The Boss Wants to Die - Chapter 32

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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 boss wants to die.
32
That this was my boyfriend — I wanted to go back in time and tear my own hair out.
“A Party Quest of this caliber? I’ll clear it in one breath. So accept it.”
Michael spoke entirely in commands.
His reluctance to be part of our group melted into his low, trembling voice like contempt seeping through.
“If you’ll finish quickly and disappear, I suppose I can’t refuse.”
Acht tilted his head lazily, studying Michael’s face.
“You still don’t know the Evil God’s real name, do you?”
“Real name?”
“Yeah. A real name.”
Michael furrowed his brow as if asking what nonsense this was.
“Isn’t the Evil God’s name Iroun?”
“That’s an alias. You think Bishop Montigue’s name is Montigue and his surname is Bishop?”
……
When Michael said nothing, Acht pressed on as if confirming something.
“That badge looks like it’s from the Eclisse Diocese. Isn’t Bishop Montigue stationed there?”
“That’s correct.”
“Then why do you look spaced out?”
“I simply… never thought of it that way.”
Michael fingered the Holy Silver Badge hanging from his chest, his expression growing somewhat melancholy.
‘Is he bothered by what he’s become — a Fallen Priest?’
My own mouth turned bitter. I had corrupted him with my own hands.
Even though he had begged me to make him my servant.
‘If it troubles him this much, why ask for it in the first place?’
“Before the Bishop is embarrassed, stop spouting nonsense and introduce yourself properly.”
Michael looked at me.
I blamed Acht for deliberately scratching an itch that didn’t exist, making the awkward air worse.
“Everyone knows my name as Iroun. What does it matter?”
“Are you going to introduce yourself as Iroun when we meet Roman, the client?”
I had no answer. In the end, I had to give my real name.
For some embarrassing reason, I looked away from Michael’s eyes and let it out.
“I’m Iroun.”
……
Michael just stared at me in silence.
It was strange — he who valued common sense and propriety should have been paying attention at the moment of a true introduction, yet he seemed lost.
“Is my name difficult to pronounce?”
“Iroun.”
He murmured it quietly.
“So you had a different name all along, truly…….”
His tone sounded remorseful, so I waved a hand dismissively.
“You’re not the only Player who knows my name as Iroun, and it’s fine. Acht is the unusual one here.”
“Then, I accept.”
Acht, who had been stubbornly resistant, finally lowered his proud nose and accepted Michael as a party member.
[Michael Irubel has been invited to the party.
― Party Leader: Acht Hevgenia
― Party Members: Evil God Iroun, Michael Irubel.]
“In the system, it’s written only as Evil God Iroun, I see.”
Michael checked the party window repeatedly as if something were amiss.
“Isn’t it standard for a name to appear in the party window, no matter how unusual the class?”
I let out a small laugh.
“I’m an Evil God. Of course it should show as Iroun.”
“Nobles display their names, not their titles like Count or the like.”
“Are nobles and monsters the same thing?”
There was a faint edge to my words.
I swallowed the roiling emotions to avoid snapping at Michael unnecessarily.
Thrashing around here would only make me more pathetic.
“In this world, my existence is nothing more and nothing less than the Evil God Iroun. That’s why it shows that way.”
Explaining it in my own voice made this wretched life feel all the more unbearable.
‘If only this damnable monster body would just die quickly.’
I stood with a sunken expression, staring down at the ground, and felt Michael studying my face for a long while.
When the weight of his gaze grew unbearable and I lifted my head, he turned away as though to avoid the awkwardness that would follow.
His expression didn’t look particularly pleasant either.
I exhaled the old anger like a breath and turned to leave.
“Let’s go find Roman now.”
But I’d barely taken a step before I stopped—the problem being that I had no idea where Roman was.
I opened the quest window to check, but there was no information to be found.
“What do I do?”
Just thinking about searching for Roman already exhausted me.
“Acht, you don’t have any guidance for him?”
“Why are you looking for Roman?”
Michael cut me off with an expression that said the question was obvious.
“He’s the lord of this village.”
He pointed to a massive castle squatting in the center of town.
“If you go to the castle, you can meet him.”
I let my hand slip sheepishly from my waist.
***
“At last! At last a Player has accepted the request!”
The moment we arrived at the castle, Baron Roman burst into a flurry of fussing the instant he saw us.
He guided us to a guest room, ordered his servants to bring tea, and his eyes glistened with tears.
I confirmed the name floating above the man’s head. He was an NPC.
‘So. The NPCs in this game clearly recognize Players for what we are.’
I sat down, thinking it was a rather strange game indeed.
The chair was soft and plump, upholstered with crimson velvet.
Even as a baron, his circumstances didn’t appear strained.
‘Perhaps he made his fortune and earned his title that way.’
Despite being a baron, he not only served the tea himself but maintained formal speech throughout.
There had been more than a few odd things so far, but this struck me as the strangest.
Was a Player’s social standing higher than a nobleman’s in this place?
‘If that’s the case, wouldn’t it make more sense to abolish the Class System altogether?’
I recalled the NPCs I’d seen stationed throughout the streets.
And the Players, sparse by comparison.
‘Maybe the Class System is maintained because the NPC population overwhelmingly outnumbers the Players? There’s no way to know.’
“Until now, no one has accepted that quest. It’s quite difficult, you see.”
Roman smiled modestly, as befitted the lord of a quiet village, and scratched his head.
“Quite a number of Players stay in this village. The scale has grown so large that finding one necklace is like searching for a needle in a desert—which is why no one has taken the quest until now.”
“I understand it’s the Locket Necklace belonging to Lady Iliad. Could you explain the details?”
Michael, befitting a 230-level Player, confirmed the quest’s details with practiced ease.
Roman’s expression hardened subtly, but he forced it to relax as he fingered his teacup.
“It’s a keepsake from my mother.”
He spoke with evident sorrow.
“My mother passed away not long ago. Along with my father. I hadn’t even finished preparing to become lord when everything happened so suddenly.”
“How did it come to pass? Could you explain?”
“It was a carriage accident.”
Roman gulped down his tea and moistened his lips.
“Not far from here, there’s a small NPC Village that Players rarely visit. Have you heard of it?”
“NPC Village?”
When I asked in confusion, Roman finally met my eyes.
I’d never seen eyes so vivid before—a scarlet so saturated and brilliant it outshone any rose.
He couldn’t tear his gaze away from mine, studying me for a long moment.
“Ah, yes.”
He answered almost absently, his eyes wandering over my clothes and the Tiara upon my head.
He seemed somewhat distracted.
‘Why is he examining me so closely?’
When I frowned to show my discomfort, Roman laughed awkwardly and forced himself to look away.
“Previously, that village was also a place Players visited frequently, but after the hunting grounds were reorganized, it became a place Players no longer visit at all. As you know, villages without Players quickly decline. Monsters don’t drop enough materials, you see. Nor the items that only Players can craft.”
“Then the Baron and Baroness…….”
“Their carriage overturned on the way to NPC Village. It’s so remote that it cuts across a cliff face, and unfortunately——”
Michael’s brow furrowed.
“The Baron and Baroness visited such a dangerous place in person?”
“There’s an old friend of Father’s there. Another NPC, just like her.”
At the mention of them both being NPCs, Michael seemed to accept it readily enough.
I, on the other hand, understood nothing, but decided to hear Roman out to the end first.
It seemed better to organize my questions and ask them all at once—that way I’d understand the whole picture later.
“You won’t need to go as far as NPC Village. The necklace disappeared while we were collecting and preparing Mother’s remains.”
“I see.”
Michael, who had been tapping his chin in thought, continued.
“Could you describe the Locket Necklace for me? What does it look like? Any distinguishing features?”
“Of course. I have a copy. Shall I show it to you right away?”
Roman started to show Michael a drawing of the necklace but hesitated.
“If I may ask—who is the party leader?”
“Me.”
Acht, who had been resting his chin on his hand and staring into the distance until now, finally spoke.
Roman’s eyes widened in surprise, but true to his noble upbringing with its strict etiquette, he quickly masked his expression.
Acht was staring at Roman with an intensity that bordered on rudeness.
Even knowing that Baron Roman, who was receiving us as honored guests, would not openly express his displeasure.
I jabbed my elbow into his ribs.
‘What’s wrong?’ I mouthed silently.
But Acht couldn’t quite shake off his obvious discomfort.
“This is it, then. They look identical.”
…….
“Now all you need to do is find this.”
Unable to bear Acht’s persistent stare any longer, Roman asked carefully.
“Is there perhaps something… troubling you?”

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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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