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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Overeating is Harmful to the Body - 1
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Two days later.
The guild master came to the inn, saying preparations were complete.
We were in the middle of breakfast, so we offered him some food.
"I already ate, so I'm fine. Besides, I have other business to attend to."
"I see. Understood."
"It's all been arranged, so there shouldn't be any issues, but here's an introduction letter just in case."
"Thank you. This helps a lot."
"No trouble at all. That said..."
"Yes?"
"When I reported to the lord, the Martial King was there too... but he looked somewhat displeased."
"..."
"I must have been mistaken. Don't mind it."
You probably saw it right.
This territory's laziness. Or rather, its lethargy.
And the one who caused it is the Martial King.
[What? What do you mean by that?]
'Meaning...'
Just then, Neril spoke up as she watched the guild master leave.
"By the way, the bread here is terrible. Too hard."
"You're picky."
"They're much better at brewing black tea here. Let's wrap up breakfast and head out."
"What's the rush?"
"I'm curious. I still have no idea what you're scheming."
She seemed serious as she stood up with a scrape of her chair.
"I'll step out for some fresh air first. Hurry up and come out."
She slowly approached the inn door.
That's when it happened.
Bam!
The inn door burst open violently.
It swung inward, and Neril was right in front of it.
In short, Neril—who was a genius at magic but hopelessly slow on reflexes—had walked straight into the door.
"Pfft!"
...Let's pretend we didn't hear that.
"Ah! I'm so sorry. I didn't expect anyone to be there."
The newcomer bowed at a perfect ninety degrees, flustered.
Even the Witch of Atrocities couldn't bring herself to snap, with regret radiating off her so sincerely.
Instead, Neril rubbed her reddened forehead and let out a deeply ominous laugh.
"Heh heh. Heh heh heh."
"Calm down."
"I am calm. Do I look excited to you?"
"Very... no, never mind."
"You're an amusing little brat. Who are you?"
Jenia, still bowed, replied.
"I'm truly sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow."
She has no idea who she's apologizing to.
It was entertaining to watch—like a detective groveling to a criminal.
Neril seemed to catch on and spoke up.
"I didn't ask you to apologize. I asked who you are. No answer? Fine, I'll say it. You're Jenia, right?"
"Yes! I'm Jenia."
"..."
"Huh? You know my name?"
Jenia straightened up.
She stared at Neril's reddened forehead, then slowly backed away.
"Witch of Atrocities."
"..."
"Ugh. Apologizing to you of all people."
"Why? Want to take it back?"
"...No. No matter who it is, I was in the wrong this time."
She bowed her head.
But when she lifted it, her face was filled with undisguised hostility.
"Did Maide tell you about my friend?"
"You mean the kid named Ophelia?"
At that name, Jenia clenched her fists tight.
But unlike last time with me, she didn't draw her sword.
After several deep breaths, Jenia spoke.
"Yes. Where is she? Did you kill her too?"
"..."
Positioned as she was, Neril simply stayed silent.
After a moment, Jenia spoke again.
"Fine. Don't answer now. Either way, once this is over, you'll die... no, get captured by me."
"Hmm. Not saying you'll kill me means Dame must've raised you well, at least."
"Don't speak my father's name so casually!"
"I'm old enough to call Captain Dame 'Grandpa' casually."
I'd noticed it before, but Neril took quiet pride in her age.
She hated being called "auntie" by me, though.
Anyway, within a minute of meeting, the two were already at each other's throats—just like Neril and Jenia before my regression.
[No need to intervene?]
'Even Kaild couldn't handle those two before regression. Not even the perfect hero's mediation worked back then.'
[Giving up before it starts? I didn't raise you like that.]
'You didn't raise me at all.'
I leisurely finished my milk and asked Jenia.
"Would you care to join us for breakfast?"
The lord was clearly fifty-five—not quite old age yet.
Yet he greeted us in a slumped posture that made him look twenty years older.
And.
'That's the Martial King, Ters.'
The man standing rigidly behind the lord, hands clasped behind his back.
He was just standing there, doing nothing, yet I couldn't stop glancing at him.
His presence was that overwhelming.
Neril and Jenia—future heroes—seemed to feel it too.
Finally, the lord, ignored by all, cleared his throat awkwardly and spoke.
"Ahem. So, you'll take the request?"
"Yes, my lord."
As I replied, I checked Ters's Blood Letters.
Whoa, it's been a while since I felt a shock like this.
-Gert Britz and 2,103,340 others, sinned against.
Good thing I'd seen Kaild's 148 million beforehand.
Without that jolt of memory, my jaw might've dropped.
'What kind of monster is that...? How can one person sin against so many?'
[So you can see people's sins after all.]
'Yeah. Not the specifics, but...'
[Impressive ability. Anyway, how many sins has this Martial King—or Cabbage King or whatever—racked up?]
'Over two million.'
Trail fell silent for a moment.
[This one needs a look.]
'Right. Do me a favor. Target's Gert Britz.'
He activated the ability without a word.
[Used Eye of Omniscience.]
[Current Eye of Omniscience level is 2. Can view secrets up to C-rank.]
[Selection condition: 'Secret between Ters Kline and Gert Britz.']
[Secret rank is C. Viewing.]
First time seeing a C-rank secret.
Would've been trouble without that level-up last time.
Soon the screen flickered black, and footage played.
Martial King Ters overlooking the territory from atop a high wall.
I tilted my head.
'Doesn't seem like an old secret. His face looks just like now.'
[Look at the top right.]
'Huh? Whoa.'
Unlike before, text appeared in the top right.
-December 10, 1529, 7:00 AM.
'It shows the time.'
[Level-up perk. Helpful, right?]
'Very. Eye of Omniscience is top-notch.'
[Haha. Thanks.]
'I said the Eye is top-notch. Why are you thanking me?'
[Lately, you've been treating me a bit rough, haven't you?]
Anyway, I refocused on the screen.
December 10, 1529, 7:00 AM.
This morning.
In other words, this secret was something the Martial King did this morning.
A whole C-rank secret, committed this morning?
I tilted my head again.
That's when it happened.
"The mercenary guild's up to no good. Better take extra today, just to be safe."
Ters muttered that, then jammed his index and middle fingers deep into his mouth.
What's he doing?
"Urk. Uuuurk."
He dry-heaved a few times, then vomited something up.
From the repulsive digestive fluids, he picked up a red gem about two finger-widths big.
'What kind of bizarre ritual is that?'
I muttered internally, but I already had a hunch.
He raised the gem and shouted.
"Come! Give me your power again today. More power for me!"
The red gem glowed.
Moments later.
Heat-haze-like wisps began rising from spots all over the territory.
They floated into the sky, gathered together, then got sucked into the gem.
The Martial King wiped the gem on his sleeve, then swallowed it down again.
"Ugh. Twenty years of this, and it still doesn't get easier."
He patted his belly, checking the gem was safe in his gut.
Snap.
The footage cut off.
Trail spoke in a baffled tone.
[I've seen all kinds of lunatics in my time, but this guy's a first.]
'...'
[For starters, what does this have to do with some guy named Gert Britz?]
'No. Gert's just one of countless victims.'
[Huh?]
'Let's test it. Need to check a few more.'
I randomly picked ten victims from the Blood Letters and used Eye of Omniscience.
All ten matched Gert's footage exactly.
Right—Gert wasn't special, singled out for some huge sin.
Martial King Ters had committed the 'same level' of sin against every person in this territory!
[What are you even saying?]
'Don't get it? Like this morning, he stole the vitality from two million territory folk. Same sin to all.'
[Vitality?]
'Life force, stamina, essence—call it what you want. Point is, that Martial King bastard's why this place is full of slugs.'
And I already knew this fact.
What I didn't know was 'how' he stole their vitality.
'Told you there was a quest to kill the Martial King before regression?'
[Mm.]
'He used the chaos of the Demon King of Lies and Deceit's arrival to massacre everyone in Rior Territory. Back then, I only knew there were no survivors—didn't know how he did it.'
Probably sucked up all their vitality with that mystery gem in his gut.
Dried them out completely.
The Martial King, having drained over two million territory folk, was murderously strong.
Capture was a pipe dream.
It took our whole party piling on to barely kill him.
If Neril hadn't used her trump card 'Decomposition,' we might've lost.
[Decomposition?]
'Exists. Magic that erases you from head to toe. Neril's hidden ace.'
[...]
'Anyway, we couldn't even examine his corpse, so the quest ended on a sour note without figuring out how he absorbed their vitality. Turns out he was hiding his weapon in his stomach.'
What the hell is that gem?
And why's the Martial King pulling this insanity?
How do we resolve this?
My head's spinning.
That's when it happened.
"My lord. I'll take it from here."
"Sir Ters."
"You've been worn out lately with everything. They took the request boldly, but they're just mercenaries. Not worth your direct attention."
Neril snorted at the Martial King's words.
Jenia, unused to such treatment, looked quite flustered.
Figuring neither would react properly, I spoke up quickly.
"It pains me to hear such words from the Martial King, whom I've always admired."
"This quest has gone unsolved for twenty years. 'Impossible' spelled out at length. Don't give the lord false hope."
"..."
"My lord, shall we go?"
Incredibly rude, the Martial King jerked his chin toward the door right in front of the lord.
That told me all I needed about their relationship.
The Martial King's sky-high fame. The weakened lord.
Ters was already the real ruler of Rior Territory.
The viscount glared at Ters, but wilted under the Martial King's "woof if you dare" expression.
"Hm. Ahem. Very well. I leave this to you..."
"No."
I calmly cut off the lord.
The Martial King's eyebrow twitched.
"What?"
"One apology first, Martial King. I lied to you. Never admired you."
"...!"
"I'm not done with the lord. If anyone's the unwelcome guest here, it's you. Would you mind leaving?"
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