Chapter 509: A Short Break (2) |
- Advisor Lee Ki-Young, the fourth base has been evacuated.
“Good job,” I complimented.
- The seventh base has been evacuated as well, hahaha.
“You’ve all done well,” I said.
- We did nothing. It’s all thanks to you, Advisor Lee Ki-Young. We didn’t really receive recognition from the continent, so we were treated like low-ranking demons, but thanks to this incident, not only did we leave a strong impression on the humans, but we were also able to achieve great results. I got more merits through this one incident than all the merits I have accumulated my whole life. I’m really relieved that I was able to do something before returning to hell.
“Hahaha…” I laughed.
- And it’s all thanks to your help…
“You’re embarrassing me,” I said.
- It’s not much, but this…
- Please accept my feelings.
“Wait, there’s no need…”
- No, this is my feelings for you. Haha. Please keep it.
“You don’t have to do this. I didn’t do it while expecting something in exchange…”
- Hey! Just keep it, Advisor Lee Ki-Young.
“Well, since you said it like that… Ahem, I have no choice but to accept. Thank you,” I said.
I couldn’t hold back my smile.
Yeah, I was accumulating tons of resources, but the situation itself was fun. The series of victories I was hearing from the reports were making me smile. Today, the 4th and 7th bases followed the script and successfully evacuated. Yesterday, the 13th and 19th bases evacuated safely, and I heard the news that every evacuation was successful.
I wanted to dance in joy.
‘The saying was right—the saying that the biggest enemy is the dumbest ally is right…’
The hard-liners lost their motivation when Donovan died, so the project started working out smoothly. Like an eight-ton truck with a broken brake, the legion charged through the plot points of the project and succeeded, which was impressive even in my eyes.
The time we had spent together was short, but we had overcome several crises together. A few demons stood out, even in my eyes, and they showed great acting skills that terrified the humans. I was sure that their signature dialogue—the 27th Legion will return—had been engraved on the hearts of every human on the continent.
The humans were probably thinking that they had succeeded after killing Donovan, but Donovan’s death was only the major casualty on the demon’s side so far.
Honestly, there wouldn’t have been any more casualties as long as the script was followed to the letter. Of course, they could also reverse their summoning and go back to hell upon suffering severe injuries.
As long as they managed to leave their marks on the hearts of humans, then that would be the end of their job. They would have fun gathering merits without the risk of dying as long as the script was followed.
Mankind had won, but there were still many things that were making them uneasy.
From now on, they would have to live with the knowledge that the demons that had once cornered them were still alive, and the weak-minded would probably suffer from trauma after the war.
It wasn’t just the largest main force consisting of an alliance between many nations.
Many other armies were moving simultaneously across the large Federation.
Every human was watching the ongoing crisis through the magic hologram, and the rollercoaster of emotions definitely ensured that the demons would earn a ton of merits from their performance.
The demons in the situation room were all smiles; they knew that the 27th Legion’s infamy was spreading like wildfire.
- It feels so good seeing those humans happy while being anxious at the same time. I really did make the right decision to follow Belial, Advisor Lee Ki-Young.
“Hahaha. I was worried that you wouldn’t feel satisfied. I’m relieved to hear that,” I said.
- The results speak for themselves. Once we’ve returned to hell and the merit settlement is done. I’m sure the 27th Legion will become the 20th—no, the 19th Legion by then.
“Is it really that…” I trailed off.
- Yes. It’s difficult to quantify the impact you’ve made, Mr. Lee Ki-Young. Even the other legions in hell are promoting the soft-liners, saying that they are great role models… The low and mid-ranked demons who still haven’t found their own place to stay are saying that they’ll work under you once you’ve ascended to hell two millenniums later. The top 10 leaders are also saying that they’d like to work with you.
“That’s…”
- Belial cherishes you a lot, so he probably hasn’t told you himself just yet.
“Hahaha. Please tell him that he doesn’t have to worry. I’m already part of the 27th Legion. I’m grateful for the offers of the other leaders, but no matter what they offer, I’ll choose to keep working with the 27th Legion,” I explained.
- I knew it…
“It’s not easy to find such fun and cheerful people,” I added.
- I appreciate that you think of us that way. Ah, how’s the third base looking?
“It looks like they’ll evacuate safely within the day,” I replied.
- So that will be the last one...
“Don’t be disappointed. I’m sure we’ll meet again,” I told them.
- Advisor… I’d like to stay here.
“I’d be really thankful if all of you remained here, but you have to return to hell. It’s a great thing to stay here and accumulate more merits, but this place is a mere workplace for you all. You still have to deliver the good news to your wife, children, and your family, who are definitely waiting for you in hell,” I told them.
- …
“You’ll also become less efficient if you focus too much on work. Since you have been working hard, then you should rest for a few hundred years. You also have things to take care of in the other dimensions. I’ll make sure to plan something out so that I’ll summon all of you again before I ascend,” I added.
- We won’t forget you, Advisor Lee Ki-Young.
“Me too, haha…” I laughed.
- And I… have a small request…
“What is it?” I asked.
- It’s embarrassing, but I’d like your autograph. Do you mind?
“I’m not sure how my autograph will help you, but since it’s Miss Lilymirian’s request, then I’ll gladly oblige, haha,” I answered with a smile.
- If you could sign here.
I turned to look at her hand and saw that she was holding a hardcover book in pristine condition.
‘Now that I think about it…’
I had seen a few demons spending time on their own, and the ones that stood out to me the most were the demons holding the same book as Lilymirian. I didn’t expect that demons enjoyed books as well, but I wasn’t really surprised anymore.
Their culture wasn’t really that different from humans, so it wouldn’t be strange if they had best-selling books as well.
‘The bestseller in hell… I’m curious.’
The title of the book caught my attention. It took me a while to read it because I was still learning the language of the demons, but I eventually managed to read the book’s title.
[How the Plaguelord and the Genius Swordsman Loves.]
The title sounded familiar for some reason.
‘Is that title format the trend these days?’
It seemed that the trend here was also the trend in hell. A genius swordsman was a typical, cliched archetype. It was a bit funny to see demons reading a book that depicted love, but it was highly likely that it was a different kind of love.
I was surprised to see the name of my job on the title, but it had to be a coincidence. After all, only Lonovera, Rimoura, and a few high priests knew about my job, and it was impossible to write a best-selling novel in a short period of time. Therefore, it was definitely just a coincidence.
I nodded and held up my pen.
“Hahaha. There’s a book with a similar title here as well. Of course, I haven’t really read that book, but it’s interesting how that book in your hand has a similar title to a best-selling book here,” I said.
- Ah, well…
“Have you heard of it?” I asked.
- Are you referring to AlGenLove?
“AlGenLove?”
- How the Alchemist and the Genius Swordsman Loves.
‘Why is she being serious all of a sudden?’
Lilymirian frowned. She seemed displeased about something. I wasn’t sure, but I also felt like I had triggered something inside her.
- It was indeed a book that the humans had written, and its quality was extremely low. It was boring because of the cliches. Cliches aren’t actually bad, but they have to be used properly. The writing was bad, and the author put a lot of effort into emphasizing useless emotions. Overall, it was a really boring book. That scene wasn’t as impactful as I thought, too.
‘What scene?’
- I understand that the genius swordsman cherishes the alchemist, but a novel with violence and sadism can never become popular. Basically, it wasn’t simulating at all. It’s garbage.
‘Is she a critic or something…?’
- The bait was there, but they didn’t do anything about it. The bait wasn’t exciting at all. It would be extremely rude to compare that book to the book I am holding right now.
“Ah, I’m sorry. I-I apologize,” I stuttered.
- I’ve heard that a translator is working hard to translate this novel into the common language of the humans here. I’m sure this book will be great learning material for the dumb humans here. They’ll definitely realize how garbage AlGenLove is. I would really love to get summoned back here—Ah, I digress. I apologize for getting worked up. I’m sorry, Advisor Lee Ki-Young.
“No, it’s fine. It’s good that you have something you’re so passionate about. Where should I…”
- Ah, please sign right under the title. If you could write—to my lovely Lilymarian…
“Sure.”
- This will be my gift to my daughter… Thank you very much, Mr. Lee Ki-Young.
“No problem, hahaha. It was nothing. Thank you for your hard work, Miss Lilymirian,” I said.
- I’ll never forget this favor, Advisor Lee Ki-Young. I’ll be going now.
“I’m looking forward to our next meeting,” I said.
- Me, too. I’ll be sure to continue watching over you from hell. I hope things will work out successfully for you here.
Lilymirian smiled brightly as her figure turned into innumerable light crystals. Things got a bit hectic because of her sudden book review, but I appreciated her last words before going back to hell.
‘I have to finish this and succeed. Yeah, I have to...’
The process was great and successful, but it would be meaningless if the ending was a disaster. I couldn’t give a proper review because I was one of the characters of this arc rather than a reader, but I knew for sure that the winners would have a good ending.
I was under a lot of pressure as well. I had earned the trust of many demons, but if I were to fail in wrapping this up, then many of them would…
‘Lose their trust in me…’
My shoulders suddenly felt heavy when I realized that I had to create an ending that would satisfy both the continent and the demons in hell. Honestly, I had already given up on the idea of fighting Kim Hyun-Sung, but I couldn’t think of a better ending.
I thought hard and long about it, but Doom Ki-Young and Light Hyun-Sung’s showdown to wrap things up would be the greatest ending that would further bolster the value and quality of the entire project.
‘Shit, I need to find a way...’
I could borrow Belial’s powers, but it wouldn’t be that useful because my current job—Plaguelord—wasn’t that powerful. I thought about having a demon as a vanguard to protect me while I cast spells from behind, but it wouldn’t be as impactful and as cool as fighting Kim Hyun-Sung one versus one.
I thought of summoning a beast, but I didn’t like the idea either.
While I was frantically looking for a way to create a cooler ending, I suddenly remembered my summoned beasts. I quickly composed myself, and even though I wasn’t sure if I could reach them, I still decided to open up the communication channel.
‘Hello?’
[Huh? Uh? Have you come back to your senses? Where… are you right—how are you feeling?]
‘I think it’s best if we meet and talk before anything else, Miss Dialugia.’
I needed the black dragon—no, the Black Plague Dragon, Dialugia.
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