Ch.345Authorized NPC (1)

-BOOOM⎯!!!

“Hiiieek?!!”

“…How?”

I fired the gun with considerable force to deal with both the Prime Minister and the Emperor simultaneously, but while the audience chamber shook, neither of them sustained any injuries. They remained unharmed despite being hit, just like the high priests we’d encountered on our way here. Actually, that’s not quite right.

“Hmm. Are they deploying a simplified version of the outer barrier? I see, this is maintained by the Emperor’s lifespan and magical power.”

The ancient relic barrier that Jack and I had broken through with our blood-mingled kiss was now spread out in front of the throne in the audience chamber.

Ha, this is ridiculous.

“Your Majesty. Isn’t this a rather pointless struggle? Are you committing suicide because you don’t want to die by my hand?”

“Hiiieek!! S-Salbert!! You!! Drive that monster awaaay!! Guards!! Kniiights!!!”

“Yes, Your Majesty. I will remove them immediately.”

“Amusingly insane. Being manipulated by your vassal without realizing you’re dying—you’re an even more delightful fool than that idiot from the Duchy.”

“Headmaster, that’s harsh.”

“Hmm, but he is your father, isn’t he?”

“That’s not it. I just mean there’s no need to insult someone who’s clearly mentally ill.”

I think her scathing assessment is generally correct, but there’s no reason to dirty her mouth with insults. Honestly, both the Prime Minister and His Majesty are such fools.

-Shing.

“If it’s magic activated by an ancient relic, then naturally I, as a member of the royal family, can pass through that barrier. Did you really think you could flaunt that without knowing this basic fact?”

“Hahah. As if I wouldn’t know that.”

As I draw my sword and approach slowly, the Prime Minister shrugs with a sinister smile. He must have tampered with the relic somehow. And there will certainly be a trap. However.

‘He still doesn’t know how strong I’ve become.’

He thinks my power is limited to this red gun. That’s the only information he has. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have foolishly continued to send his covert operatives to approach me, only for them all to be absorbed.

In other words, even if the kingdom’s Knight Commander is hiding behind that barrier, there’s no reason I should lose—no danger to me.

“Hmph. Are you planning to enter, even though the trap is obvious?”

“I’m curious to see just how effective a trap prepared by someone with fat even in their head will be against me.”

There’s no sign of the high priest we fought earlier reappearing. I stood in front of the barrier and swung my sword, which bounced back with the sound of metal striking metal. As expected, he hasn’t done anything special to the ancient relic. So the trap must be behind the barrier?

After preparing to counterattack in case of an ambush, I moved my foot into the barrier…

“Assistant, wait! Something’s wrong!!”

“What?”

Just as my foot was halfway through the barrier with no resistance, the Headmaster’s urgent voice stopped my movement, and a pink high-ranking demon that had appeared out of nowhere grabbed my shoulder and pulled me back forcefully. What, what’s happening…?

[Fooooood!!!]

-CRUNCH!!

“Kyaaaah!!!”

“Tch!!”

-KWANG!!!

The high-ranking demon that pushed me away had its wing torn off by a suddenly appearing human-sized maw, and though the Headmaster launched an attack at the maw, the creature simply retreated behind the barrier. What is that thing? Is it a demon like the one that ambushed us earlier?!

“Hey, slave.”

“I-I’m fine…”

“I can see you’re fine. More importantly, how much magical energy did it steal?”

“Ugh. A-about half. I never expected a fragment of Gluttony would still remain…”

“Puhahaha!! How absurd. Princess, are you criticizing me while you yourself are in league with demons?”

The Prime Minister, now dropping all honorifics, laughed loudly and began mocking me, saying that if I had taken just one more step, my body would have been torn in half. Ha, the audience chamber. Even with the Emperor present, there’s a demon inside? Then, did the Emperor’s guards all disappear knowing this? Are they all truly insane?!!

“Assistant, that’s enough. Fall back. This situation is bad.”

“Why? Didn’t you say you could easily kill Gluttony?”

“That’s only under the right circumstances. I can’t break through that barrier, but it can freely move in and out while attacking. Even if it’s just vermin-level, it’s reabsorbed half of a high-ranking demon’s magical energy. Its power has increased that much.”

[Crunch, munch, uhhh… Delicious. You, you’re delicioussss!!!]

“H-hiiiek?!! H-Headmaster!!!”

“Stop wasting time and hide before you lose more.”

“Yesss!!!”

“Now, demon! Eat your fill! Devour both that middle-aged magician and the demon before Priest Torrens arrives!!”

[I’ll eat everythiiing!!!]

As if knowing about the high priest we had defeated earlier, and that he was still alive, the Prime Minister shouted his orders. The massive maw disappeared beneath the ground, and the Headmaster clicked her tongue, using magic to lift me into the air as she retreated skyward.

Damn it, one mountain after another. No, one demon after another? Both the Theocracy and the Empire are just using demons…!!!

[I’ll eat youuu!!!]

Contrary to what I expected, the demon that had hidden underground reappeared on the other side of the barrier. Its speed as it ran along the wall, seemingly intent on rushing us in one go, was incomparable to its earlier ambush. But the Headmaster had said that if we just had a chance to attack first, taking it down would be easy.

“Headmaster! Let me shoot it first with my gun…!!”

“No! It devours everything made of magical energy!! Only spirit arts and magic specifically processed to be inedible will work!!”

The Headmaster was putting all her effort into just avoiding the creature’s attacks, as if one-sided attacks would be disadvantageous, and I, floating in the air due to her magic and only able to use my gun, could do nothing.

-CRUNCH!!

“Kuk!!”

“Headmaster?!!”

The Headmaster teleported and deployed a barrier with all her might in front of the rapidly approaching creature, but her clothing was torn as if caught by something. Fortunately, it didn’t seem like her limbs were torn off, but the creature, seemingly satisfied with just being able to eat the Headmaster’s magic, returned inside the barrier. Our chance to attack disappeared. Ah, this is so frustrating!!

-Click!

“That’s it!! I’ll just use my full power…!!”

I focus on the sensation of gathering MP in my gun, preparing to fire with all my might. What does an ancient relic barrier matter! MP is different from magic! I’ll blast it with everything I’ve got!!

“All of you die—!”

-KWACHAAANG⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯!!!

[⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯⎯?!!!]

“”””?!!””””

Just as I was about to fire my gun, and the Headmaster was trying to stop me, the wall of the audience chamber exploded as if hit by artillery fire. With a tremendous blast, even the ancient relic barrier shattered, and the Gluttony demon that had been hiding behind it was vaporized before it could even scream properly. What, what on earth was that?!!

-Rumble, rumble, BOOM!!!

“…W-what in the world was that just now.”

“Ha, Headmaster, wasn’t that you?”

Don’t say such crazy things. The Headmaster’s voice trembled as she looked back and forth between the throne that had been blown away, the collapsed wall, and the pillar of the audience chamber that was about to collapse from whatever had crashed into it. W-what is this…

“Ugh, ah… Gor, that bastard. I’ll deal with him when I get back.”

-BOOM!!

From where the debris of the collapsed wall and pillar was being pushed aside, I heard a male voice that I knew all too well, and I felt my eyes twitch involuntarily. No, it’s not because I want to cry, but because I’m genuinely flabbergasted.

-Rumble, thud, clang.

“Ah, shit. I hit someone. Hey, mister, are you oka…? Those are some nice clothes. Oh, is this a crown?”

The Emperor who had been on the throne that was blown away. Somehow still alive but unconscious, his neck was being held by the newcomer, who was looking at the crown that had fallen at his feet, then at the Emperor, and finally at me as if just noticing.

“…Oh. Holy shit, could this be my father-in-law?”

Making an uncharacteristically quick assessment of the situation, he started dusting off the Emperor’s clothes. Uh, what? Jack? More importantly, are you okay? How did you fly in… How did you break that barrier…?

“Ahem, ahem! Ah. Don’t sleep in a place like this. Here, stand up.”

“No, that’s because you knocked him uncon—”

Jack forcibly propped the Emperor against the wall, and now even the Headmaster was at a loss for words, her voice and lips trembling. Ignoring our reactions, or perhaps deliberately disregarding them, Jack stepped about three paces away from the Emperor and then.

“Greetings! Father-in-law!! Without further ado, please give me your daughter!”

“”……””

-Flop.

Of course, the unconscious Emperor who had been forcibly stood up couldn’t answer. Ignoring us, who were too dumbfounded to speak, he continued addressing the Emperor who had fallen sideways.

“I’ve already slept with your daughter many times at night. So I’m taking her with me, okay?”

“What on earth is he saying…”

“…Well, he did sleep with me.”

Not like that. It’s not like we consummated anything. I’m still a fresh virgin, you know? Besides, normally he’d hate talking about such things, but is this really what he should be saying in front of his supposed father-in-law? Why is he acting like this…

-Slap. Slap.

“How can you sleep when someone’s asking for your daughter? If you really don’t wake up, I’m going to eat your daughter whole!”

“Gulp! E-eat me…? I’ll be eaten…?”

“…I give up, I don’t understand anymore.”

The Headmaster grabbed her forehead as if giving up on understanding the situation.

After suddenly barging in, literally erasing the demon, vaporizing the barrier, and repeatedly slapping the Emperor’s cheeks while calling him father-in-law, Jack finally seemed to give up on waking him. He exhaled deeply, looked at me, and smiled. No, what’s so funny about this…?

“Ragni! I got your father’s permission. Now you’re mine!”

“Hiccup!”

As he nonchalantly let out a sound like his stomach rumbling, I started hiccupping, and only the Headmaster’s voice saying, “Do whatever you want now, you crazy lovers,” echoed throughout the audience chamber.