Chapter 96

– Forest of Eternity (4)
Originally, he had planned on meeting up with Daitan’s forces.  He would have strutted around at the head of the Daitan’s army, and he would have used his magic to make their procession look awe-inspiring.  However, things had turned out like this, so he didn’t have the free time to clean up all the poop.

Wait a moment, Roa!  Is it perhap the Demonification curse again?

[Nyaaaaa-ahhhhh!]
Roa was already worked up, so Artpe’s words weren’t reaching her.  He clicked his tongue as he quickly descended after Roa. When he did, he felt the trace of a curse.  He could feel it deep within the palace.  Fortunately, it wasn’t a Demonification curse.  It was simply an Emotion Amplification type curse.
‘······it’s an Emotion Amplification type curse?’
It was fortunate that this incident had no ties to the Demon race.  However, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.  Maybe, he might face something more unpleasant.
[Nyaa!  Nyaa-ah-ah!]
Roa had arrived at the palace ahead of Artpe.  She sped through the palace, which was covered with filth.  She quickly headed towards the hidden location.
It wasn’t just the filth.  The sewer lines had exploded, but the various magical traps and locks remained intact!  However, Roa was in her magical fog form, so she was capable of passing through even a solid wall.  She easily passed through all obstacles.  Artpe followed after her as he cleared the overturned palace.

It is really hidden quite well.

The trace of the curse was hidden in a deep location.  No one would have noticed it except for Artpe and Roa.  Artpe possessed the Read All Creation ability, and Roa was the Greed Beast, who ruled over all negative energy.
It was understandable as to why it was hidden.  Not all magicians within the palace agreed with the king, and the deciding factor probably came down to the king’s desire to hide it from Regina.

We’re here.

[Nyaa!  Nyaa nyaa nyaa!]
It was a room within the palace where the king and a select few servants visited.  Within this space, there was a secret storage room built within it.  One needed to input several codes to be able to enter into the secret storage room.  Roa was able to bypass everything except the last fail safe device.  It deflected everything except for a certain type of Mana.  Her progress had been stopped.
[Nyaa-ahhhhhh.]

You only cling to me in this kinds of situation.

[Nyaa nyaa-ah.]
Artpe discovered Roa struggling against an old door.  She couldn’t bypass it.  When she discovered Artpe, she returned to her cat form.  She jumped into his arms, and she started badgering him.  He looked down at her as he let out a hollow laughter.

I also have to enter it, so……  All right.  I’ll do it.

When Artpe opened his hand, several Mana Strings started to feel around the door.  He had already used his Read All Creation ability to acquire the complete structure of the trap.
There was an impregnable lock that could only be opened by injecting the Mana of its owner.  However, Arpte was able to disrupt and modify Mana.  He had slowly learned how to do it by going through the hero’s Dungeon created by his sunbae.  He was able to tamper with the security spell.  He was able to temporarily change the owner of the magic!

Well, if this doesn’t work, I’ll just inject a massive amount of Mana.  The lock won’t be able to endure it.  I’ll overwhelm it in an instant.  You should pay attention to this method for your own use.

[Nyaa nyaa nyaa-ah.]
The door opened.  Artpe took hold of Roa, who was about to rush forward immediately.
If the space outside the room smelled like filth, the inside of the room smelled metallic from the blood.

This is…….

Artpe’s expression became distorted.  He was unable to speak for awhile.  He could only bite his lips as he surveyed the room.
In his previous life, the Demon King’s army hadn’t interfered with the war between Aedia and the Elves.  The two sides were on a path to mutual destruction, so the Demon King’s army didn’t go through the trouble of changing the course of events.
This was why Arpte only had a basic knowledge of what had happened here even though he had been in charge of gathering information for the Demon King’s army.  He had only known about the result.  He had no idea which person did what, and he had no idea how things had progressed here.
That’s why······.
[Nyaa-ah.]

I guess so.

Tiata and Aedia had been trying to devour the Forest of Eternity.  The evidence of what they had done to achieve this goal was left intact in this room.  There were research books, reagents for curses and Artifacts.   ……then there was the evidence of experimentation on living beings.

They really are rotten to the core.  They are trying hard in making me not have a guilty conscience.  It is almost admirable.

Artpe took out a large sheet from his Dimensional Pouch, and he placed it over the corpses of Elves that were left neglected in the corner of the room.  Then he gently soothed Roa, who was trying to immediately eat the curse.

No one is going to steal it from you, so please be patient.  ······things have turned more unpleasant, but at the same time, it became easier.

This room was a magical room that exposed the true nature of Aedia’s king.  The king had to make an abrupt exit, so he hadn’t been able to get rid of all the evidences.  Any magician that caught sight of this room would realize what Aedia’s braintrust had been doing up until now.
If the magicians had a normal upbringing and a minimal amount of conscience, Artpe would be able to easily bring them to his side.  He just had to show them this room.

I guess I’ll have to clean this up first.

First, Artpe put a barrier type spell over the secret room.  After preserving the state of the room, he used a large-scale Cleaning spell.  In a flash, a portion of the castle became clean.  He got a kick out of it.

At the very least, I should clean up the palace before my party arrives.

[Nyaa nyaa-ah.]

You are going to help too, you dork.

[Nyaa!]
After two hours, all the magicians and the seasoned knights of Aedia were bound.  They were brought to the palace by the king of Daitan. The only place that was clean was the route taken by them, so all the civilians had taken refuge on the road.  It was a very humorous sight.

Artpe!


Oppa!


All right.  Let’s get you washed.  Cleaning.


Ooh-gyahk.

They had been away from Artpe for a short time, yet they tried to pounce on him as they wiggled their non-existing tails.  Before Maetel and Sienna could reach him, he rinsed them down with the Cleaning spell.  Afterwards, they were allowed to hug him.  The king of Daitan had a tragic expression on his face as he glared at Artpe.

Magician.  You really didn’t lie to us.  You used a Great Magic spell to neutralize our enemies, and you brought the capital to its knees.  However, you also hid a very important fact from us.  The smell of shit is permeating from my entire body!  Also, do you expect me to repair the sewer lines?  How long do you think it will take me to clean all of this?!  At this point, the capital is paralyzed! Paralyzed!  How are we going to put everything back in order!


Stop being so sensitive.

Artpe had randomly fired his magic to clean the palace.  In turn, his Cleaning spell had leveled up steeply.  He once again activated his Cleaning spell to wash the body of the king, and everyone else present.  Then the Cleaning spell started to expand.  In a flash, the Cleaning spell covered several thousand to tens of thousands of people.  It was merely a Cleaning spell, but it was awe-inspiring.

As expected, you are an incredible magician.  You were able to get rid of all the stain and stench……  I won’t have to take a bath.


He is an Archmage, so why are all his spells…..


Still, we have to accept it.  He is…..  He is better than the ‘former’ king, who ran scared from the magic he displayed.  He is more suitable to be the ruler of Aedia.

One of the magicians spoke up.  Surprisingly, all the magicians nodded their heads.  It made one realize in an instant that the word, ‘magic’, held a strong grip over the minds of the people of Aedia.  The king of Daitan had been watching all of this, and he also picked up on the mood.
In truth, Artpe had participated in the war as Daitan’s wartime mercenary, but his achievements had been to overwhelming!
It was an understatement to say that it was overwhelming.  The only thing Daitan had to do was arrest the soldiers, who had voluntarily given up their weapons.  That was all they had to do to reach the palace.   They had gone through less effort than a beggar finding a dusty bread on the ground.

You······ Are you perhap thinking about putting yourself on the throne?

‘If you planned on doing that, why didn’t you come here by yourself?’
The king of Daitan glared at Artpe with an aggrieved expression on  his face.  Artpe let out a short sigh as he shook his head from side to side.

I don’t care if the title contains Demon in front of the king or if it is a regular king.  It is all annoying.  You can have it all.


I really respect the fact that you can make such an assertion so decisively, but……


All right.  Since everyone is gathered here, I’ll make the declaration.

Artpe was receiving gazes that contained fright, trepidation, annoyance and awe.  He made a firm declaration to the magicians and knights.

I don’t care if you serve the king of Daitan as lord or not.  However, you shouldn’t take too long to decide.  I’ll become annoyed, and you’ll become annoyed.  Do you understand?


You….  What is your purpose in coming here?

He was a level 217 magician, and he held the title of marquis.  The middle-aged man asked Artpe a question.

You possess great power, so why are you insisting on being a tool of Daitan?  The power you possess aren’t beholden to anyone, so why did you inject yourself into a fight between nations?  I might be overstepping my bounds, but if I had your level of power, I would wage a war that would unite this continent.


That is a very good question.

A broad smile appeared on Artpe’s face as he spoke.  He turned around as he pointed down the clean corridor of the palace.

I was about to show you guys that reason.

Tens of thousands of people entered the palace at the same time.  An overwhelming number of people bound by rope were being convoided in.  It was a truly ironic sight.

My god.  The castle is completely restored.


Is it a Restoration spell!? You used such a rare spell over such a large space?  Truly ridiculous!


No, it is just a very high level Cleaning spell.

The high level and matured Cleaning spell did more than just cleanse the dirtiness.  It could make its target as clean as possible.  On top of that, it had the ability to move items, and it could do restoration work!
It had taken Artpe 20 minutes to accomplish this task, and the palace was restored to a pristine condition.  It was hard to believe that the palace had suffered under the countercurrent of the God Flush.  Even if Artpe became jobless after defeating the Demon King, he could make his living as a cleaner!  That’s how great his cleaning ability was!

Why is there the stench of blood in this clean palace?


······is this what you wanted to show us?  Did our king commit suicide instead of running away?


It would have been cute if he had killed himself.

Artpe guided the group deep into the palace.  The magicians realized that each hallway they passed was teeming with incredible magical traps.  They let out murmurs of appreciation when they realized that Artpe had disarmed them all.

We are well aware of the fact that the palace’s defensive magic was passed down through the generations, and they are all high level spells.  I never expected those defensive magics to be easily neutralized like this.


Even if the Demon king invaded us, we assumed he would never be able to breach the palace……


A…are you perhaps the Demon King!?

They really were spouting bunch of nonsense.  Artpe let out a sigh as he directed their gazes.  From within the room, he could hear Roa’s faint cry.  She wanted him to come quickly.

Oh my god. This is where the king resides…..


Is this the energy of a curse!?

The magicians that were sensitive to Mana and those that were quick on the uptake started to pick up on traces of the curse.  The magicians could sense it from a long distance away, but it was impossible for the knights.  Tens of thousands of people could come into the palace, but it was a tight fit.  This was why Artpe started creating a new space.

The palace is falling!


Ooh-ahhhhhhhhhhk!

He would do it by force!

You brute!


This is something everyone should see.

Artpe broke apart the palace, and he grinded the falling fragments.  He used several hundred Mana Strings to demolish and clean up the building.  It wasn’t hard at all!

What is waiting for us……


…I think I have some idea.  It doesn’t feel good.  This feeling…..

They knew that their king wasn’t a squeaky clean figure.  Despite this knowledge, the faces of tje magicians started to harden.  A very small number of magicas had participated in this endeavor with the king.  They were going through great pains in trying to keep a low profile.
Unfortunately for them, Artpe’s Read All Creation ability could see the skills each of them possessed.  On top of that, he could use the faint trace of Mana left behind in the king’s residence to determine guilt or innocence.  Of course, Arpte was ready to bring them all of them down with just a glance.
Finally….

We are here.

[Nyaa?]
Roa was tired of waiting, so she grumbled as she jumped into Artpe’s arms.  Artpe had opened up the nearby walls, so he was able to show them the secret space kept by the king.  The magicians closest to Artpe were at a loss for words when they saw what was inside the room.

My god······.


Why are you reacting that way?  I think I know what is going on, so let’s….. Huht.

The unrest started to spread. Everyone in the front froze in place when they saw within the room.  The people in the back pulled back the people frozen in the front, and a new group of people pushed to the front.  They also froze in place.  This process kept repeating itself until everyone saw what was within the room.

Do you now see what Aedia and Tiata is doing within the Forest of Eternity?

For a while, no one replied to Artpe’s words. The people directly involved had a serious expression on their faces, but the bystanders felt like idiots.   The unrest spread throughout the people gathered there.

Magician.

The king of Daitan queried Artpe with a calm voice.

I have a hunch as to where the king of Aedia had run away.  Will you help me subdue him?

His eyes were on the storage room dyed with blood.  There were corpses of Elves within the room that were sullied by all kinds of curses and lust.  There were ingredients that were used to make the curses, and a bookcase full of black magic tomes that dealt with Control type magic.  ….there was also the half destroyed Warp Gate present.
Artpe spoke.

Wait.  I’m planning on gathering more participants.

In truth, he didn’t want participants.  He wanted an audience.  However, Artpe declined to speak this out loud.
It would make the listening audiences feel bad.