Chapter 23

EP.23 Spreading Conspiracy #3

Dr. Cash finally got what she wanted.

She signed treaties with the World Union regarding airspace opening and damage compensation.

The treaty was named [Earth Defense Treaty].

She installed Explorers in various countries to check Evil Energy Gauges, and now the doctor and I can freely pass through any country’s airspace to fight monsters without any issues.

This was all thanks to the weak monsters I sent worldwide earlier and the Toothed Tiger I sent to Japan.

Some countries coveted the doctor’s technology and asked for the manufacturing methods, but she firmly refused, fearing misuse could lead to major incidents.

To the World Union executives asking about the identity of the female hero, she answered, “Leona.”

Beast Slayer, Leona. That’s all she revealed.

According to the doctor, she hadn’t expected such a question, but my singing suddenly came to mind, and she blurted it out in frustration.

She later smacked the back of my head, saying the name “Leona” sounded tacky, and she seemed quite embarrassed.

What a wretched woman. If it weren’t for me, she would’ve named herself Leona.

Anyway, the news spread worldwide, and as the era of battling monsters began, Leona’s fame skyrocketed.

Leona’s name was everywhere in the media, her fan café subscriptions exploded, and even companies lined up to make figurines of her.

While the world was buzzing, the laboratory remained quiet.

Dr. Cash and I dove into research and development, while Sehwa occasionally brightened the lab atmosphere after school.

Now, it was just the doctor and me in the lab, discussing theories and taking a short break.

With greasy hair and dark circles under my eyes, I sipped coffee.

Dr. Cash, seeing me immersed in research without even washing, started calling me differently.

“Hey, Song.”

She emphasized my current surname.

“What?”

“Did you enjoy it?”

“Enjoy what?”

“Sleeping with Sehwa.”

“Pfft!”

I spat the coffee in my mouth onto the whiteboard filled with physics theories.

The doctor clicked her tongue.

“Tsk… Good thing I memorized it.”

“Cough! Cough! Why are you bringing that up out of nowhere!?”

“You know about Aiter now, right?”

“I learned about it five days ago. Why bring it up now…?”

“So, how was it?”

How was it, you damn woman? Every day feels like I’m dying from happiness.

I ignored her and started wiping the whiteboard.

“Ignoring the company president? I treated you like family, and this is how you repay me? What a lousy employee.”

Nonsense echoed from behind.

Like family? More like a damn nuisance.

Wait, should I take her down a notch?

If I can make her my subordinate, conquering the Beast Slayer would be much easier…

I’ve been thinking of using her and then killing her after she’s served her purpose, but looking at her, she’s got quite the figure and looks.

‘The problem is, I don’t know much about her.’

I know all about the other Beast Slayers.

But information about the doctor is limited.

A genius scientist with a nasty temper, carrying on her husband’s legacy.

That’s all I know.

This seems like a good idea… Alright, let’s add it to the list.

“Stop talking nonsense and focus on the portal research.”

“I’ve been doing that, but there’s no progress. My head hurts, it really hurts. I’m worried about what will happen if monsters appear now. The Evil Energy isn’t being detected, and it’s making me anxious.”

“Don’t jinx it. It’s good if they don’t appear. And you’re doing great, Doctor.”

“Being unusually kind today?”

“It’s the truth. But will Leona handle the humanoid monsters that appeared recently?”

“We don’t know what kind of monsters will appear, so we’ll have to go if they show up.”

Then I’ll set the guidelines.

Release more monsters to gather samples and upgrade the Explorer so humans can rank them.

Monsters below a certain level can be handled by the military,

while stronger ones will require the Beast Slayer.

Until then, endure a little, Sehwa.

I’m planning various strategies for your welfare, so hang in there.

**

“Demon King! I, Amducias, am not like those lowlifes, Octoa! If you release me, I’ll handle everything you desire!”

A bold declaration echoed through the secret base.

I smirked, looking at the humanoid monster trapped in a special iron cage.

A creature with a human body but the face of an ox, named Parax.

He was my subordinate near the end of the first act.

A highly intelligent monster.

A vicious creature that feeds on despair, appearing suddenly to slaughter humans and absorb their emotions to gain immense power.

He meets his end crushed by Leona’s finishing move.

Anyway, this guy gave me a hard time when I played the game.

I used nearly half of my consumables to defeat him.

If I release him now, Leona will struggle and might even lose her transformation.

“Parax, I’ll give you plenty of chances to rampage, but for now, wait.”

“If you say so, I’ll wait patiently… But being stuck here is driving me insane.”

“It pains me to leave you idle. Should I send your minions?”

The ox-faced creature’s expression brightened.

A grotesque, almost insane face.

I barely held back my nausea and continued.

“If your minions gather despair, you’ll be satisfied, right?”

Thud!

Parax slammed his head… no, his snout on the ground.

“Demon King! I, Parax, swear to serve you faithfully!”

“Good. Don’t lose that loyalty.”

Until you die by Leona’s hand.

I turned and left the room, settling onto the throne.

A cold yet comforting contradictory feeling.

Sitting here, I feel like I’m rediscovering my identity.

Demon King Tairat, head of Erandel.

As I sat majestically on the throne, Marcella approached with shining eyes.

“Demon King… You look so fitting… It’s like seeing the Demon King who conquered Erandel… I can’t help but shed tears…”

“Quiet. What about Aiter?”

“The analysis is mostly complete… But we haven’t found a way to modify it yet. If you give us more time…”

“Hmm…”

“I’m sorry! I’ll work as fast as I can!”

I just sighed in concern, why is she apologizing like crazy?

Does she think I’m upset?

Honestly, there’s no rush.

I’ve built enough trust to tinker with Sehwa’s Device anytime.

I’ll let her misunderstand for now.

She’s been giving me sharp looks lately, so I should teach her a lesson.

“Complete it as soon as possible. Don’t test my patience.”

“Yes, yes…! Demon King…”

“And the tracking monster modifications are done, right? Attach them to Yuria.”

“Understood…”

“You…”

I swallowed my words.

I wanted to say I understand her being busy with all the tasks, but…

I’m the Demon King, and she’s my subordinate. She should work hard for me.

“No, never mind. Attach the tracking monsters to Seunghyun too, and release Parax’s minions. The location… Hmm… Since our monsters appeared three times in East Asia, Africa should do.”

“How many should we release?”

“Handle it. Cause enough damage to be subdued by Leona.”

“Yes, Demon King. Leave it to me.”

**

[Last night, humanoid monsters with ox heads appeared in Morocco, causing damage. However, Beast Slayer Leona, arriving in a supersonic fighter jet, eliminated them all. The Moroccan government expressed gratitude to Leona…]

[The World Union Council praised Dr. Cash, who installed the Evil Energy Explorers, stating that the Earth Defense Treaty had its first success. They announced compensation for the damages in Morocco…]

Inside the lab, news played on multiple monitors.

The doctor, silently watching the news, patted Sehwa’s shoulder.

“Well done. You acted swiftly and systematically, minimizing damage this time.”

“Yes… But there were people we couldn’t save. It breaks my heart.”

“I know. That’s why we’re tirelessly working on the portal research…”

Thud! Crash!

I fell off my chair, interrupting Sehwa and the doctor’s conversation.

Sehwa rushed over to help me up.

“Jihyuk!”

Ignoring her concern, I shouted in excitement.

“It’s… it’s done! It’s done!”

My voice echoed through the lab.

With messy hair and a scruffy beard, I looked like a mad inventor.

The doctor approached with a shocked expression.

“What? What is it? Did you cause an accident?”

“The portal! The warp portal! It’s complete!”

“What!?”

The doctor looked like she might faint.

Hehe… Watch this, I’ll surprise you even more.

“Here, look…”

I threw two palm-sized circular objects to opposite ends of the lab.

They clinked and expanded to a size large enough for a person, anchoring themselves to the floor.

I set up a motion camera to capture the lab’s view, then stepped onto one portal and pressed a button.

“Song! Wait! If you go in recklessly, your body might…!”

The doctor tried to stop me, but it was too late.

Whoosh!!

The white light emerging from the portal already enveloped me.

And…

Whoosh!

I instantly appeared at the other portal.

With a face like I was about to vomit.

I frantically found a trash can and emptied my stomach.

“Ugh…! Bleh!”

The dizziness was overwhelming.

The portal was too much for my current human body, but Leona, with her immense power, could handle it.

“Jihyuk! Are you okay!?”

Sehwa rushed to me as I retched.

I raised a hand to signal I was fine.

After vomiting once, I felt better and wiped my mouth with an oily towel.

The doctor was already watching the warp process recorded by the motion camera.

“You were in a distorted space behind, right?”

“Right. Your theory, Doctor. To warp, we need antimatter made of polymers, which you can create, right?”

“You… you’re…”

The doctor, uncharacteristically stumbling over her words, approached me with trembling steps.

“It hurts my pride to say this, but… you’re a real genius. It’s like seeing my husband again.”

That’s high praise.

Not that I’m grateful.

“Sehwa won’t have to suffer anymore. You’ll handle installing the portals worldwide… Gasp!”

I couldn’t finish my sentence.

Sehwa rushed over and hugged me tightly.

Mentioning that I made it for her, she hugged me without hesitation, even in front of the doctor.

Smiling warmly, I patted her back and asked the doctor.

“Do you think countries will leave these portals alone?”

“We’ll make sure they have no choice. We’ll install devices to make them explode if unauthorized people touch them…”

“Isn’t that too extreme?”

“I’ll handle it. Don’t worry, you’ve done well. Does it work as I designed?”

“Yes. Exactly as you designed. It’s a bit dizzying, but Sehwa as Leona can handle it.”

“Good. Rest well today and tomorrow.”

“Finally, a vacation. Phew…”

The doctor chuckled at my sigh, summing up all the hard work.

“Right. You’ve earned it.”

Of course, I have.

This is why I made the portal.

My schemes are gaining momentum. Smooth, very smooth.

Once the doctor installs the portals worldwide, we’ll move on to modifying the Device’s capacity.

For now, we can only tweak some functions, like design or equipment attachment.

That’s all we need for now.

Once Aiter research is complete, we can add various effects for… intimate activities.

All sorts of sinister schemes fill my mind.

For now, I’ll tinker with Leona’s Device and develop Devices for future Beast Slayers, customizing their appearances to my taste.

But the doctor mustn’t notice.

For now, let’s keep it as hidden features.

When the Beast Slayers devote their bodies and souls, and the world places absolute faith in them, that’s when I’ll reveal it.

To be continued―――――――――――――――――――――

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