Chapter 184 - Chapter 38: Dispatch
The day of the court gathering was bright.
The fact that all four of the existing queens were participating attracted the attention of many, but the cancellation of the first one was an unusual event which made it even more interesting.
"What does Unni know? Is Abamama okay?”
Felicia asked as she sat on a chair in the waiting room. Anastasia, who was more graceful than anyone else there, turned gently and faced Felicia.
Anastasia was dressed in a light blue dress and had her usual calm vibe. Her hair, reminiscent of the sky, was raised and fixed with a white hairpin, exposing a long white neck which would cause any man to gulp.
"I don’t know anything.”
It was a very simple answer, but it was special due to her elegant gestures. However, no one in the waiting room blinked an eye at Anastasia’s elegant charm. Chris snorted and spoke in a growling voice,
“Rather, Anastasia noonim, why are you using the same waiting room as us?”
Caitlin’s and Felicia’s expressions changed subtly at his hostile attitude. Anastasia shrugged and stared straight at Chris with her purple eyes.
"Chris, is it strange to want to use the waiting room of my dear siblings?”
She spoke gently, like it was strange that she would need any justification to be there. Anastasia’s appearance, voice, and gestures had the power to control the mood.
‘As expected from the head of a faction.’
In armed forces, Baikal and Zephyr outnumbered Anastasia. However, they weren’t her opponents in the political field. Anastasia had the largest number of concubine children on her side. Chris didn’t have any words to refute Anastasia because she had brought about a strange atmosphere.
Anastasia smiled gently at Chris before shifting her gaze. This time, it fell on In-gong and Carack who were sitting side by side on a sofa.
"By the way, Shutra, you smell very good. No, the scent seems to have become deeper?”
As a succubus, she was very sensitive to smell. She seemed to have noticed the pheromones hidden in In-gong’s scent. Instead of explaining, In-gong just smiled, while Caitlin spoke up,
"Anastasia unni, Shutra doesn’t just smell good.”
“Really? Then what else?”
Anastasia replied warmly, instinctively aware that Caitlin wanted to become closer to her. She placed her hand on Caitlin’s back, and that seemed to break down the wall in Caitlin’s heart. Caitlin laughed and said,
“Shutra is de-.”
"De?”
Anastasia smiled as Caitlin looked desperately at Felicia. Fortunately, Caitlin had realized her mistake as soon as she spoke and forced herself to change the words.
"It is better when he smells like delicious food.”
“Huh?”
Anastasia replied with a confused expression. Felicia sighed with relief and jumped up from seat, forcing Anastasia’s gaze to turn toward her. Just then, a voice came through as though someone was helping Felicia. It was news that it was time to enter the court gathering.
"Wah, it is time to enter. Everyone hurry.”
Felicia spoke awkwardly, but all the children of the demon king, except Anastasia, responded quickly. They got up and headed toward the door, forcing Anastasia to set aside her curiosity for the moment.
As usual, the court gathering was carried out in order of age. As Anastasia entered the court gathering, In-gong let out a sigh. He had already experienced it several times, but he still couldn’t help the pounding of his heart every time he entered.
“9th Prince, Shutra Ignus.”
He entered the court gathering as he heard Isabella’s voice. In-gong stepped forward slowly with Carack. There were more people than usual because the queens were participating. In-gong naturally moved the focus of his aura to strengthen his eyesight, observing the demon king on the podium as he walked forward.
‘Was it not too bad?’
The demon king’s appearance looked almost the same as the other court gatherings. He was watching his children with an expressionless face. It seemed like his illness hadn’t reached a serious level yet.
‘It is fortunate.’
In-gong was sincerely relieved as he bowed to the demon king and queens. Then he moved to his position on Caitlin’s right side.
Isabella started announcing In-gong’s merits. Since there were so many merits, there were many things to announce. Therefore, In-gong focused on observing the queens.
Due to fairness, the queens were sitting side by side on a lower podium, instead of to the left and right of the demon king. Since they were sitting in order from 1st Queen to 4th Queen, In-gong didn’t get the 1st Queen and 2nd Queen confused.
Just like in Knight Saga, 1st Queen Aishar Ragnaros gave off a very calm impression. Regardless of whether it was because 1st Prince Baikal Ragnaros and 2nd Prince Zephyr Ragnoros weren’t around or because she had no interest in the court gatherings in the first place, the 1st Queen was just sitting quietly with a downward gaze.
Her hair was blood red like Baikal’s and Zephyr’s, and the horns above her pointed ears were dark yellow. The pearl dress she wore was just as modest as Anastasia’s, but the 1st Queen was reminiscent of a slender flower on top of a cliff.
2nd Queen Titania Nekrion was completely different from the 1st Queen. If 1st Queen Aishar was the calm autumn, then 2nd Queen Titania was the passionate summer.
Titania looked similar to Anastasia, but the impression she gave off was quite different. It was just like Caitlin and her mother. Unlike Anastasia who gave off a graceful and noble impression, Titania wore a violet dress and seemed to be the personification of sensuality.
Titania moved her long blonde hair as she gazed down at the demon king’s children. There was a strange power in her purple eyes which could enchant the mind.
The Tears of a Dark Elf, which boasted absolute defense against mental attacks, was unable to stop the Succubus Queen Titania’s bewitchment. Titania had the fearsome power to beguile a person just by looking at them sternly. However, due to the Succubus Tears Anastasia had given him, In-gong could turn his eyes away easily.
In-gong glanced toward 3rd Queen Sylvia Doomblade and almost laughed. Unlke the other queens who were watching the children of the demon king, Sylvia kept on glancing back at the demon king. She seemed to be concerned for him.
‘Cute.’
In-gong arranged his expression and looked toward 4th Queen Elaine Moonlight. She glanced his way and greeted him by slightly moving her hand on the armrest. She didn’t care about the gazes of others. Rather, she was making the behaviour obvious.
The eyes of the 2nd Queen turned to the 4th Queen. 4th Queen Elaine just laughed as though she was happy to receive the 2nd Queen’s attention. Their eyes clashed over the 3rd Queen, who was busy watching the demon king.
"That concludes the report of 9th Prince’s merits.”
At that moment, Isabella’s announcement of the merits was over. After that, it was the same as usual.
&
"It is as we had expected. The children of the demon king will gather in the north.”
Chris said with a ferocious smile as they returned to the waiting room. His two beast-like eyes seemed to be seeing Baikal and Zephyr who were already in the north, instead of everyone else in the waiting room. Felicia was usually the one to reply to Chris, but this time she remained silent. She sat on the couch and gave a long sigh of relief.
"I’m glad that Abamama seems well.”
She had watched the demon king throughout the entire court gathering. In-gong couldn’t help smiling, and Caitlin blinked at the sight.
“Shutra, what is it?”
"No, it is just really similar.”
While Anastasia and Caitlin were quite different from their mothers, Felicia was really similar to 3rd Queen Sylvia.
Chris spoke again,
"Anyway, Shutra, when are you going to start? This time, we don’t need to rush because the time period is quite long.”
They only had to arrive at the north within a month. As far as missions went, it was the one with the most generous preparation time so far. Felicia recovered her spirit at Chris’ words and spoke in a loud voice,
"Shutra is going to the Sky Forest with me. So, we will be leaving a little earlier than usual.”
Chris’ eyes widened at her words.
“The home of the dark elves?”
The Sky Forest was the home of the dark elves and the land where the first fairy king had found the fairy a long time ago.
"Yes, it is a previous promise. I’ve already told Omamama.”
"Felicia, don’t forget that this Oppa is going with you.”
Silvan declared boldly after Felicia spoke, but no one paid attention to him. As poor Silvan was left to sulk alone, Chris opened his mouth to speak again.
"Hmm, I see. So, I’ll go with you.”
“What?”
This time it was Felicia’s eyes that widened. However, rather than facing Felicia, Chris patted the head of Caitlin, who was sitting next to him.
"Caitlin, do you want to go to Felicia noonim’s home?”
"Yes, I want to see it.”
Caitlin smile brightly at Felicia. Felicia flinched at the pure eyes, and Chris continued the offensive.
"Felicia noonim, surely you won’t be so cruel as to refuse to let Caitlin come along, will you?”
She hesitated as Chris used Caitlin as a shield, but it couldn’t be helped. Felicia nodded at Chris.
"Of course, you can come.”
In the first place, they were part of the same faction. Anastasia had left instead of coming back to the waiting room, so Felicia and Chris weren’t afraid to express their feelings. After watching the conversation between the two, In-gong asked Chris,
"Is it okay?”
It was a short question, but Chris understood his meaning. He patted Caitlin on the head again and replied,
"Of course. It is Omamama’s command, and... I’ve been separated from all of you for too long. Sometimes, we should stick together.”
"The 4th Queen’s command?”
"Instead of that, how is the unit that Shutra is forming? I heard that General Vandal will be the leader.”
Chris changed the topic. In-gong’s eyes narrowed, but he followed Chris’ topic.
"It will take some time to receive the troops from the Merits Department. General Vandal has been busy with all the procedures... The earliest it will take is probably three days?”
In-gong had barely been able to see Vandal for 10 minutes. A senior general wanted to leave the Demon King’s Army, so the process was bound to be complicated.
“Hmm, I see. Then what will you do today?”
The court gathering was over, but it was still early afternoon. In-gong leaned back in his chair and said with a pleasant face,
“I have to negotiate.”
&
In relationships, the one who fell in love first had the disadvantage, while it was the opposite for business.
Amita stepped toward In-gong and gave a long explanation,
"Recorder Torres’ El Ragra is still being converted. It is small, so the work is a bit tricky. But it will be completed sooner or later, so don’t worry.”
"Shouldn’t it be easier if it is smaller?”
Carack interjected. Amita frowned and knocked against the ground with their tail.
"That is just what you think, Orc. However, this little ring contains 10 times the magic patterns that went into your armour. Doesn’t that sound really hard?”
Amita was working on El Ragra but that didn’t change the fact that it was a ring.
“Um, then has there been no progress?”
Amita flinched at In-gong’s nonchalant tone.
“No, that is impossible! This Amita rushed to improve White Eagle!”
Amita moved swiftly and placed White Eagle in front of In-gong. The originally smooth White Eagle now had an emerald gem embedded in the middle.
"I put the heart that you obtained into White Eagle. Now, it can produce its own magic power as well as adjust the size and hardness in the field. Thanks to that additional magic power, it is possible to use a new means of attack!”
Amita jumped up again and turned White Eagle around. There was a long barrel installed at the bottom of the shield.
"This muzzle can shoot magic bullets. It is possible with both White Eagle and Black Eagle. Additionally, there is a further separation option added to Black Eagle. I call it Alpha Black Eagle and Beta Black Eagle.”
It was the completion of the ‘trinity’ which Amita had first envisioned when reconstructing White Eagle. White Eagle could now separate into three and had a ranged function, so In-gong couldn’t help laughing.
"Green Wind, can you steer it?”
"I will try. I can do it!”
The semi-solid Green Wind appeared and made a fist. Instead of paying attention to Green Wind, Amita just looked at In-gong.
"That isn’t all! White Eagle can give you additional magic power!”
“Ooohhh.”
Amita sighed with relief at In-gong’s admiring sound. Then she suddenly hesitated and said,
“That... some time is also needed to improve the Giant King's Sword. It will take a while to work on El Ragra, so I can’t finish both in 10 days.”
It was common for everyone to be weak when asking for a deadline extension. Instead of complaining, In-gong smiled warmly at Amita and said,
"You’ve worked hard. Thank you.”
“Hum, hum.”
Amita stroked a beard they didn’t have and watched In-gong. Once again, it was a transparent act.
"Master, the fat raccoon has become the transparent raccoon.”
Green Wind whispered, and In-gong barely suppressed his laughter. He coughed a few times before saying to Amita,
"Amita, I’ve already heard about this from Daphne. Once you’ve completed all of it, I will give you the bottle.”
Amita’s tail waved happily, but In-gong didn’t let that happiness last long.
"By the way Amita. Will you go with us to the north?”
In-gong was scheduled to leave the Demon King’s Palace in a week, at the latest. There were a few more things Amita needed to give him, so it was better to take Amita with him. Amita fidgeted before saying,
“Hum, hum. That... how about a separate bottle for the travel expenses?”
"One cup.”
In-gong said.
Amita shook their head, and their tail struck the floor as they shouted,
"Three cups!"
"Half a cup.”
In-gong’s expression was cold. Amita started pleading,
"Why are you decreasing it?! It is normal to increase it!”
"Then one sip.”
It was reduced even more. Amita flopped on the ground like someone who had lost their soul and shouted in defeat.
"One cup! One cup! I will have one cup!”
“Good. Then one cup is decided.”
Indeed, In-gong held the upper hand. He then tried to comfort Amita,
"I'm sorry. I want to give you a lot, but this is a really precious thing. I don’t have much stock.”
The children of the demon king, standing behind him, stared in disbelief at his words, but In-gong wasn’t fazed. Amita didn’t know the recipe of the Heavenly Wine, so they just nodded.
"Sob, sob. Yes, I admit it. It has that type of taste.”
“Thank you for understanding.”
‘Master, you are like a raccoon trainer.’
Green Wind whispered in his ears again. In-gong pretended not to hear her and turned toward Felicia and Caitlin.
"Ah, I have something for both of you.”
“Huh?”
Instead of explaining directly, In-gong signalled to Amita. Amita used Telekinesis to hand a blue box to In-gong. Then In-gong opened the lid of the box and said,
"This is the full set of ornaments that I gave to Amita. Amita adjusted them so that Noona can use them.”
"Aren’t you making me work too much?”
Just like Silvan’s cries, Amita’s plea didn’t reach anyone in the room. In-gong took out the ornaments in the box and handed them to Felicia and Caitlin.
"Now, these earrings are for Felicia noona. The necklace is for Caitlin noona.”
The earrings given to Felicia were defensive objects, which created a defense ward that enveloped the owner’s entire body. On the other hand, Caitlin’s necklace was more geared to attack as it increased the wearer’s overall physical ability as well as the aura recovery speed.
'Hmm. I have a way to handle Amita, so I can commission a full set from them.’
While In-gong was busy thinking about how to exploit Amita... Chris asked with a dour face,
"Shutra, do you have anything for me?”
“Uh, no.”
Chris’ face darkened even more, while Silvan stroked Amita’s sword, which Felicia had given him, with a happy expression.
"You are really like the sword duke.”
Amita said suddenly, as In-gong looked at Felicia and Caitlin with a gentle expression.
Then three days later...
In-gong’s independent unit, led by Vandal, was completed.
[TL Note: Please read this announcement post.