Deadline Is Raining in the Status Window - Chapter 269

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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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#Epilogue 1

I told myself there was nothing left but happy days with Gerth, desperately clinging to denial—yet dawn broke with cruel inevitability the next morning.
You cannot twist a rooster’s neck to stop the dawn. No amount of self-hypnosis could halt time’s relentless march, no matter how I tried to convince myself that we would live happily ever after.
After completing our moving preparations, we exhausted every ounce of mana to relocate the Serpent King’s Tower to Crownpolis. When we arrived at the desolate Imperial Palace hunting grounds—the very place Mitchell Neftis had accidentally burned to ash long ago—an invitation arrived through the masked attendants serving Emperor Cecilia.
Those who remembered all the crimes Mitchell Neftis had committed before the cover-up was exposed urged me to spend quality time with His Majesty, then fled the Tower en masse the moment we arrived in the Capital. Among the deserters were Sera, Sunbird, and Seian Crowell—all connected to the Imperial Court. Left alone with Gerth, I followed the masked attendant’s guidance toward the ruined Separate Palace.
In the Separate Palace where everything had turned to ash, leaving only pillars and outer walls standing, a peculiar tea party commenced. I was dragged before Cecilia like a criminal and grasped the teacup as though receiving poison.
“Do you remember?”
“No.”
“The chandelier fell because you threw a chair out of boredom, and the fire spread from there.”
“I don’t remember.”
“Then there was the time you asked why I wore white underwear when I only dressed in black.”
“I was wrong.”
For decency’s sake, I shouldn’t bring up such vulgar matters in front of my new husband. I apologized for my curiosity about what lay beneath Cecilia’s skirt, and the woman expressionlessly brought up the events of the fire.
“You were the culprit, so you escaped the Palace first. Then you cast concealment spells on people fleeing from the flames, one after another.”
“Something like that may have happened.”
“As the Crown Princess, I was able to escape outside relatively quickly.”
“….”
“You saved me for last and cast concealment on me.”
Did I? It seems like I might have. Cecilia had watched me cast concealment on people with wide, unblinking eyes. Back then, I seemed to be absorbed in a game of seeing what I could do to make Cecilia frown.
“I didn’t understand why you did that at the time.”
“?”
“You resembled me—the way I dragged Seian Crowell along.”
“You psychotic bastard!”
Don’t compare me to some psychopath’s anecdote! If it’s a Seian Crowell story connected to the fire, then you’re talking about that—the time you took Seian to the Empress Palace after killing your own mother and setting it ablaze!
My memory’s hazy, but I only kept him for last because I was curious how you’d react. That’s completely different from your psychopathic experiment of eliminating Mother and monopolizing Seian!
“I was curious about Seian Crowell’s expression when he lost his mother.”
“….”
“Don’t you think we’re alike?”
“No matter what, you’re different—you perverted psychopath!”
I pointed at the pervert and cursed her, and the Bachelor came rushing over to smack my head hard. Gerth knew I hadn’t bothered to dodge, but apparently hurt, he struck the Bachelor with a sharp blow. The sound of the man’s skull caving in echoed through the air, and he screamed.
“Evan’s words were harsh, but violence is not justified.”
“You wretch! Do you speak knowing that His Majesty is the foremost of the Empire?”
“Then Evan Laef is His Majesty the King of Ten Thousand Demons.”
“This makes no sense!”
Now that I think about it, isn’t my current position strange? I’m the king of all demons, yet all humans have become mana users and thus demons. Does that make me the king of all humans as well? Isn’t my responsibility far too heavy?
As I voiced my grievances to the sky, a point presumed to be an Artificial Satellite glimmered and shone, then a status notification window appeared.

The matter would be resolved through the Sung King of Sungkuk Kingdom.

Wow, the Mother Goddess had resources to spare and responded immediately. Most humans are currently in a shy Demon Race state, and if someone carelessly reports a troublesome bastard as a Demon Race, it could spiral into a witch hunt—so as an absolute being, she must have plenty to handle. First, I should start by organizing the terminology.
“I’ve documented all the irreverence you’ve committed so far. Want to see?”
“…I’ll review it for now.”
At Cecilia’s gesture, one of the masked attendants brought forth a stack of documents of staggering volume. It contained records of everything from me freezing to death the guardian tree of House Neftis, a nationally designated protected species, to giving the Previous Emperor the middle finger ninety-eight times, tripping Cecilia, flipping up her skirt, stealing Seian Crowell’s panties and fleeing—all meticulously documented.
So Seian Crowell, you pretended not to be close with Cecilia, but you tattled about having your panties stolen.
“Even using all your authority, it seems you can’t escape at least five executions by beheading.”
“If it’s beheading, I’ll accept it gladly!”
“That’s the problem.”
Cecilia gestured once more, and this time the Bachelor drew his sword and thrust it at my neck. The moment the blade touched my throat, the sprout of Diamond Body activated of its own accord, and with a sharp crack, the sword shattered. I quickly caught the blade fragments mid-air to prevent them from flying toward Cecilia.
“I’ve heard the explanation, but you’ve truly become a monster.”
“Evan’s power is now at a level that cannot be controlled unless the Mother Goddess herself intervenes.”
The Bachelor cursed me as a monster, but Gerth seemed to take it as praise, shrugging his shoulders and boasting about me.
“There’s no ordinary way to punish you anymore. Whipping you would just tickle.”
“That does seem to be the case.”
“So as a second option, I’m thinking of sentencing you to 300 years of imprisonment.”
“I’m busy.”
The King of Ten Thousand Demons is so busy, and she wants to lock me away in Prison. When I flatly refused, Cecilia laughed with a sharp, sinister sound and expressed her displeasure. She hadn’t used any magic, yet the surroundings darkened and breathing became difficult. It would be less terrifying if she’d actually used magic. My breath quickened. How can she make me suffer just by glaring? It’s frightening. Cecilia is frightening.
“300 years is too long.”
Not only I, but the Bachelor and even young Seian Mark Two Three turned pale and couldn’t utter a word, yet only Gerth remained unaffected and made a proposal to Cecilia. Why is only Gerth unscathed? Is it because there’s no darkness in his heart? Does his pure, pristine innocence slip past Cecilia’s oppression?
“Reduce it to 100 years, O King of Humans. I am married to Evan, so I shall bear the sin together.”
“Are you saying you’d enter Prison in her stead?”
“I am.”
“Hmm.”
Cecilia’s interest was piqued, and she withdrew her laughter. Returning to her usual expressionless face, Cecilia spoke with an air of utter boredom.
“How amusing.”
“Thank you.”
“There will be times when you must serve me as well.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“Evan is under the same conditions.”
“It is Evan’s karma.”
“Hmm.”
Cecilia’s lips curved upward in a different sense than before. Breathing became easy again. The surroundings brightened. Cecilia’s darkness no longer gripped everyone’s hearts. Was natural sunlight always this warm? I realized the preciousness of everyday moments. Natural light is truly wonderful.
“Shall we begin at once?”
“Understood.”
Cecilia and Gerth sprang to their feet. As Cecilia extended her hand, Gerth smoothly offered her an escort he’d never given me before, and they walked together. I had something to say to these two immediately.
“Hey, wait!”
I shouted and pointed, causing Gerth and Cecilia to turn and look at me in confusion. I felt utterly wronged. I had gotten married yesterday. I hadn’t even been able to approach the bed with Gerth. I was deeply, profoundly wronged.
“Hey! Hey now! I’m a newlywed!”
“You wouldn’t have had a problem if you hadn’t seen my underwear.”
“Evan. Your fault.”
No wait, Gerth—I may have committed a grave sin, but surely the punishment doesn’t fit the crime. I quickly dashed forward and positioned myself between them.
“Gerth! What about the Serpent King’s Tower without you!”
“Evan is the co-owner of the Tower, and Hubert is the Serpent King’s regent.”
Gerth, always speaking only the correct truth, scooped up Cecilia and leaped right over me. He said he was busy because he needed to spend at least one more day breaking into my vault.
With nothing left to say, I stood there like a stone monument as Cecilia’s attendants, led by the Bachelor, began tidying up the party venue and departing from the ruins. The Bachelor, perhaps taking pity on me as he left, patted my shoulder and told me to hang in there.
I locked myself in the honeymoon suite—one Gerth and I had never used—and wept the entire day.

◇ ◆ ◇

“Mother, have you calmed down?”
“No.”
I’m still crying. Crying from the injustice of it all. I endured for years after meeting Gerth, never even able to touch him, and now I’m supposed to just hand him over to Cecilia? The sheer unfairness and resentment drove me to smash the bed to pieces in a rampage, but Hubert simply sidestepped the debris and smoothly handed me an invitation.
“You’ll need to attend the Imperial Palace as the Demon Race representative. They’re holding a terminology coordination meeting while the Sung King is in the Capital. A carriage has been sent.”
I have to attend. If I leave this entirely to the Sung King, who has lived as a pure human until now, and to Cecilia, they might actually try to divide the two races into categories like “human” and “quasi-human.” How anthropocentric and imperialistic. If we’re going to argue about this, Bruno would be useful.
“I’ll go now. Are Leri and Wenri at the Tower?”
“Leri is fine, but Wenri is sleeping again today.”
“Bring him anyway. Better than nothing.”
I dressed in the King of Ten Thousand Demons regalia that Hubert had prepared and headed to the Imperial Palace. Leri had apparently visited every major boutique in the Capital in just one day, looking far more fashionable than a few days ago.
“My goodness, darling! The King of Ten Thousand Demons regalia looks absolutely stunning!”
“Thank you. Your new stilettos look lovely too.”
“Oh, you noticed? You really are the only one for me!”
“Stiletto heels, I believe they’re called? The way your ankle bone protrudes seems designed to stimulate the fetishes of countless sentient beings. At minimum, it’s stimulated mine.”
“Darling, if you want to die, keep talking.”
“Understood.”

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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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