘…that fucking bitch.’
Squeak, snap!
I ripped the notice in a haphazard manner.
Was it scratched in such a short sentence? I don’t even know why I’m reacting so sensitively.
“Your Highness.”
The orc’s eyes trembled anxiously. His level was even stained black.
I almost blurted out something in anger but held back. No matter how irritable I was, I wasn’t foolish enough to take it out on a third party.
All I could do was stew in my own frustration.
“…Hah.”
It felt like heat, not cold, was escaping my mouth.
I couldn’t tell if this was my true personality or if I was just overly sensitive due to being so troubled.
No matter how agitated I was, it’s absurd to be bothered by just one sentence.
I maintained a serious atmosphere for the sake of appearances, but that was hard to do right now.
I had considered the threats from Roxanne carefully.
I resolved to endure, but reality felt far different from my guesses.
I waved my hand, issuing a summoning command.
The orc, who had only been lurking around, bowed his head and returned through the portal.
‘Goddamn bitch.’
Roxanne Dietrich. That damn woman was giving me a hard time, both in the game and in reality.
I even had the childish thought that I’d kill her hundreds of times in the game.
“Lord Kirik.”
I belatedly looked around.
I locked eyes with the gazes upon me, and their expressions shifted to their levels.
A slight change occurred in the deep pink and green; a hint of black was mixed in.
“….”
I let out a breath I didn’t need, finally regaining my composure.
“It’s fine. Everything’s okay.”
“Are you really okay?”
“Yeah. I’m fine.”
I suddenly felt pathetic for myself.
Getting all worked up over a single notice.
I might have covered my fear with anger.
“Roxanne. Should I kill her, Master?”
“Just the thought is appreciated.”
But then, you’ll be the one to die, Ria.
Thanks to the kids, I was able to regain my composure, albeit a bit late.
In my line of sight, the levels were back to normal, the hint of black gone.
“Kirik. That Roxanne has long black hair and is a horned female chief, right? The Great Chief mentioned that she would defeat that female chief at the round table. But isn’t the Great Chief ranked 7th? I heard that the female chief is ranked 2nd.”
Balutak responded to Estizel’s words.
“Come on, in a one-on-one, our boss would win. The boss is a unique entity, just like me. She’s essentially recognized as the real 2nd.”
“She’s not 2nd. She’s effectively 1st.”
“Of course! She’s 1st! After all, only the Lords gather for the summons, right? So our boss is the strongest.”
They were nodding their heads in agreement after their own declarations.
Normally, that would be burdensome, but right now, it was comforting words to me.
“Thank you. That helps a lot.”
Feeling grateful, I patted Estizel’s head.
Estizel opened her eyes wide for a moment before breaking into a big smile.
People around us took a deep breath.
Everyone hurriedly opened their mouths, alternating glances between Estizel and me.
“Our boss is the strongest. She’s the actual 1st.”
“Master can win against anyone. Roxanne is a lizard.”
“Boss is 1st! Mausoleum of Faith’s 1st!”
“Kirik…. is that really okay?”
“Ugh, stop ruining the atmosphere!”
Whack!
Starting from Isabella, they all started kicking Balutak at once.
It was easy to gang up on him since he was already on the ground, missing limbs.
Whack! Whack! Whack!
Balutak screamed as he reached out to me.
“Kirik! Kirik! Great Chief! Save me, please! I’m dying! Balutak’s gonna die! Haaaack!”
“Then why are you making such a fuss! Balutak! Watch your legs!”
“I never liked you from the start. You just got in the way every time we were together.”
Amidst that, Charlotte beat Balutak with her staff.
At this point, he looked like a punching bag.
Just as I was about to jump in, Estizel blocked my way.
She looked up and tapped her head lightly.
I heard that most girls despise it when someone touches their hair, but…
‘Half-demons are different, I guess.’
Anyway, it seemed she liked it.
When I patted her head like before, Estizel beamed with joy.
Her happy expression and little movements were oddly satisfying, like a Helboki.
“I’m gonna die! Balutak’s gonna die! I’m really gonna die! Haaack!”
Roaches don’t die that easily.
***
[Lv. 74]
[Lv. 76]
[Lv. 79]
The next day, the council members came to find me.
Demons, elves, beastmen.
Their levels were colored in black, and just looking at their faces showed deep worries.
I didn’t need them to say why they were here.
The highest-level beastman executive opened his mouth.
“First, I will confirm the facts. Is it true that the one who defended the empire and killed the 5th-ranked Lord is Barugore, ranked 7th? Do you admit this?”
“Yeah.”
“Lord Roxanne has declared an emergency summons.”
He said this while handing me something.
A letter made of goat leather. Instead of wax, I saw a seal made from human blood.
The demons and elves also handed summons to Isabella and Estizel respectively.
【To Barugore, 7th-ranked Mausoleum of Faith. A summons.】
I slowly read through the contents.
The purpose of the summons, the circumstances, the items of discussion, and the recommendations were all elaborated.
The final sentence stood out particularly.
– Barugore, 7th-ranked, is to come quietly.
Although Roxanne declared the summons, the council was the one to draft and distribute it.
This meant that the council was excluding me.
I wasn’t particularly angry or anything. They probably thought Roxanne’s line was the true faction.
Setting aside their faction, it made sense for them to be wary of me.
After all, I had just killed a fellow Lord from the Seven Lairs. What more need be said?
From the beginning, I had no choice about whether to comply with the summons or not.
It was essentially dragging a criminal to the gallows.
I quickly glanced over the levels of the council members once more.
They didn’t seem to think they’d kill me, even though I was scared.
After all, if they killed me, it would all be over.
“Is the position of 5th still vacant?”
“Yes, it is.”
New dungeons formed within a week, so it wouldn’t be born in just a day.
“What about the voting rights for 5th?”
According to the contents of the summons, my execution would be decided by a vote among the 72 Lords.
Unlike other Lords, the vote from the Lords of the Seven Lairs was counted as 10 votes.
It was an unreasonable privilege, but it was a right for the inviolable Seven Lairs.
It was only natural that Calandas’s voting rights were annulled.
However, even just the privilege of the Seven Lairs was incredibly unreasonable.
“I vote in favor of the execution.”
“…Is this Roxanne’s unilateral decision?”
“She did have significant influence, but it wasn’t unilateral. Wouldn’t it also be less unfair for the 5th-ranked Lord?”
That’s nonsense. I’m certain 90% of it was her unilateral decision.
I had no intention of arguing about it here; I’d have to take it up with Roxanne during the meeting.
“Do I have a vote?”
“I’m sorry, but no.”
Everything was as they pleased. Damn Roxanne.
Considering the color of the levels of the Lords of the Seven Lairs, I took a guess at the voting preferences.
2nd-ranked Roxanne, in favor.
3rd-ranked Renlin, opposing or abstaining.
4th-ranked Daron, opposing or abstaining.
5th was vacant, but in favor.
6th-ranked Roseha, opposing.
7th X
The Lords aligned with Calandas would naturally vote in favor, while those aligned with Roseha would certainly oppose.
How the other Lords would respond was uncertain.
Would they vote in favor as traitors of the 72 Lords, or oppose out of concern for Calandas? It was something that needed to be seen.
“Shall we leave right away?”
“Yes. We ask that the 8th and 40th-ranked Lords accompany us.”
I was already mentally prepared.
I took one last look back. Faces full of worry were turned toward me.
I met their gazes one by one without any pretense.
“As I said, stay out of sight for a while. Even if I die, you all must survive.”
Cecilia approached and embraced me abruptly.
Even with my armor on, she buried her face without hesitation.
“Don’t die.”
“…Okay.”
For a while, Cecilia didn’t let go and just rubbed her face against mine.
I felt guilty about it. She showed this reaction towards me and not Lucas.
After Cecilia retreated, Charlotte seemed hesitant and started to gauge my reaction.
Since it might be the last time, she nodded slightly, signaling it was okay to hug her too.
But she didn’t step forward easily; it seemed she felt she couldn’t just touch a superior Lord.
“Be honest, Charlotte.”
With no other choice, I drew Charlotte into my arms.
A weak tremor transmitted from our shoulders as she gazed up at me, blinking repeatedly.
Her eyes were reddened, glistening with tears. Still, she desperately tried to capture my image without hiding anything.
“Please come back alive.”
“Yeah.”
Looking at the atmosphere in the room, one might think I was going to my death.
That wasn’t entirely wrong, but I had no intention of dying easily.
“Balutak. I’ll be back soon.”
“Kirik!”
Balutak had already fully regrown his limbs.
No wonder they call him the recovery king; his resilience was insane.
Lastly, I locked eyes with Selina, Charlotte’s aunt.
“Take good care of Charlotte.”
“Yes. Don’t worry about it.”
Turning my back on them, I moved towards the council members, and Isabella and Estizel also came to stand beside me.
I quietly thanked them for waiting patiently.
“All 72 Lords expressed their willingness to attend the emergency summons.”
Out of the blue, the beastman executive remarked.
That was to be expected. Given the circumstances, all the Lords would attend.
……Wait a minute.
If all 72 Lords, does that include…?
“Is the Old One attending as well?”
“Yes. The 1st-ranked Lord will also be in attendance.”
The Old One had never shown himself before.
Given how unusual this internal conflict was, I had hoped he might appear.
‘What’s the occasion?’
Was it just for show, or was he coming to personally execute me?
I had thought it was just Roxanne I needed to worry about, but if the Old One was hostile as well, it changed everything.
Given that there were only rumors about him, I had no idea of his true strength.
All I knew was that he ranked 1st. Everything else was shrouded in mystery.
Not knowing was enough to instill a deep, unshakeable fear.
“Lord.”
While I was lost in thought, a portal opened.
The executives led the way, and we followed behind like shadows.
The Old One.
Please, don’t take any interest in me…