excel三国杀

Chapter 244: King of the Dead Subjugation — Interlude (1)

A cold wind blew across the wilderness like a lingering echo.

[Phew.]

It was Vuel.

He let out a deep sigh, laid down on the ground, and gazed at the starry night sky.

Swept away by the ultimate ice spell, Vuel’s body had temporarily dissipated, but thanks to the blessing of immortality, he did not die and regained his original form.

Vuel lifted his head and looked around.

It seemed the Ice Sovereign, Isaac, had erased all traces of his magic and left. However, due to the aftermath of the magic, an untimely cold wind swirled through the vast wilderness.

Thanks to the [Timeless Palace of the Glacial Realm], there were no dramatic changes in the wilderness, only the large crack where Hexek the White Skull had appeared remained.

Calgart and his army had vanished without a trace. No matter how superior their regeneration abilities were, it was impossible to withstand a 9-star ice spell unscathed, so the result was expected.

In the end, the underground kingdom built by Calgart’s power must have also disappeared.

[Amazing, so that’s what kind of human he is…]

Vuel muttered in admiration.

Truly, it was impossible not to be impressed.

He had underestimated humans. He admitted his ignorance.

How many of the highest-ranking heavenly beings would be needed to match the Ice Sovereign? He couldn’t tell.

The power the Ice Sovereign had shown was truly overwhelming. Moreover, what Vuel witnessed wasn’t even the Ice Sovereign’s full strength.

[It was worth watching.]

Vuel sprang up and left.

As he walked through the cold wilderness, Vuel recalled the conversation he had with Calgart in the underground kingdom.

– We do not oppose the Heavenly Gods. There is no reason for you to come here, nor to fight us, is there?

– Calgart, you and I are not so different… I heard there was a demon who tried to be noble. He was powerful enough to manipulate time itself, yet he was sealed away by your god, wasn’t he?

– What about it?

– I respect his will. Nobility is something to be attained.

– …Heavenly beings are a race that pride themselves on their nobility, are they not? It seems you don’t consider yourself noble.

– That’s right. I am noble, but not of noble character. Therefore, I strive to become noble.

At that moment, Calgart immediately knew Vuel’s intentions.

– Are you planning to oppose the Heavenly God, Tianus?

Heavenly God, Tianus.

The ruler of the Divine Realm, the god whom the heavenly beings worship and serve daily, the highest-ranked heavenly being, and the god Vuel planned to kill. How could he consider himself noble after plotting to kill the god he served?

Surely, those questions must have crossed Calgart’s mind.

Vuel pulled up the hood of his white robe.

He recalled his purpose.

To achieve this, he needed the cooperation of the Evil God who had the “Power of Godslayer”.

That was why Vuel sought out Mephisto, the agent of the Evil God.

He made a deal with Mephisto to deal with the Ice Sovereign, who was hindering the demons.

The Evil God of Destruction, Nephid, intended to eliminate the Child of Light before the time of her resurrection.

Even if Vuel wanted to help the Evil God, he could not directly harm the Child of Light.

If those with Divine Power harmed each other, their life forces would forcibly intertwine. This was designed by the Heavenly God to prevent internal conflicts among the heavenly beings.

There would be no problem if he didn’t use the power of light, but the Ice Sovereign would not stand idly by.

Even if humans attempted to harm the Child of Light, they would be thwarted by the fairy’s blessing passed down through the Fairytale family.

Moreover, with the Ice Sovereign around, trying to capture the Child of Light would only invite danger.

Ultimately, the only ones who could kill the Child of Light were the fairy who granted the blessing or the demons.

Once the hindrance, the Ice Sovereign, was dealt with, it would be easier for the demons to kill the Child of Light.

[Ice Sovereign…]

The image of the Ice Sovereign effortlessly using world-ending level magic came to his mind.

Dealing with such a monster? It sounded so ridiculous one couldn’t help but laugh, but it wasn’t entirely out of the question.

Although preparations were not yet complete, if everything went according to plan, it might be possible to handle the Ice Sovereign within half a year. It was worth a try.

However, Vuel had no intention of resorting to despicable acts like taking the people around the Ice Sovereign hostage. He aimed to kill the heavenly god in order to become noble.

He didn’t want to harm anyone unless someone needed to be sacrificed or someone was getting in his way.

He wanted to avoid causing harm to a large number of people.

It would only be a loss for him otherwise. It would ruin his plan and dig his own grave.

In the end, the Ice Sovereign Isaac was a necessary sacrifice to gain the cooperation of the Evil God.

For the greater good.

Vuel resolved once more to deal with the Ice Sovereign.

* * *

[Level Up!! Your level has increased to 154!]

[You have gained 16 stat points!]

[You have unlocked the achievement ❰Put to Rest❱! You have gained an additional 10 bonus stat points!]

[Status]

Name: Isaac

Lv: 154

Gender: Male

Year: 2

Title: Ice Sovereign

Mana: 73550 / 143800

- Mana Recovery Rate (A+)

“You must be sleepy”

“A little.”

Inside the carriage provided by the Helize Church.

My head was nodding off as drowsiness set in. As if my biological clock was precisely adjusted, I became extremely sleepy at dawn.

Alice, who had lived with me, knew this tendency well. That was why we were returning in a carriage instead of riding our familiars.

“Come here.”

“...Thanks.”

Alice sat beside me and gently pulled my head onto her lap. Thus, I used Alice’s lap as a pillow.

Thinking of her as purely on my side made it less uncomfortable. In fact, I found myself leaning on Alice more.

Even as the carriage rattled, the softness behind my head made me feel sleepy.

Beyond my field of vision, I caught glimpses of Alice’s soft smile. The expression on her face was akin to a loving mother.

It suits her.

For some reason, Alice gently stroked my stomach.

“Baby, shall I sing you a lullaby?”

“...Hmm?”

Alice leaned towards me as she asked, her ample chest softly covering my respiratory orifice.

It pleasantly took my breath away.

When I tapped Alice’s arm, she straightened up and moved her chest away from my face.

“Oh, I’m sorry. I couldn’t see you.”

Her droopy eyebrows and gentle smile.

I couldn’t tell if she was pretending or sincere.

“Be careful…”

I warned with a sharp look. Alice nodded with a soft smile and stroked my hair and ear.

Before falling asleep, I activated [Clairvoyance].

The Imperial Knights had arrived at the Ropenheim Barony. They were a special unit that had flown on their familiars.

It seemed Baron Adrian Ropenheim was being escorted to the capital, Viyans. Eve Ropenheim and the children who had been locked up were staying at the mansion for the investigation.

Next was the Carnedas County.

It was safe and sound as well, thanks to the efforts of Isabel Silverwolf, the commander of Düpfendorf’s Third Legion.

So that’s what she looks like.

She looks strong. I wonder what her level is.

Since she had defeated the mid-boss, Mangled Qilin Molikarth, who was level 172 with the dark and wind element, she must be quite powerful.

I had heard a lot about Düpfendorf from the Knight Commander Morcan.

Out of the four legion commanders, Isabel Silverwolf was favorable towards me, so I entrusted her with this mission.

The other three commanders still didn’t trust me. Their stance was that they couldn’t blindly follow a new king they hadn’t even met. It was a cautious and rational judgment, so I didn’t feel bad about it.

Well, the loyalty issue could be resolved at the coronation ceremony.

The academy is still out of reach as I expected.

I still couldn’t reach Märchen Academy with [Clairvoyance].

The Evil Dragon Orchis, who had the dark and lightning element, would likely have gone there. It was level 174.

Though dangerous, Dorothy, Luce, and the Thunderbird should have been able to handle it.

I was eager to see them.

Now… I’m level 154.

My level rose to 154. By defeating Calgart the Necromancer and his subordinates, I achieved the general achievement [Put to Rest] and gained bonus stat points.

Now I had a total of 141 remaining stat points.

It was an ambiguous amount, sufficient in some ways, but still lacking in others.

One never knew when and how a scenario might unfold. Moreover, thorough preparation was needed for battles against Vuel or the Fairy War.

I didn’t expect Vuel to be making a move already.

That must be why Calgart the Necromancer appeared earlier than he was supposed to. That information was a significant advantage.

Vuel was a heavenly being planning to oppose the Heavenly God, Tianus.

In ❰Magic Knight of Märchen❱, he allied with the demons and helped them to easily defeat Ian.

There were also heavenly beings who followed Vuel. Ultimately, the heavenly beings we must fight were Vuel’s faction.

They couldn’t be defeated by Ian’s Divine Power. Their elemental resistance was incredibly high.

Therefore, physical combat or using the raw power of weapons was the only way to deal with them.

Moreover, Vuel was currently protected by the blessing of immortality, so no matter what we did, he couldn’t be killed.

Of course, there might be a way to render him completely powerless, but that would be suicidal.

Since Vuel’s rebellion plan hadn’t been fully revealed yet, if he reported Vuel remotely to the Heavenly God through a self-destructive act, it would be the end.

The Heavenly God would punish anyone who interfered with a heavenly being. The risk of encountering the bad ending「Judgment of the Gods」was high.

In that case, Vuel would also face punishment for violating the treaty that prohibited interfering with the human realm.

Vuel could simply postpone his rebellion. On the other hand, I would be left with the consequence of not being able to stop the Evil God.

Anyway, Vuel had no choice but to endure the [Cocytus] attack. What he feared was incapacitation.

In other words, if we provoked each other now, it would be a mutually disadvantageous game of chicken.

The Vuel issue must be resolved when we reach the heavenly being scenario.

And then.

Heavenly God, Tianus…

Like the Nether King, he was an entity that must never be provoked.

Conflict with divine beings must be avoided at all costs.

The only god I must confront is the Evil God who will descend on this world.

After organizing my thoughts, I closed my eyes, feeling Alice’s hand stroking my head.

“I’m sorry, I’ll sleep for a bit.”

“Yeah, sweet dreams.”

I soon fell into a deep sleep.

* * *Inside the carriage, a lamp with a light shade cast a faint glow.

Alice Carroll gently stroked Isaac’s silver-blue wavy hair as she gazed at him, seemingly entranced by his peaceful breathing.

This imposing archwizard, who had used 9-star magic with ease.

Such an astonishingly powerful being had now transformed into an adorable boy, soundly asleep on her lap.

The sound of the carriage wheels turning. The chirping grasshoppers.

Suddenly, Isaac’s voice, urging her to live beside him, echoed in her ears.

No matter how firmly she resolved and tried to hope, she believed that nothing would change in the end and had given up on everything.

That nightmarish reality had changed because of this man.

Whenever she thought about how everything had changed because of him, a tickling sensation filled her heart.

Alice couldn’t stop smiling. She closed her eyes and savored Isaac’s touch, his warmth.

Hoping these moments alone with him would last even a tiny bit longer.

Eventually… Isaac stirred in his sleep.

“...Huu.”

Suddenly feeling a warm sensation in her lower abdomen, Alice shivered and let out a faint moan.

Startled, she opened her eyes and looked down at Isaac.

Isaac’s face was nestled near Alice’s lap. With each breath, his warm breath traveled along her thigh and softly brushed against her lower abdomen, tickling her.

Unconsciously, Alice squeezed her legs together. Despite her intentions, a flush of warmth rose to her cheeks, staining them red.

“…”

She was embarrassed, but it didn’t feel bad.

With her usual gentle smile, Alice softly stroked the back of Isaac’s head.

“Cheshire, keep watch for me, will you?”

[Meow, I’m already watching.]

The Phantom Cat Cheshire replied from atop the carriage.

With each exhale from Isaac, Alice felt a shiver run down her spine.

Since there was nothing special happening, she shouldn’t disturb her master’s sleep.

Determined, Alice decided to endure Isaac’s breath, stifling her moans.

“Looks like I won’t be sleeping tonight.”

Alice whispered to herself with a smile.