Ch.378Dice (1)

Several days have passed since it was revealed that the recent incident was a scheme orchestrated by devil worshippers.

People were both relieved and outraged when they heard my announcement, and naturally, their anger toward devil worshippers intensified.

I already knew that devil worshippers considered human lives and rights lower than worms, but now they’ve added the cruelty of creating innocent victims to the situation.

[Devil worshippers used necromancy to target Xenon’s life.]

[Not simple necromancy, but an ability closer to sorcery that attempts to steal souls.]

[Hidden abilities of devil worshippers. What exactly do they possess?]

I didn’t forget to reveal information about the abilities of devil worshippers that Ariel had deliciously consumed.

It’s merely speculation, but considering Ariel’s testimony and the fact that evil spirits possess people in this world, it’s not entirely nonsense.

Even if one doesn’t understand magic, sorcery has such a broad scope that even scholars find it perplexing.

There’s a saying: magic is difficult to understand, but sorcery is too broad to comprehend.

As a result, currently, almost no race primarily uses sorcery except for the Animus.

Some humans occasionally use it, but only in places untouched by civilization.

[The principle of necromancy is closer to sorcery than magic. Because it’s an ability that defies natural order.]

[Then is sorcery the main ability of devil worshippers?]

[Elves have used magic from the beginning, not sorcery, and it came down from the gods. Then from whom was sorcery passed down?]

Interest surged after it became known that the ability targeting my life was sorcery.

Originally, sorcery felt like a folk tale told by grandfathers, but this incident has caused many people to question it.

Especially the Animus, or rather, the Kingdom of Animus, was receiving the most attention. For better or worse.

In a positive sense, scholars were visiting to delve deeper into sorcery; in a negative sense, there was suspicion that they might be backing the devil worshippers.

The former could fill the Animus’s lack of knowledge, while the latter was somewhat insulting.

[After humans, we Animus suffer the most damage.]

[Only the weak believe in devils. Animus overflow with self-confidence and don’t entrust their self-esteem to others.]

[Sorcery is merely respect and hope toward gods. No one can rule nature as they please.]

[I heard most believers are humans.]

So they launched a proper counter. Indeed, most of the races that believe in devil worship are humans.

Some radical demons were also involved, but even Helium has cut ties with them because they’ve gone too far.

Despite all this noise about sorcery, the event didn’t stop.

Rather, as if proving there’s a bottom beneath the bottom, public opinion against devil worshippers is drilling through the inner core.

It’s not just rejection; it’s hatred, as if looking at insects. It’s reached the point where anyone who slightly defends devil worshippers gets buried.

[Why did they fall into devil worship? We need to find the root cause.]

[Most who are not just involved but religiously devoted are commoners. They mainly come from villages far from cities or not affiliated with any domain.]

[Over 90% of the population living in slums are enthralled by devil worshippers… They desire material wealth more than the love and affection of gods.]

As the event progressed, various facts began to emerge. While wealth disparity exists everywhere throughout history, this time it was quite serious.

A survey showed that 9 out of 10 people who grew up in slums could potentially become devil worshippers.

Especially in slums, where death can occur anywhere at any time without raising eyebrows, making them prime targets for devil worshippers.

“Adelia, when did you say you went to the Kingdom of Teres palace?”

“Was it when I was 11 or 12? Probably around then.”

“Did you experience anything strange while living in the slums?”

And Adelia was born and raised in the slums before going to the palace. That suddenly came to mind, so I asked her.

Hearing my question, Adelia paused from folding laundry, looked up, and pondered deeply.

In the past, she might have been reluctant to speak about it due to trauma, but now that it’s mostly resolved, she’s willing to talk.

“Well… I didn’t live in the slums. I was born in the most famous pleasure district in the Kingdom of Teres. Would royalty even come to the slums in the first place?”

“Ah. That’s true.”

“Are you suspecting I might be a devil worshipper?”

Adelia asked jokingly. I responded with feigned nonchalance.

“I was just wondering how such a beautiful flower bloomed in such a place. You suffered harsh treatment in the palace too—is it fate from birth?”

“Hmm. Hmm. You’re getting more shameless by the day.”

Adelia clears her throat and blushes at my joke-not-joke. Seeing her tuck her hair behind her ear, I can tell she’s not displeased.

I chuckled and then pressed the print button on the typewriter. With a whirring sound, pages began to copy.

The pages I’m printing now are the final volume of Biography of Xenon, volume 28. It hasn’t even been two weeks since volume 27 was released, and I’ve already completed writing volume 28.

‘Is Ariel sleeping now?’

As I neatly organized the thick manuscript, I glanced toward the bed. Ariel was sleeping soundly there.

She was snoring peacefully despite being directly hit by the scorching sunlight through the window.

Normally I would close the curtains, but given Ariel’s nature, I didn’t.

As evident from the sprout on her head, she was actually photosynthesizing. This is something I’ve learned from observing her for days.

‘She was lethargic all day when it rained.’

Ariel’s condition varies depending on whether she gets sunlight or not. And now the rainy season is approaching.

In other words, the days when I’ll need to take care of Ariel in earnest are not far off.

When it rained, she didn’t want to leave my arms all day, so I might not be able to write for a while.

‘Rina also said she has something to talk about soon…’

Perhaps I can afford to take a break. I carefully placed the completed manuscript in the mail.

‘I’m looking forward to it.’

I wonder how people will react to the ending of volume 28.

The day to roll the dice is not far off.

******

Even when the world is in turmoil due to events and the atrocities of devil worshippers, there are still quiet places.

Issac’s hometown, the Mayshall family mansion, is one such place.

No matter how noisy the world gets, the Mayshall mansion maintains an ordinary daily life.

Of course, with the domain developing day by day and the rapid increase in population, it’s busy from a business perspective, but that only applies to the head of the family like Hawk.

Moreover, Dave and Nicole are currently enlisted in the army, far from administrative duties. In other words, Hawk alone works overtime regularly.

But recently, even Hawk has gone to the academy, leaving almost no staff behind.

He occasionally visits the mansion, but it’s too tight to approve all the backlogged work.

“To leave such hard work to a delicate person like me. Your father is so inconsiderate. Right, Lilly?”

“Mmm?”

“Yes. Only Lilly understands mommy’s hardships. Still, it’s fortunate your father is still energetic; otherwise, it would have been even harder.”

“Mmm.”

As Anna grumbled, Lilly, lying in her cradle, responded with babbling while sucking her finger.

Whether she truly understands or not, looking at those bright golden eyes makes all the hardships wash away.

Anna gently caressed Lilly’s cheek, seeing her cute response.

Lilly responded to her mother’s familiar and loving touch with a clear smile.

“How are all our children so beautiful?”

Grip!

As soon as she said that, Lilly grabbed Anna’s finger with her tiny hand.

Despite being born not long ago, she was strong enough for Anna to feel her strength.

“…And strong too.”

“Ow!”

“Alright, alright. Mommy will go work for a bit. Nanny?”

“Yes.”

After entrusting Lilly to the nanny, Anna returned to the office where Hawk works.

When the head of the family is absent for some reason, usually the lady of the house acts as a proxy, and currently, Anna holds the final decision-making authority.

Hawk gave her his seal just in case, so Anna is currently approving domain-related work.

‘Actually, it’s not that difficult.’

To be honest, there’s hardly anything difficult. Civil servants dispatched from the imperial court are doing the work instead.

The reason Hawk gets tired is because of his personality and past. Having lived as a knight for decades, he’s directly experienced military supply corruption more than once or twice.

Already meticulous by nature, coupled with distrust toward those above, he checks every document with eagle eyes.

Fortunately, the imperial court also sent civil servants far from corruption to make a good impression on the Mayshall family.

So far, not once has anything suspicious been found, which is why Anna can be somewhat relaxed.

‘Still, the volume is a problem.’

Today’s work will be done in about an hour. It’s only the beginning; once the foundation is established, the workload will gradually decrease.

As she was heading to the office, thinking she should finish quickly to see Lilly…

“Lady Baroness?”

“Hm? Ah, yes. Mr. Jace.”

While walking down the corridor, she encountered a neat young man. He’s one of the civil servants dispatched from the imperial court.

Dressed neatly in uniform like a proper civil servant, but with distinctive dark circles under his eyes.

As soon as he saw Anna, he handed her the mail he was holding and spoke.

“Mail has arrived from Lord Xenon.”

“Really?!”

“Yes.”

Anna clasped her hands together and rejoiced like a young girl at the news of mail arrival.

If it were a letter, he would have said so, but looking at that thick mail, it’s certain.

Inside lies the eagerly awaited manuscript of Biography of Xenon, volume 28.

It was now heading toward its conclusion, and the happy future of Jin and Lilly was not far off.

“Thank you. Is there anything you’d like to eat?”

“No, thank you. Then, I’ll be going.”

“Take care~”

Anna waved to Jace as he left, undeterred by his stiff attitude.

She already held the mail in her arms.

“My son… making it impossible for me to work.”

After Jace disappeared, Anna murmured while looking brightly at the mail he had delivered.

Normally, this mail should be forwarded directly to the publisher, but tomorrow would be fine.

Today was the weekend, after all. Musk Grid is a boss who ensures days off no matter how busy the situation is.

So it should be fine to read it in advance. It would be okay if she did it as a proofreading task.

‘I need to read it quickly.’

There’s no time to prepare snacks. Besides, this is a manuscript, so enjoying snacks while reading could cause accidents.

Anna headed to the office, holding the manuscript of Biography of Xenon volume 28 tightly to her chest.

She plans to read it there since someone might visit the office for business matters.

‘Let’s see. How will the protagonists deal with Diabolos?’

Diabolos made his full-fledged appearance at the end of volume 27. People have been eagerly waiting for the next volume, saying “it’s finally here.”

The demons are unable to fight due to the darkness emitted by Diabolos. Other races, including elves, have strategically retreated due to the massive damage from the war.

Only Xenon’s group remains, and even they are considerably weakened from the battle with Lucifer.

It was truly the worst situation, and many people were looking forward to seeing how they would overcome it.

And…

“Huh? What’s this?”

A rather deflating battle ensued. Diabolos is certainly an arch-devil, but the limitations of his “vessel” were all too apparent.

In his excitement, he released too much power, causing cracks in his vessel, which Xenon’s group targeted intensively.

Furthermore, with Lilly’s nearly infinite support, Xenon’s group didn’t tire at all. Also, through the bonds they’ve built, they attack at the right places without needing to communicate.

Especially Jin’s demonization is the highlight. If Xenon shows good leadership, Jin is the fighting force itself.

The battle scene itself is splendid and shows good cooperation, but is it charming? Well…

Especially the character appeal of Diabolos falls far short compared to the Seven Deadly Sins.

“That’s too anticlimactic.”

Anna couldn’t hide her disappointment at the unexpectedly simple development. This is what everyone wants, but facing it brings a sense of emptiness.

Still, thinking about Lilly and Jin’s happy future, it’s not such a bad choice…

[It advances. The darkness spread by Diabolos. The most hideous and dark blade. It flies toward the most beautiful light.]

“Huh?”

[The world began to flow slowly. In that time, Jin desperately reached out his hand, but…]

[Thwack!]

[He couldn’t prevent the darkness from piercing the heart of light.]

What is this? Anna blinked her purple eyes and read it again several times.

Diabolos, whose vessel finally broke, fired a final strike. That strike was aimed not at Xenon, Jin, or Mary, but at Lilly.

Jin desperately tried to take the hit instead, even shouting…

But he couldn’t prevent that strike from piercing Lilly’s heart.

“…Huh?”

This can’t be. Anna murmured in bewilderment and turned to the next page.

There was no next page. That sentence was the end.

“…What the fuck?”

From Anna’s perspective, it was an ending that naturally drew out profanity.