Chapter 252
Nahun was reading a letter. It was a message that had arrived from the ruler of the 22nd floor, the Demon King Runwe.
“It seems it was delivered well.”
Given Glashalavras’s tendencies, it was obvious that the 21st floor would likely be ruled through a reign of terror, just as she had done on the 24th floor. Knowing this, Nahun believed there would be factions within the 21st floor that opposed her, and he planned to support them to create chaos throughout the tier.
To this end, he sought assistance from Runwe, supplying the opposing factions with combat resources—whether weapons or funds. Using some of the money he had previously earned from Phynox, he was able to repay Runwe for his help and also support the resistance.
At the same time…
“The declaration of war hasn’t arrived yet.”
Nahun believed that Glashalavras had enough nerve to strike first, so he sent Iris to block any arrival of the declaration beforehand. No matter how formidable Glashalavras was, it would be unreasonable to launch an attack on a lower tier without a declaration of war.
If that happened, she might not be able to maintain her ranking at the next assembly. No matter how reckless Glashalavras was, she was still a Demon King. She wouldn’t want her rank to drop.
‘However…’
She was not the type of Demon King to be shaken merely by opposition factions. She would certainly respond quickly and reorganize, and if the messengers continued to fail to arrive, she could send a diplomatic envoy to act. There were limits to what could be done.
“… It’s not enough.”
It was still lacking. There needed to be an incident that directly hit her forces while the tier was in turmoil. Nahun pondered deeply and then came up with a good idea.
“Oh, I can create a nuisance.”
Currently, the resistance was only occurring on the 21st floor, but what would happen if they expanded their influence to other tiers?
Conveniently, the ruler of the 20th floor, directly above the 21st, was the Demon King Naberus. He was not part of the Nobilis faction but was aligned with the Plebs faction, so causing damage there wouldn’t be a problem.
“If the resistance were to expand to the 20th floor to escape the oppression on the 21st…”
Which lord would welcome foreign resistance factions flowing into their territory? Each layer of the Demon World was structured like a country, so if the 21st floor’s resistance began to encroach into the 20th, Naberus would inevitably react.
Whether he protested against Glashalavras, the lord who spread such cancerous cells, or took other measures, he would want to drive the incoming resistance faction out. As a lord, this was a natural response, making it not hard to predict.
Even just that would make things very tiring for Glashalavras in the current situation. While blocking the resistance, she would also have to deal with the influential ones behind the scenes since the upper tiers would be nudging her to find a solution.
“Not bad.”
Nahun decided to put his thoughts into action. Rather than writing as Seere von Debata or under his own name, he began drafting the letter as the mysterious benefactor ‘N’ who was supporting the resistance.
At that moment, someone knocked on the door of Nahun’s office.
“Who is it?”
“It’s Cecili, Nahun.”
“Cecili?”
“I’m coming in.”
Nahun was taken aback that she, who should be by Seere’s side, had come to his office. What kind of business would warrant her presence while she was nursing her apprentice?
“Has Seere awakened?!”
When Nahun asked urgently, Cecili smiled lightly.
“Yes, she is desperately looking for you. Fortunately, she is healthy.”
“Really?!”
“You should go see her right away. Oh, were you in the middle of something urgent?”
“It’s not particularly urgent, but I need to see Seere first!”
Nahun hurriedly got up and rushed out of the office, pushing past Cecili. Seeing this, Cecili smiled softly and picked up the letter, pen, and ink that Nahun had been working on, following him.
“Seere!”
Nahun ran through the hallway and quickly reached Seere’s room. Bursting through the door, he called her name. Normally, there would have been no response.
“… Teacher?”
However, this time there was an answer. Though slightly surprised, her pleasant voice tickled his ears. Nahun’s hurried steps slowed at the reply. When his steps finally came to a stop, he stood before the bed.
At first, she seemed a bit surprised, but soon her gaze toward him softened. The refreshing smile she wore was unchanged from before her collapse.
“Teacher, you came running because you missed me…”
Seere, who had initially intended to joke and blame her feelings on Nahun, couldn’t finish as she was startled.
“Ah… T-Teacher…”
Nahun had silently embraced Seere. Her body was held tight by his arms and hands, leaving her unable to move. During that moment, Nahun opened his mouth.
“I’m relieved.”
It was a brief sentiment. But Seere could clearly feel that it was a phrase filled with deep emotion. She understood better than anyone how Nahun must have felt while waiting for her.
Having experienced the same feelings herself.
In the midst of it all, Nahun bent down to ensure Seere wasn’t uncomfortable, holding her in an awkward position. Seeing this, Seere adjusted herself back slightly.
“… Teacher, come up here.”
Guided by her touch, Nahun climbed onto the bed. Seere watched him obediently with a smile, thinking how cute he appeared and said:
“And I’m not going anywhere. You came back after being injured more seriously before, so did you really think I wouldn’t return?”
When Seere asked, Nahun looked up for a moment and softly replied.
“… I understood rationally that there was no problem. After all, you were just out of magical power, and you would wake up on your own after a bit of sleep.”
But.
“However, I couldn’t think that easily.”
His heart couldn’t be at ease. It couldn’t be that way. Even in a normal teacher-student relationship, he would have been concerned.
“Thank you for waking up in such good health. I’m really relieved.”
Their relationship had deepened now. Seere looked at Nahun for a moment before giving a broad smile. Then, like a child seeking affection, she snuggled into his embrace.
“I missed you too. Did you know you appeared in my dream?”
“Is that so?”
“Hehe, yes.”
“Are you feeling okay anywhere?”
“Yes, though I still feel a bit stiff… there’s no pain.”
“If your body feels stiff, it’s better to walk a bit than to lie down.”
“Oh, then I brought this for no reason.”
At that moment, a voice that didn’t belong to either of them was heard from behind. Nahun quickly turned his head, and Seere greeted it casually.
“!?”
“Oh, Cecili.”
“I brought what you were using, Nahun. Should I return it if you’re going out?”
Nahun felt quite embarrassed as he realized he hadn’t noticed when she arrived or what she had seen. He had been so focused on Seere that he hadn’t sensed her familiar presence, and he sighed.
“Yes, please.”
“What were you using?”
Seere’s question made Nahun hesitate for a moment. If Seere knew he was not simply following a standard strategy but was using nearly clandestine tactics, how would she take it…?
“… It needs a bit of explanation, so let’s talk while walking.”
“Ah, okay.”
It was indeed something that needed explaining. With Seere awakened, Nahun’s proxy authority was practically over, and certain matters needed her approval.
As Nahun reached out to help Seere stand, she smiled brightly and took his hand. The playful smile on her face hadn’t changed.
“Just don’t go too far.”
“Right. We’ll just stroll around the garden.”
As he responded to Cecili’s request, Nahun took Seere outside. As Seere walked down the hallway, the servants greeted her warmly, congratulating her on her recovery.
“Oh my, Your Majesty! Are you already up?”
“I’m perfectly fine.”
Everywhere they went, the servants greeted her with joy, clearly showing how Seere, the Demon King, was regarded by them.
“She’s quite popular.”
At Nahun’s brief remark, Seere opened her eyes wide for a moment, then lifted the corners of her mouth slightly and covered her lips.
“I get along well with everyone.”
“That’s true.”
“Still… I only give my true heart to one person, you know?”
Nahun flinched at her words, finding the charming smile on Seere’s face very enticing. Looking at her, he smiled and replied.
“… I feel the same way.”
“… What?”
Seere looked at Nahun with a face full of disbelief, and her cheeks flushed. She hadn’t expected to be countered like this. Puffing out her cheeks slightly, she grumbled.
“That’s unfair!”
“Eh?”
As Nahun looked puzzled, Seere lightly tugged at his arm, changing the subject.
“U-Um, what was it you wanted to explain?”
“Oh, that.”
Nahun disclosed that he was supporting the resistance on the 21st floor while also preemptively blocking Glashalavras’s declaration of war. To be honest, he felt a bit anxious as he spoke.
He worried that Seere wouldn’t approve of him engaging in what was nearly subversive activity. She possessed a strong sense of justice akin to a Martial Arts Demon King. Such crafty tactics likely wouldn’t sit well with her…
“Not bad.”
“Eh?”
“Surely, it’s easier than doing nothing and facing them head-on, right?”
Nahun was somewhat surprised. He hadn’t expected her to accept it so easily.
“… That’s true. But doesn’t that mean you’re not bothered by it?”
“Well, I do enjoy facing things head-on, but…”
Seere said.
“That said, I hate the idea of foolishly doing nothing and then losing.”
“I see.”
“Is that a surprising reaction? Did you think I would think you were being underhanded?”
“… I didn’t think that far. I just assumed you wouldn’t like it very much.”
“Me? I don’t think I’ve ever opposed anything you’ve done.”
Hearing Seere’s words, Nahun inwardly acknowledged that was true.
“It’s okay if you oppose what I do.”
“Yes?”
“I can’t be right about everything I do. That’s only natural.”
Seere stared at Nahun for a moment. Then, with a small laugh, she shook her head.
“It’s fine. That won’t happen.”
“You don’t need to trust me that much…”
“I believe there’s a reason for everything you do.”
Something lightly bumped against Nahun’s shoulder. Seere had leaned her head against him. In her slightly ticklish voice, she whispered softly.
“And since I’m your lover, I have to believe in what you do until the end. It doesn’t matter if you fail. So, you should do what you want to do.”
“…….”
Nahun closed his eyes slightly. The sincerity of Seere trusting him made his heart feel tight.
“Then will you entrust this matter to me?”
When Nahun asked if she could fully entrust the proceeding of this matter to him, Seere readily nodded and answered.
“Of course. This time, I’ll trust you completely.”
“Thank you.”
“Don’t mention it.”
Nahun thought. As expected, she…
“I will show you a promising result.”
She was a loving partner who was more supportive than anyone else.
#
After Seere woke up, Nahun quickly moved forward with his plan. He sent a letter to the resistance instructing them to shift their base of operations to the 20th floor, and since Glashalavras’s oppression was becoming increasingly severe, the resistance happily moved their influence to the 20th floor.
This left Naberus, now shouldering a new headache, understandably confronting Glashalavras. However, who was Glashalavras? Even with Naberus urging her to resolve the resistance forces quickly, she merely replied to wait.
As tensions began to escalate between the 20th and 21st floors, Nahun decided to set off the final bomb.
“Iris, it’s your turn again.”
“Yes.”
He dispatched Iris to the 20th floor. The reason for choosing the 20th floor instead of the 21st was part of Nahun’s plan. As tensions escalated due to the resistance issue, it was time to…
“Destroy the relationship.”
It was time to cross the point of no return.
