Ch.283283. I’m Really Wronged Here

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“…You did it again.”

Marquis Bogart muttered with a look of disbelief as he gazed into the imperial palace.

The commotion that had been audible just moments ago had suddenly ceased, and he could feel it even from here.

The monstrous Nicholas who had been placed inside was subdued, and the follow-up measures would come next.

‘That masked woman seems to have done her part satisfactorily…’

Marquis Bogart heaved a deep sigh as he recalled the human known as the Luminary.

In truth, it wasn’t exactly a satisfying “partnership.”

He had known for some time that the woman was also cozying up to that damned old raccoon in the Holy Empire.

Of course, he couldn’t claim to be pure as the driven snow himself, but compared to the other side, that description might actually be fitting.

To put it bluntly, the Pope is a bastard. And what’s been revealed of his bastardry is just the tip of the iceberg.

And the Luminary who sticks with him is undoubtedly a bat-like woman. She must know what kind of person the Pope is.

Yet when you consider why she stays with the Pope despite knowing this, it boils down to one thing.

‘…That man again.’

Marquis Bogart snickered as he recalled Darwood Campbell’s usual flustered face.

It’s ridiculous to think about the lineup of women he’s deceived with that seemingly naive and innocent face.

Love is that frightening.

“…”

Well, in that respect.

Perhaps Bogart himself has no right to criticize the Luminary.

He too.

Was moving with everything at stake for the sake of one person.

Just a few steps remained until his goal.

He could tell he was on the right track from what was about to unfold.

-!

With a boom and rising dust, Marquis Bogart gave a bitter smile.

Yes, this woman is always excessively violent whenever she appears.

He quietly murmured as he looked at the giant steel giant that had landed behind him.

“Astrid.”

It must have been a long time since they last met. Over 10 years, perhaps?

The response from such an old friend was utterly cold.

[Do you have any last words?]

“That’s harsh. Is that the first thing you say when seeing an old friend?”

[I don’t think someone who tries to harm another’s child is normally called a friend, right?]

“Is that so?”

Marquis Bogart shrugged and smirked at the steel giant’s arm pointed at him.

As someone who had received various items from the Demonic Spire, he could immediately recognize what it was. An ion cannon, was it?

A weapon that could instantly turn someone without special combat abilities into minced meat.

But.

“Go ahead and shoot.”

[…]

“You can’t, Astrid. That’s not why you came here either.”

He spoke in a level voice.

His transcendent attitude was enough to make even Astrid, who had been pointing the weapon, fall silent for a moment.

“Let’s not growl at each other uselessly when neither of us can kill the other. You didn’t come all this way just to waste emotions like this, did you?”

[…]

“You know it too. There’s not much time left until the ‘End of the World.’ All the thrones of hell have been filled.”

Originally, ‘Yellow’ had dropped out, leaving one seat vacant, but now some guy had ascended as ‘Black.’

Moreover, that guy has the ability to directly influence other demons.

The Otherworld will soon be turned upside down, and the Holy Empire, which is directly connected to it, will take action before long.

“You need to take your son to the Demonic Spire at least once, don’t you, Astrid?”

[…]

“You need to explain everything to him. The ‘meaning’ he carries. The true nature of the demons. The truth of this world.”

[You-]

“I know, I know. Outsiders can never enter the Demonic Spire.”

Marquis Bogart chuckled as he cut in.

“That’s why I’m here.”

His voice remained calm as he continued.

“The Demonic Spire must be dying to chew me up, tear me apart, taste me, and enjoy me right now, wouldn’t they? A mere ordinary human who knows all the secrets of the Demonic Spire. Information about demons, and about Darwood Campbell’s true identity.”

[…Bogart.]

“So if you arrest me and ‘escort’ me inside, your son might get to see the inside of the Demonic Spire once, wouldn’t he-“

[You’ll die.]

Marquis Bogart’s words were cut off sharply.

[…Being a research subject at the Demonic Spire means nothing more than that. If you do this, you will definitely die-]

“I don’t have much time left anyway, Astrid.”

The other party is a machine.

Astrid’s true body must be somewhere in the Demonic Spire.

But even so.

Marquis Bogart thought he saw her fingertips tremble slightly.

Seeing him sitting there with a grin, Astrid struggled to speak again.

[…Why go to such lengths?]

He could have fled if he wanted to. He could have thrown Nicholas in there as a distraction and escaped far from the imperial palace. Marquis Bogart was a man with that level of skill.

Yet, despite that, the reason he remained here was.

Well.

“Just because.”

He said with a bright smile.

“I wanted to see you one last time.”

[…]

A thick atmosphere of speechlessness flowed from the steel giant.

“We were good, weren’t we?”

[…]

“You, Armin, and me. We had fun, didn’t we?”

[…]

“Yeah. That’s enough.”

Bogart grinned at his dear friend.

Yes.

Really.

Seeing her face once was enough.

It felt like he had finally let everything go.

“I’m going now.”

[…]

“Even if we run into each other inside the Demonic Spire, don’t acknowledge me. It would be a nuisance for both of us.”

From this point on.

Marquis Bogart is a rebel who attempted a coup and failed, now arrested. Acknowledging him would only bring negative consequences to Astrid.

After making this clear, he stood up without even checking Astrid’s reaction.

“Well then…”

He sighed as he looked toward the imperial palace.

“…I hope they don’t try to kill me the moment they see my face.”

With those words.

He left the still stunned steel giant behind and sauntered toward the imperial palace.

For someone about to be arrested as a traitor, his steps were undeniably light.

●

The first thing Cecilia Arc Bailey Diedonné discovered when she regained consciousness was.

That she was in a rather unseemly state.

“…”

Huh.

Why are my clothes all disheveled?

She remembered using dragon magic with all her might before losing consciousness.

But she didn’t think it was so intense that her dress would be reduced to rags like this.

“…You…?”

And why is Darwood Campbell’s face the first thing I see when I regain consciousness?

That aside, the awkwardness in Darwood Campbell’s gaze is strangely more noticeable.

Like, how should I put it.

The kind of awkwardness one might have when looking at someone with whom they had engaged in a major indiscretion the night before-

“Your Majesty! Are you conscious?!”

And before that thought could fully form, the Authority’s desperate cry cut through her consciousness.

A familiar face suddenly appeared in her field of vision as she looked up at the ruined ceiling of the conference room.

“…Rad…?”

“You’ve regained consciousness. Thank goodness!”

“What happened…?”

“…”

After a moment of silence, Rad looked at Darwood with displeasure.

“…To summarize briefly, that man saved Your Majesty.”

“…”

The Emperor heaved a deep sigh.

“It seems I have a lot of explanations to hear.”

Indeed she did.

Within the ruined imperial conference room, many events had apparently occurred while she was unconscious.

“First, could someone help me up? I can’t seem to muster much strength.”

“Let me help you up.”

In response to her request, Darwood, who was nearby, readily extended his hand. The Emperor nodded without much thought and grasped it.

“…Ah, thank-“

It was truly a hand taken without any particular thought.

Therefore, the ‘phenomenon’ that immediately followed.

Was bewildering even for the Emperor.

“…Ah…!”

Her lower abdomen.

For an instant, a tingling sensation.

A feeling like a ball of fire started there and raced through her entire body.

“…Eh… eh…?”

The Emperor let out such a moan, unable to control her trembling body.

A viscous liquid flowed madly down her thighs. Her entire body twitched as if in convulsions.

It looked like a child who had committed an embarrassing accident.

But the physiological reaction occurring in the Emperor’s body right now, that is.

Everyone present could tell it had a somewhat different meaning.

As if.

The moment she touched Darwood’s skin.

She had, right then and there, ‘climaxed.’

As if she had reached sexual climax all by herself, with no actual contact, just from holding hands-

“…I didn’t do anything.”

Darwood Campbell painfully uttered those words.

In fact, he had done something.

Demons and their Vessels influence each other.

Having done that to the Brown Demon, it probably affected the Emperor who was its host.

But he truly hadn’t done anything to the Emperor herself right now…!

“…”

“…”

But regardless of his sense of injustice, a terrible silence settled heavily around them.

Neither the Emperor, nor the Authority, nor Darwood, nor the other Demonic Vessels nearby. None of them could speak.

“-…Ugh.”

Moisture welled up in the Emperor’s eyes.

Her voice that followed was also drenched with emotion.

“-Th, this, I, I mean, I, I don’t know… I didn’t do any-“

With tear-filled eyes, desperately pressing down on her skirt.

The Emperor stammered through such sentences.

Unfortunately, her clothes had been reduced to rags and couldn’t properly conceal the liquid flowing between her thighs. The Emperor twisted her body desperately trying to cover it, but without much success.

“I, I, why, why is this happening, n-no, that’s not it…”

By the end of her sentence, she was beyond just sniffling and actually shedding tears.

It was probably a phenomenon occurring because her bewilderment and shame had exceeded the limits of her will.

“…”

“…”

Again, a terrible silence fell around them.

Meanwhile, Darwood quietly sensed his impending doom as he looked at the Authority beside him.

This person clearly isn’t someone who can be reasoned with-

“I can forgive you, Darwood Campbell.”

“…Really?”

Despite Her Majesty the Emperor being in such a state, this embodiment of rigidity says he can forgive him.

If true, it would be an unbelievably fortunate turn-

“…”

Darwood’s expression hardened as he saw the sword being slowly drawn from the Authority’s waist.

“But I’m not sure if this fellow will forgive you.”

“…”

“Would you like to have a conversation with it once?”

He was speaking with a smiling face.

A beaming smile, but the killing intent permeating between the lines was undoubtedly sincere.

“…Um-“

Darwood quickly glanced around.

Everyone was avoiding his gaze and taking a step back.

As if they too felt this was completely beyond help.

“…Fuck.”

It took approximately 30 minutes for the Authority to calm down.

…Could there be anything more unfair than dying after defeating the chapter boss?

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