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Chapter 380
I heard that ryl had regained consciousness.
When I went to the room she was staying in, the first thing I saw was her shoving food into her mouth.
“Uh… bad timing? Should I co back later?”
At my question, she startled, looked at , and hurriedly swallowed the bread she’d been stuffing into her mouth.
After pounding her chest a few tis to clear her throat, she finally cald down.
“What exactly happened? I heard a rough explanation, but…”
Thanks to Luna’s treatnt, her body was in perfect condition—but her soul was another matter.
Having existed as a spirit for such a long ti, she had no mories of herself when she was alive.
“How much did you hear?”
“Th-that… the Watchers collapsed…”
“Yeah. Then you’ve heard enough.”
“….”
She wore a dazed expression, as if she couldn’t believe reality.
“I can’t believe it… internal conflict… how could sothing like this happen…”
“Sotis reality feels more fictional than novels.”
“….”
“For now, just rest. You’re unemployed now. Take it easy here, and we’ll talk once Isna arrives.”
“You’re suddenly… being really kind…”
“You’ve earned that treatnt.”
“My head feels like it’s about to fall off from all the confusion.”
“Don’t worry about that either. I made hair-loss dicine a few days ago.”
She stared at as if at a complete lunatic.
After that, I excused myself to give her ti to compose herself.
When soone is overwheld, forcing information on them often does more harm than good.
What mattered was that she had woken up.
lissa seed to think the sa—she didn’t press ryl any further.
* * *
“Leon. When does mass production of that parasol—no, the dicine—start?”
“Fastest, one month. Slowest, three.”
“What nonsense—! You have no idea how insane the demand is right now. The people who ca to Cascadia are just the tip of the iceberg. Requests are flooding in from everywhere.”
“Tell them to wait.”
The demand was overwhelming.
There were plenty willing to pay extra—far extra—but supply simply couldn’t keep up.
There was a reason for that.
I’d just received an award from the International Federation, and on top of that, the Emperor himself had guaranteed it.
“Leon. I’ll help.”
“I appreciate it, but there’s no reason to take risks before the Ardra petals finish fernting.”
We could use Falling Blossom’s power—it was a plant, after all.
But…
That thing had caused way too many accidents in the past to trust it.
Another option was altering the petals with the Heart of the Machine God, but one mistake and the ingredients would be ruined.
There was no need to gamble.
If the materials were common, I might have tried—but Ardra petals weren’t sothing money alone could buy.
The Emperor had obtained them quickly only because he was the Emperor.
In the end, lissa had no choice but to reply to the countless letters with a general explanation of the situation.
But human obsession, when fueled by desperation, is terrifying.
The turning point ca with one letter sent to Cascadia.
—If you provide the hair-loss dicine quickly, we will share current intelligence about our organization.
I didn’t care who they were.
But if that organization was the Revenants—that changed things.
With the Emperor staying here, ensuring his safety was my responsibility.
Knowing their movents was only logical.
* * *
“This happened.”
“How absurd.”
The Emperor scoffed, yet nodded.
“Still, I understand. When one who has lost everything glimpses a ray of light… the desperation is imnse. Judging by the handwriting, the writer is young. That longing would be even stronger.”
True enough.
He himself had chased a single rumor all the way here.
If older n were like that, the despair of soone losing their hair while still young must have been unimaginable.
We had enough dicine for one person.
After so thought, I decided to et the sender.
They were cautious—soone who valued their life.
In a quiet forest far from Cascadia, Sir Kashibel, who had co in place of the Emperor, and I spotted a figure in a black robe erging from the darkness.
“Y-you brought the dicine, right?”
“Anyone would think I’m dealing drugs. Here.”
I tossed the bottle to him.
“Don’t drink it. Apply it. Rember that.”
“Th-this… this ans I can too…?”
His hands trembled as he clutched the bottle, as if it were more precious than his own life.
“Th-the effect… it’s real, right?”
“You’re not important enough for to scam.”
He fell silent.
Then he spoke.
“Tonight… we’ll attack. Target: the Emperor’s assassination.”
Kashibel erupted with fury and began drawing his sword.
“How dare you—!”
Before the blade left its sheath, I pressed my hand down on the poml.
“—!”
Kashibel looked at in shock.
“Lord Leon!”
“If you kill him now, what changes?”
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“…I was hasty. My apologies.”
“I understand. Go on.”
The robed man glanced around nervously.
“Don’t worry. From the outside, we’re invisible.”
“I can’t be gone long. This is our last chance. All forces will be committed tonight.”
Kashibel closed his eyes.
“What level are we talking about? Honestly, once you step in, none of it matters.”
“Also… we’ll be deploying a Transcendent Entity.”
“A Transcendent Entity?”
“I don’t know the details. Sothing created by fusing various materials—including barbarian organs—into a monster.”
Barbarian organs…
I’d heard rumors of soone buying those in bulk.
“So be careful. Its power can’t be asured by simple strength. Our analysts believe it can assassinate the Emperor with certainty.”
“Any weaknesses?”
“None that we know of.”
“…And if Cascadia interferes, the family will be wiped out—”
The man collapsed.
The ground around him split with dozens of blade marks.
“…Mind Blade.”
Kashibel whispered in awe.
We already had enough information.
But that last line annoyed .
“Where’s your base?”
“What?”
“Why wait? We’ll go to you.”
“You didn’t hear ?! Move the Emperor, return early—”
“No. That’d leave a bad taste in my mouth.”
Anyone who tried to destroy Cascadia—even if they were nothing more than a worm—would be crushed utterly.
“Talk. Then run.”
* * *
Children usually feared Emperor Credos, but Grivy, with the friendliness of a golden retriever, was different.
Spending two years with Arsha had changed her.
Even now, Credos was quietly enjoying the healing presence of the spirit.
He almost wanted to take her back to the palace.
But he couldn’t.
To the world, he had to remain a blood-soaked tyrant.
This rare peace was sothing to savor.
Then Kashibel returned and reported.
The Emperor’s aura exploded.
“Aren’t you angry, mister…?”
“…No. Don’t be afraid.”
“Hehe. I’m going to sleep! Co on, Sur! Serqet!”
Watching her leave, Credos muttered,
“I miss having grandchildren…”
Then his gaze hardened.
“The Revenants truly wish to die.”
“Lord Leon is moving imdiately. What should we do?”
“If we defend here, Cascadia will suffer. They want —not the family.”
“Then…”
“Summon the Shadows. It’s ti to end this.”
He stood and took his sword.
“That cold, heavy sensation… it’s ti to return as the Battle Demon.”
* * *
The Emperor moved fast.
The mont we heard he’d left, Luna, lissa, and I understood his intent.
He didn’t want us to stain our hands with blood.
Honestly, with his strength, the assassination odds were slim.
But…
That Transcendent Entity bothered .
“Tell more,”
ryl said.
When I explained, she went pale.
“Barbarian organs… rare materials… that ans—”
She shot up.
“Chira! Garlan—he made it!”
The traitor Garlan resurfaced.
“The danger isn’t raw power, it’s curses and rituals.”
“Curses?”
“They implant body parts tied to a target. When they et…”
The Chira gains overwhelming advantage.
“…It scars the soul and drains power. If the Emperor is the target…”
Silence.
“That’s nasty.”
“It was information obtained after killing Nyarlathotep in the Closed World.”
I sighed.
“Can it change the outco?”
“Yes.”
Then—
“Get the black gem embedded in its heart.”
That was enough.
“Let’s go.”
Luna stretched.
“I’m stiff.”
At least one thing was certain.
They had no idea what kind of forces Cascadia truly possessed.
“All this,”
I muttered,
“because of hair-loss dicine.”
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