Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 100

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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The man who took my words lightly settled at the table, mentioning it was his first meal since waking. The female sheep demi-human, Wenri, stifled a yawn and said she’d have a brandy before retiring.
Nocturnal tendencies aside, those pointed teeth—if she had no talent for combat, then could she be…?
“A fruit bat?”
“Oh! You’re quite knowledgeable!”
Because of her pointed teeth and her position as a Serpent King’s Tower Floor Master, everyone assumed she was a vampire or blood bat, Bicure lamented.
“A blood bat would use echolocation, so her face would be blunt. You have a high bridge and beautifully sculpted features.”
“Ahahaha! Thank you. The Serpent King’s Consort is quite amusing.”
“I am not the Serpent King’s Consort.”
“Oh right, that was the setting.”
Bicure, answering cheerfully, munched on the fruit placed on the table. Those pointed teeth were adorable.
Hubert and Gerth, having entered the kitchen, spent time preparing the meal, but I passed the time pleasantly conversing with Bicure. Meanwhile, the other officials who had finished their duties arrived and took their seats, prompting Gerth and Hubert to bring out a generous spread.
“The kitchen only had plain rice porridge and soy sauce, so it took some time.”
“Huh? Porridge? Is someone ill?”
“I was going to feed it to Evan Laef.”
I was still growing—why would he try to feed me only porridge? Last time he insisted I eat only meat to build muscle. When I asked what changed his mind, Gerth complained with a rather cunning expression.
“Because you deceived me.”
“I’m… sorry.”
“I will not forgive you.”
“I’m… still sorry.”
I suppose I have no choice—I bear the guilt for this. Still, it was worth nearly dying today. Gerth was finally taking proper care of my meals.
“We’ll discuss this while eating.”
Since Gerth spoke clearly enough, the demi-humans understood and cheerfully exclaimed their thanks before eating. I too enjoyed Gerth’s cooking after so long, eating heartily, then brought up the matter of the Demi-human Village residents.
“I want the surviving demi-humans to perform forced labor.”
“Evan Laef. You are too lenient.”
Did he mean to say it was too weak a punishment?
When I asked, Gerth nodded in agreement, and the other officials raised their voices, mentioning how Titi, who was living perfectly fine, was nearly sacrificed, and how I nearly died, insisting they must atone with death.
But that cannot be. If I had only dealt with Menhil, the bear demi-human who tried to harm me, it would be one thing, but annihilating an entire village is excessive. Of course, if this were a personal matter, I would have eradicated them entirely on my own, but as the Market Master of the Integrated Market, I cannot.
“The bear demi-human is dead. The rest are innocent.”
“Evan Laef. Even kindness has limits.”
“That’s right, Serpent King’s Consort! We need to teach those bastards a lesson!”
“I am not the Serpent King’s Consort.”
“So that’s the setting, apparently.”
I watched the bat demi-human poke the tiger demi-human repeatedly before questioning Gerth.
I wanted to spare the demi-humans. I would impose appropriate punishment and didn’t want to cause unrest among the city’s other demi-humans. However, leaving them completely alone also posed risks. Rumors that someone close to me had burned down a village and massacred many demi-humans could not leak outside. I wanted to increase the labor population within stable security.
“Gerth. Can the Machine King create long-range explosive devices?”
“It is possible.”
“I would prefer them to be small in size.”
“That’s something we need to discuss.”
I would force the demi-human into labor while assigning guards to watch over them. If they ventured beyond the designated area or attempted to leak what happened today to the outside world, they would be executed immediately. The form would be a restraint device worn around the neck, and the explosive force needed to be powerful enough to cleanly blow off a head.
As I detailed my requirements, Gerth answered immediately.
“It should be possible. I’ll get it while I’m going to fix my arm.”
“Thank you.”
“But I have a condition too.”
This was the first time Gerth had come at me like this. When I said I’d listen and judge, Gerth presented a rather forceful proposal.
“I won’t send you to the Academy until you’re strong enough.”
Gerth really did worry about me a lot. But I had my own personal circumstances to consider.
“What if I refuse?”
“You can’t refuse.”
He meant he’d restrain me by force if necessary. It seemed this incident had shaken Gerth quite deeply. Well, he’d thought I was dead for half a day, so it made sense he’d be extreme about it.
When I set down my spoon with a clink, the Serpent King’s Tower Officials and Titi flinched and hunched their shoulders. If Gerth was going to be this firm, there was nothing I could do.
“The standard for ‘strong enough’ isn’t clear.”
“Three hundred reps of five hundred. And you need to be able to subdue Magania.”
“Understood.”
I’d train hard during the break. Since Magania was a Tiger Man, he could fight on equal footing with Menhil, the Bear Man, so it was a reasonable benchmark. When I answered enthusiastically, the officials who had been tensed up and Titi let out relieved sighs.
“I feel like I’m not going to die a natural death here.”
“Bear with it. Where else has better demi-human welfare than the Serpent King’s Tower?”
“As for demi-human labor welfare, put your hopes in the Integrated Market going forward.”
When I spoke confidently as the Market Master, the officials sighed even deeper than before. And they said the exact same thing Leri usually said.
“We really lucked out meeting you.”
“How is it that you’re exactly like the Master, so frustrating?”
“I thought Leri was exaggerating.”
“Stock up the emergency medicine cabinet with stomach medicine.”
I scraped clean the dessert Gerth had made and jumped up for muscle training, shouting “Fighting!” Curious about what I meant, Gerth asked, and when I explained it was a battle cry meaning to work hard, he eagerly repeated after me, “Fighting. Fighting.”
Hubert’s gaze was unkind.
“Well, I need to go do three hundred reps of five hundred.”
I decided to head down to the floor with exercise equipment to avoid Hubert.
“I’ll watch your form.”
Gerth also decided to make his escape and scurried after me. Titi, having nothing to do staying here, chirped and flew over. I exercised without overdoing it, dumped a bucket of cold water over myself, and then slept soundly.
It was very fulfilling.

◇ ◆ ◇

The next day, I went out to the courtyard as usual and was doing my “Crowell Empire, fall apart” exercises when Leri arrived with a pop, carrying Reina, who was carrying Eugene, who was carrying Kanna, who was carrying White One. The moment Kanna spotted me, she rushed over and hugged me, saying she’d been so worried. Eugene and Reina were about to scold me, but when they saw the Serpent King’s Tower stretching all the way to the horizon, their jaws dropped.
“Hey, you… damn it.”
“Evan. If I’m not mistaken, I have a question.”
Well, it’s probably not a misunderstanding, so go ahead and ask, Eugene.
“This place… isn’t it called the Serpent King’s Tower?”
“That’s right.”
“Then, by any chance, the lover you introduced me to yesterday…?”
“That’s Gerth, the Serpent King.”
Reina’s face went pale, and Eugene crouched down with his face in his hands as if the world had ended.
“You crazy bastard!”
“I’m not crazy.”
“No. I agree with Reina, Evan.”
“I’m not crazy.”
“You are crazy, you crazy bastard! Damn it, what am I supposed to do now!”
Hahaha, I suppose there are many hardships that come with being a high-ranking noble, but what can we do? If you want to be my friend, you’ll have to put up with someone like me.
“Evan. Just to confirm in case you did this without knowing—what is humanity’s greatest enemy?”
“The Demon Race.”
“If Gerth is the Serpent King, that means he’s the king of the Demon Race, right?”
“That’s correct.”
“What are Reina and I?”
“Successors to influential noble houses of the Empire.”
“If an extermination order comes down from above, what are we supposed to do?”
“You can follow the order while carrying the burden and guilt of me and Gerth in your hearts.”
“Right. There’s no way you didn’t know what you were doing, Evan.”
Eugene, with a look of resignation on his face, quickly approached and put me in a chokehold. I coughed and tapped his thick arm twice, but the bastard wouldn’t release the hold.
Isn’t the rule that you release the hold after multiple taps? Is Eugene trying to kill me?
“Why are you doing this to me, you crazy bastard! Die, you bastard, die, you crazy son of a bitch!”
Eugene had me in a chokehold while Reina was pulling at my head, and I was completely helpless. As I started gasping to indicate I was losing consciousness, Kanna quickly separated the two of them, and I finally managed to breathe.
“Gasp… gasp…”
“Tell us straight—why did you introduce us to Gerth and not stop us from coming here?”
“Shouldn’t friends share everything with each other?”
“You were planning to make us accomplices, you lunatic!”
“Evan, it’s not good to think of your friends as fools.”
Ow, ow, that hurts—stop hitting me, ow.
I just took the hits as Reina slapped my back repeatedly, only saying “ow.” I couldn’t fight back because I had done wrong.
“Evan, I’m sure you wouldn’t, but it’s best not to reveal this fact to Princess Sera, Crown Prince Seian, or Apet.”
“Hahaha, don’t worry. I’m not an idiot.”
When I spoke cheerfully, Eugene smiled with a sinister expression, and Reina grabbed my collar and lifted me up, venting her anger.
“So you deliberately played us for fools, you trash!”
When the strong Reina threw me down, Leri, who had been watching from across the river like it was someone else’s problem, remarked, “Human society is quite complicated, isn’t it.”
Indeed, human society had always been complicated in so many ways.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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