# Chapter 460: Side Story 133
South of the Delian territory,
A dark forest where sunlight barely penetrated.
The name for this place was surprisingly simple.
The Southern Forest—because it was located in the south of the Artia Kingdom.
In Earth terms, it was about the size of North Chungcheong Province.
Incredibly vast.
The forest was crawling with monsters,
And Count Bong Yurik Ju-hyeok and his summoned beings had been exploring the Southern Forest for ten days now.
For developing the Magic Stone mine?
No.
The mine had already been developed.
Rajiks was mining it with the Golden Pickaxe.
Then was it for collecting monster byproducts?
No.
Of course, they were killing any orcs or trolls they came across during exploration, but the main purpose was something else.
“…Hoe?”
Rajiks sniffed the air,
Then pulled out the Golden Pickaxe and rapidly dug into the ground.
A skeleton was revealed.
“I’ll take a look.”
Kozak scraped the skeleton’s bones with his dagger and searched the surrounding area thoroughly.
What he found were a leather scrap that seemed to have fallen off some armor, a belt buckle from trousers, and a few coins.
“This doesn’t appear to be Count Belik Delian’s remains. The bones are from someone in their 20s to 30s, and the belongings aren’t those of a knight.”
That was right.
Ju-hyeok’s purpose was to recover the remains of Yurik’s father.
If they found them?
To comfort the tragic spirit of Belik through Gyeon Dal-rae’s Cleansing Ritual for the Dead.
The remains they had just found seemed to belong to an adventurer.
But they didn’t just pass by.
“Spirit who wandered lost and died far from home, may the grievances you suffered in this world be resolved in the next.”
They performed a memorial service with the Cleansing Ritual.
-Whoooosh! MacKenzie cremated the remains with the White Flame.
“Alright, let’s move on.”
Finding them wasn’t easy, honestly.
The Southern Forest was just too vast.
So they planned to end the search after today.
Ten days was enough effort, wasn’t it?
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings went deeper into the forest.
Rajiks, perched on Gobang’s shoulder, kept sniffing the air continuously.
That was when it happened.
Rajiks suddenly whipped his head sharply to the right.
“Hueeek!!!”
A much more resounding cry than before.
It seemed he had found something significant this time.
-Twang! Clatter clatter.
Rajiks shot off through the air like an arrow.
-Rumble rumble.
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings followed behind.
Through the dense old-growth trees, something whitish and heaped could be seen.
As they drew closer,
“…Ah!”
“My word.”
“Goodness!”
“Hoo.”
In a clearing in the forest, there was a small mound.
Human skulls, leg bones, ribs, arm bones…. It was a massive pile of bones.
Clearly the work of monsters.
They must have been killing and eating the humans who entered the Southern Forest, then piling the leftover bones here for display.
At that moment!
“GROOOOOOH!!!”
An tremendous roar shook the entire forest.
-Thud thud thud thud thud thud!
The ground trembled.
Something massive was charging toward them.
But Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings didn’t bat an eye.
They had a good idea of what was coming.
“Grrrgh! GRAAAAAAH!”
It was a horde of ogres.
-Thud! Thud! Thud! Thud!
The ogres surrounded Ju-hyeok’s group.
Even a rough count showed about 100 of them.
He had completed an ogre subjugation mission in the Black Tower before.
But these ones looked much bigger and stronger than those.
One particularly large one caught his eye.
The ogre chieftain, a Twin-Headed Ogre.
An intimidatingly massive body, two heads, pitch-black skin, thick chest and defined muscles, gleaming yellow eyes, and hideous fangs.
Silence hung over the scene.
From fear?
Not a chance!
Killing intent flowed freely around the summoned beings.
They were just waiting for Ju-hyeok’s command.
Meanwhile.
The Twin-Headed Ogre chieftain’s two heads tilted quizzically.
This was strange.
Normally, humans faced with this situation would flee in terror, but these ones just stood there glaring.
“…Squeak?”
These were no ordinary individuals.
He realized it instinctively.
The Twin-Headed Ogre began to back away hesitantly.
The rest of the horde sensed the atmosphere too and started retreating.
But.
“Kill them. All of them.”
Ju-hyeok’s execution order.
“The two-headed one is mine.”
-Swish swish swish swish!
The summoned beings moved all at once.
An ogre massacre unfolded.
-Slice, thud! Whoosh! Boom! Splurt! Crunch crunch! Splatter! Sizzle sizzle! Twang! Clatter clatter, smash! Crack crack!
Though they may have been the rulers of this Southern Forest, before the summoned beings they were nothing but weak insects.
Ju-hyeok moved too.
He chased after the fleeing Twin-Headed Ogre.
-Swish! Swish!
Using Shadow Step, he stepped on its back, climbed up onto its shoulders.
-Swoosh.
He raised the Judge’s Mallet.
“Squee, squeek?”
“Guugh?”
Terror filled the Twin-Headed Ogre’s eyes.
It couldn’t move a muscle under the aura of the underworld emanating from the mallet.
Right.
You’re not guilty of anything.
You just attacked and ate the humans who invaded your territory.
But I’m human.
My standard is based on humans.
So receive your judgment.
-Screech!
-Thwack! Crack!
One head vanished.
-Thwack! Crack!
The other one too.
“Hueeeeek!”
-Twang! Clatter clatter.
Rajiks stored the headless Twin-Headed Ogre corpse.
Ju-hyeok returned to the clearing.
The pile of bones stacked high.
They were jumbled together, impossible to sort.
But among them, the remains of Yurik’s father, Count Belik Delian, must surely be there.
“Let’s cremate them and hold a funeral.”
“Yes, understood.”
MacKenzie lit the fire.
Simultaneously, Gyeon Dal-rae began the Cleansing Ritual.
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings offered prayers for the deceased.
For the time being, Ju-hyeok would be living as Yurik.
So he should at least do the bare minimum.
After holding the funeral for the nameless remains,
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings returned to the territory.
At the entrance to the Southern Forest, on the road leading to the territory.
-Shff, shff, shff.
Rajiks took out dozens of large carts,
And unloaded monster corpses and Magic Stones onto them.
Why go through all this trouble?
The Delian economy ran on the monster byproduct processing industry.
So he needed to provide them with work.
“Fire the signal flare.”
-Swoooosh!
-Bang!
Fireworks burst in the sky.
A moment later.
-Rumble rumble!
The territory’s residents came rushing.
“M-my lord!”
“Thank you for calling us.”
“We’ll handle things from here.”
The laborers in charge of transportation.
They had to do this work to get paid.
As the laborers pulled the carts into the territory,
“Here! Over this way.”
The lord’s manor administrators supervised and directed the laborers.
“Hurry! We need to finish processing before the corpses rot.”
The slaughtering laborers descended upon the monsters and dismembered them.
The monster byproducts were moved to the processing workshops.
The useless parts?
The cleaning laborers gathered them for incineration.
Once that work was complete, price negotiations finally began.
Merchants descended upon them.
They had flocked here after hearing that monster hunting had resumed in the Delian territory.
“Th-this is Twin-Headed Ogre hide!”
“I’ll buy it! All of it!”
“Hey now! Who are you to monopolize everything?”
“How much for troll blood?”
“Ooh! All of this is Magic Stones!”
Monster processing, dismembering, transporting, cleaning, negotiating—none of it was easy work, but the residents’ faces were brimming with vitality.
– Psychology: Thanks to the lord, I can buy my son a pair of warm leather shoes.
– Psychology: Whew, I’m tired. I’ve been working non-stop for ten days. But I made a lot. Enough to live without working for several months.
– Psychology: How much inventory is there? I’m going to run out of purchasing funds. This won’t do. I need to request support from the merchant company.
Everyone looked happy.
Well, the territory that had been on the brink of ruin had miraculously come back to life in an instant.
Kozak also approached with a pleased smile.
“Count Bong Yurik-nim.”
“What is it?”
“Would you like me to tell you about other territory-building cliches besides this one?”
“Like what?”
“First, using monster fat to make soap….”
“That’s enough.”
Territory-building, really?
Did he have time to leisurely grow a territory?
‘Of course, growing a territory does have its own appeal.’
But he needed to advance to the capital quickly.
Territory development could wait until after completing the given mission.
He should be getting a bite any time now.
Did he have to wait longer?
***
Time passed quickly.
News of the Delian territory’s situation gradually spread across the entire continent.
The political circles of the Artia Kingdom also took notice of Delian.
With enormous quantities of Magic Stones and monster byproducts pouring out.
And finally.
The bite Ju-hyeok had been waiting for came.
A delegation from the royal palace and central nobility visited the territory.
Ju-hyeok received them.
“So you are Lord Yurik Delian.”
“Ayu, you must have had a hard time. You’ve gone through so much trouble coming all this way.”
“My back does ache from the long carriage ride.”
“Tsk tsk, I see. Please rest well first and start your tour tomorrow.”
“Hahaha, no. Time is short, so I must leave within today….”
Perfect.
Hurry up and leave after looking around.
But he didn’t show it.
“Aigoo, what can be done about that?… Then I’ll assign someone to you. He’s my confidant who manages the Delian territory. He’ll guide you all.”
Someone else was better suited for this kind of work.
“How do you do, everyone in the delegation. I’m Kozak, your faithful lackey.”
Kozak served as their guide.
He showed the delegation the monster byproduct processing workshop, organized an escort to guide them to the Southern Forest’s Magic Stone mine.
He showed them everything worth showing.
Once they returned to the capital, they would report what they had witnessed to the king.
“I had a very good look around. We shall take our leave now.”
“Won’t you rest a bit before going at leisure?”
“No, our business is concluded. What would be the point of staying longer?”
“What a pity. Then at least let me give you travel expenses….”
Ju-hyeok gave Kozak a look.
Kozak bowed and stepped forward, pulling pouches from his chest.
“It’s just a trifle. Please pocket it quickly. Hehehe.”
“Hahaha, you really didn’t have to….”
Golden nuggets sparkled inside the pouch.
He needed to grease the wheels well.
For the sake of faster mission progress.
“Oh! And about my succession to the count’s title.”
“Ah, that? Don’t worry. The certificate of title will be coming down soon. Processing it summarily is more convenient for both parties.”
No, summary processing wouldn’t do.
“Um, would it be possible to go up to the capital and receive the formal investiture? Before His Majesty the King?”
“Hmm.”
The delegation leader looked troubled.
– Psychology: My, how troublesome. Does he think it’s easy to get His Majesty’s permission? How could we hold a mere frontier count’s succession ceremony at the palace, when he’s not even a duke or marquis…. I’d have to grovel and beg, and someone might pick a fight about it.
Was the grease not enough?
Kozak quickly pulled out several more pouches and slipped them to the delegation leader.
“Ahem! You really shouldn’t keep doing this.”
Shouldn’t, my foot.
His lips were stretched up to his ears.
“I’ve always admired His Majesty the King. And I’d like to see the capital too.”
The delegation leader nodded with a satisfied smile.
“If you insist, I shall speak to His Majesty about holding the count’s succession ceremony at the palace.”
“Thank you.”
Done.
If things went according to plan, he could use the succession ceremony as an excuse to go to the capital.
Who would suspect anything?
The king himself was summoning him.
Plus it was an official ceremony.
All the central nobility would gather.
If the god Wignar’s speculation was correct, the Demon God would reveal himself at that ceremony.
Wait for me.
I’ll be coming to meet you soon.
***
Time passed again.
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings’ routine remained unchanged.
Going into the Southern Forest to hunt monsters, stopping by the mine to extract Magic Stones, handing over byproducts to the laborers, selling to merchants…
Today too, they had come out of the Southern Forest and were distributing monster corpses to the residents.
The bustling, noisy Delian territory.
The economy was running smoothly.
The respected Count Bong Yurik.
Whenever he appeared, the residents would prostrate themselves first.
A single wave of his hand left them overwhelmed with gratitude.
Well, it wasn’t an unfamiliar experience.
He had been through it plenty as Emperor of the Daebong Empire.
Anyway, the news he had been waiting for still hadn’t arrived.
Territory development wasn’t his goal.
“Sigh, what is the delegation leader doing?”
After accepting all that gold.
“Why don’t we just go up to the capital? Meet the central nobles one by one.”
On what pretext?
And were there just one or two central nobles?
He needed to gather them all and look at them at once.
“Is the Artia King not interested in the provinces?”
With the Magic Stones, and the resumed monster processing industry.
If it were him, he’d summon them out of curiosity alone.
“We lack impact.”
Really?
“Magic Stones and monster byproducts aren’t anything special, are they? They’ve always existed.”
That was true.
“We really need to make soap.”
Hmm.
“Produce ballpoint pens, sell cosmetics, distribute luxury handbags.”
Should they?
“That’s how the cliche is supposed to go.”
Let’s hear what he has to say.
“The king is slathering cosmetics on his face, then goes, ‘What a curious product. Who made this?'”
And then?
“A palace attendant says, ‘The lord of the Delian territory made and distributed it.’ And the king exclaims in admiration, ‘Oh! I’d like to meet him….'”
Right at that moment!
“M-my lord!”
The maid Judy came running toward Ju-hyeok from afar, out of breath.
‘Oh!’
Had the news arrived?
The king’s order to come to the capital, that is.
But why did Judy look like that?
Her expression was bad.
– Psychology: That wretched woman must have heard the rumors and come. What do I do? If my lord falls for her again….
Hmm.
It didn’t seem to be the news he was waiting for.
Who was this wretched woman?
‘Wait!’
Could it be?
“A guest has just arrived at the lord’s manor.”
“Raphran Neldor?”
“R-right… Huh? How did you know?”
The summoned beings reacted to Raphran’s name.
They too had heard from Kozak.
About the broken engagement cliche.
Sure enough.
Kozak rushed over to Judy with a question.
“Is she pretty?”
“She’s prickly.”
“Is she pretty?”
“Her personality is a bit….”
“Is she pretty?”
“Compared to my lord’s retainers….”
“Is she pretty?”
“Yes yes, she’s pretty. She’s beautiful.”
Kozak finally extracted the answer he wanted.
‘Ugh, why is he like that? What difference does it make if she’s pretty?’
Well, she had come to visit, so he might as well meet her.
He was curious about what she wanted.
Ju-hyeok went to the lord’s manor.
The summoned beings followed behind.
A young woman was waiting for Count Bong Yurik—no, Ju-hyeok—in the front yard of the lord’s manor.
She walked over daintily, held her skirt with both hands, extended one foot forward, and elegantly bowed her head.
“Lord Yurik Delian, it’s been a long time.”
Such grace!
It was truly the etiquette befitting a noble lady.
-Flash! A devastating smile with her eyes too.
“Sh-she’s beautiful.”
Well of course! She was an elf hybrid, after all.
However.
– Psychology: What do you think? Is your heart pounding? Hurry and come before me, beg me to take back the broken engagement, and kiss the back of my hand.
Hmm.
Should he or shouldn’t he?
– Psychology: You can’t escape me. Everything you have will be used for me. The monster byproduct processing business, the Magic Stone mine, and your subordinates too.
Let’s not.
‘…Still, she is pretty.’
The summoned beings seemed to feel the same way.
None of them could take their eyes off Raphran’s face.
Kozak, Gobang, Elder Gwangma, Elder MacKenzie, Bardin, Alejandro, and even Rajiks.
At that moment!
-Swoosh.
One of the summoned beings standing in the back suddenly walked forward.
Then she swept back her flowing hair with her jade-white hand.
It was Mari.
The shut-in alchemist, High Elf Mari.
When Mari revealed her face that had been covered by her hair, the world suddenly became bright.
Radiance bloomed in the lord’s manor’s front yard.
“Hm?”
“Haha!”
“…Wow!”
“R-ripped her apart.”
Ju-hyeok and the summoned beings stared blankly at Mari’s face.
‘Is that even a human appearance?’
At the same time, they turned to look at Raphran standing there awkwardly.
“Hmm.”
“Tsk tsk.”
“Lost her shine.”
“Unremarkable.”
When they looked at Mari again—ooh!
Then at Raphran again—eh….
What was this, a ping-pong match?
Why did they keep looking back and forth?
Though the stark difference was indeed apparent.
In the midst of all this, Mari quietly approached Ju-hyeok’s side.
At the same time, she firmly took hold of Ju-hyeok’s hand.
‘…Whoa.’
The soft sensation on his hand.
-Thump thump thump thump! His heart beat mercilessly.
Mari held Ju-hyeok’s hand while giving Raphran Neldor a sardonic smile.
The likes of you dare?
What are you going to do by smiling coyly?
You broke off the engagement, so why are you here?
Trying to make things work again?
Go back.
You don’t stand a chance.
Raphran Neldor’s face flushed red at Mari’s mocking smile.
She too had gotten a good look at Mari’s face.
Along with her pointed ears.
‘…Pure-blood?’
Then she was at least royalty.
‘Why is royalty attached to Yurik’s side?’
Holding hands so affectionately, no less.
‘Argh!’
Raphran trembled all over from humiliation.
“Excuse me, Lady Raphran? What brings you all the way here?”
Yurik asked nonchalantly.
His voice held none of the affection from before.
‘…’
Raphran felt like she was going crazy.
Who am I, and where am I?
She was dizzy.
She felt like she might collapse.
But she held it in.
“The, the Delian territory has changed. A lot, they said…, I thought I’d take a look. Also to see if. If our merchant company could participate.”
Raphran barely managed to answer.
“Is that so? Isn’t the Neldor merchant company’s main product wine?”
“I, I thought I’d try. Participating in Magic Stone distribution too. While I’m at it.”
“Aha! I see.”
Ju-hyeok shrugged and continued.
“Shall I help you? We were engaged once, after all. Though we’ve broken it off now.”
Raphran’s face turned even redder.
Like red dragon scales.
“…No. I appreciate the offer, but I’ll handle it myself. Well then, goodbye.”
Raphran Neldor hurried away with quick steps.
Kozak asked Ju-hyeok.
“How was the Psychology King reading?”
“As you saw. She was genuinely mortified.”
“Kya! With this, one broken engagement cliche complete.”
Ju-hyeok felt satisfied too, but….
Why was Mari still holding his hand?
It made his heart flutter.
***
And a few days later.
The news he had been waiting for finally arrived.
It was a letter from the king announcing that the succession ceremony for the count’s title would be held at the Artia Palace.
Let’s go.
To the capital.
To catch the Demon God.
