Dungeon Defense (WN)

Dantalian had been severely injured.

Elizabeth immediately looked around as soon as she heard these words. The temple priests who arrived late were going around and treating the wounded, so the people who either had light wounds or no wounds at all were standing and still applauding her.

In an out-of-the-way area, a man was seated and leaning against a tree.

Just from a glance, you could tell that his condition was bad. His abdominal area was drenched in blood. The treatment from regular priests actually has a negative effect on Demon Lords, so the priests could not do anything and the minor treatment was left to a healer.

The man was squinting, but his eyes met Elizabeth’s. The man, Dantalian, had been glancing at her since the beginning.

—Everything started to flow slowly.

Even the sound of applause sounded slow. Elizabeth felt like all the nerves in her body had paused.

‘……Was this all planned from the beginning?’

‘It is as you said.’

She felt like she could hear Dantalian’s response clearly. It wasn’t an assumption either. Dantalian’s face was twisted in pain, but his black eyes were still glowing sharply. Those eyes gave a clearer answer than any words could.

‘There is a considerable number of people who witnessed us leave the ballroom together.’

‘Out of the two of us, only I returned to the ballroom while you were suddenly found severely injured.’

‘This creates a script that would make anyone suspicious.’

People continued to applaud. Clap, clap, the sound of clapping resonated like the sound of bells. Excluding Dantalian and herself, everything else was slow.

‘You most likely thought along these lines: an incident occurred while you were absent. If you returned, then you might get suspected as the culprit.’

‘Indeed. I had to return to the scene as soon as possible and put on a good display. Even if this caused people to doubt me, it would be hard for them to criticize me if I actively take the leading role in the rescue effort.’

‘And you truly must have carried out quite the excellent rescue operation.’

It was for this purpose that Elizabeth had hastily returned to the scene of the disaster before Dantalian.

It was only natural for suspicion to fall upon the person who arrives late during a situation like this. One person rushed back as soon as the incident occurred and helped people, but what was the other person doing to arrive so late? Were they perhaps planning something?

Dantalian’s plan was ruined by the Saintess’ survival.

Elizabeth even gained a good image by having participated in the rescue more actively than Dantalian.

It should have ended here.

‘I was certain that you would succeed.’

If Dantalian hadn’t been discovered in an injured state, that is.

‘A terrorist attack occurred with the Saintess as the target. Adding to this, even I was assaulted. This is not at a scale that an assassin could have planned out on their own. This means that there was someone supporting the terrorist……. This is what people will think.’

‘And that suspicion will fall onto me.’

Leaving the ballroom with Dantalian already put her on the list of suspects.

Furthermore, Elizabeth carried out the rescue operation a little bit too skillfully. Even though everyone was perplexed by the sudden attack, Elizabeth alone remained surprisingly calm. People will probably ask themselves if that level of calmness was actually possible.

Wasn’t there a chance she could’ve known that this would happen beforehand?

‘You have more than enough incentives to do something like this. Not only did you experience a personal loss to me on Bruno Plains, but you also lost to the Saintess and I during the recent diplomatic battle.’

‘Are you saying that I tried to assassinate the both of you as revenge for the diplomatic battle?’

Elizabeth gnashed her teeth.

‘A ploy like that is too obvious. That logic is far too flimsy to point to me as the culprit.’

‘But that does not mean all suspicion will be gone, does it not?’

‘…….’

This attack was far too sloppy for most people to believe that it was done by Elizabeth, however, that doesn’t remove all possibilities. As long as there was still a possibility, people will still harbor their doubts…….

‘Your reputation was not particularly good on the diplomatic stage. No, it would be more correct to say that the Habsburg Imperial Family itself is a somewhat untrustworthy bloodline. They are bound to various malicious rumors. To make matters worse, you killed your second brother with your own two hands.’

Putting her personal ability aside, her character wasn’t exactly trustworthy. That was the diplomatic reputation that Consul Elizabeth had.

‘There is no guarantee that someone who killed their own brother would not attack a formal event. These lingering suspicions will persist and pressure you.’

‘…….’

A crowd gathered around Elizabeth. Some of them smiled and applauded, while others tried to shake her hand. She could no longer see Dantalian because of the crowd.

How were things going to change tomorrow? After everything has settled down and people are able to think about things rationally, they will inevitably start to suspect Elizabeth. At that point, Elizabeth will stop being showered in praise and will instead be given doubt and scorn.

‘But.’

Elizabeth thought to herself as she shook people’s hands.

‘To think he would stab himself enough to make his guts spill out.’

After Elizabeth had left and Dantalian remained alone in the garden, Dantalian pulled out a dagger and stabbed himself.

That wasn’t a wound that could be made by being stabbed once. He had stabbed himself five, no, more than ten times. In a desolate place where no one was watching. He held back his pain and groans as he stabbed himself over and over again.

Elizabeth felt a chill run down her spine as she imagined this scene.

What kind of expression did he have on his face as he mutilated himself?

What kind of life did he live to be capable of performing such an act?

‘Aah, is it the other way around?’

Elizabeth came to the same realization again.

‘It is because he is capable of doing something like this that he considers himself weak.’

The day was coming to an end.

The republican representative meeting was suspended indefinitely.

* * *

Elizabeth’s eyes turned to look at me. The excessive pain made everything blurry to me. Despite this, Elizabeth alone looked relatively clear compared to everything else. How interesting.

You were so close, Elizabeth. You were about to see through my personality and plan, but you were one step too late.

I’m not foolish enough to face you in a full frontal battle. I’m someone who can’t even face Henrietta straight on. You are three times scarier than Henrietta. Running away is obviously the wisest course of action.

That’s why I chose to flip the board. The Saintess had almost died, this meeting ended up being fruitless, and another gathering like this, where humans and demons gather under the flag of republicanism, will most likely not happen again anytime soon. Or, at the very least, it will be delayed…….

Elizabeth, you probably saw through this much. However, you most likely never expected me to injure myself.

Do you understand now? The weak aren’t people who always run away. If they still have somewhere left to run to, then they’re someone who has never experienced hell yet. The weak are those who believe that they are currently standing at the edge of a cliff. The people who have nothing else left except for the cliff edge. This is what it means to be weak…….

There’s no way anyone could face a monster like you without making sacrifices. You have to learn how to sacrifice a limb or two. If anything, being able to benefit by only stabbing yourself in the stomach was godsent.

Does this make it the second time I’ve injured myself?

I had used an anesthetic herb when I threatened Gamigin. I couldn’t do that this time. There were mages who specialized in healing all around the venue. There was a high chance that they would have noticed if I had used an anesthetic.

They would question why someone who had been attacked was anesthetized beforehand. I had to stab my stomach without anything to numb the pain…….

At first, I thought about using Ivar’s doll. I was going to send it back to the ballroom to get swept up in the explosion while I’m dealing with Elizabeth. This would’ve made it appear as if Elizabeth was the only one absent from the ballroom, which, in turn, would’ve put even more suspicion on her.

The problem was the fact that the security around the ballroom was stricter than I expected.

It was clear that Paimon had put her heart and soul into this meeting. I couldn’t sneak a doll in because there were guards and mages on standby at every corner. In the end, I had no other choice but to inflict self-harm.

It was a hellish act. If I didn’t have the innate regenerative ability of Demon Lords, then I probably would’ve died a long time ago. Honestly, I wanted to pass out even now.

But not yet. I needed a bigger audience……. Damn it, my eyes are getting heavy. I could no longer see Elizabeth. The pain was so intense that, contrarily, I couldn’t feel the pain.

“Your Excellency Count Palatine! Are you okay!?”

Finally.

I could faintly feel the presence of people approaching. I was one of the prominent figures within the Habsburg Empire. It was only natural for people to gather around me and make a scene.

“Mage, how is His Excellency’s condition!?”

“I am doing the best that I can…… but there is poison around the wound. His Highness’ regenerative ability is high, but the poison is interfering.”

The mage spoke in a grave tone. I heard people let out gasps. “Poison?”, “What a vile method.” Not only was the building attacked, but there was also an assassination attempt. It was like getting hit by a one-two combo.

“The poison is thoroughly blocking his regenerative ability. It would basically have no effect on humans. I am sure that the assassin was aiming for His Excellency from the beginning.”

“This is bad. I heard that the Saintess is also in critical condition. At this rate…….”

They’re overreacting. Don’t worry. The poison was adjusted to only put me in critical condition and not beyond that. Although Jeremi was the one who did that, so I didn’t do anything……. I probably won’t die.

“These two are like the makeshift bridge between humanity and demonkind. This might cause both sides to rampage, mage!”

“I am doing my best.”

This mage was also pitiful. He ended up in charge of my treatment. The treatment methods between demons and humans are drastically different. This mage is probably suffering because he has to treat a Demon Lord, something which he has never done before. He would probably get executed if I died, poor old man.

I think enough people have gathered. It was time for my final act.

“Ugh……gh…….”

“Your Excellency! Are you awake, Your Excellency!?”

Don’t shout! My head feels like it’s going to crack open! Have you never been told to not be loud around a patient? There are too many idiots in the world. The problem is the fact that I have to take advantage of this idiot right now.

I opened my mouth.

“……tess.”

The pain may have gotten to the point that it felt distant, but my condition appeared to be worse than I imagined. My voice wouldn’t come out properly. I focused entirely on my mouth and tongue. It felt like my body had gone from auto mode to manual.

“The Saintess……. What happened to the Saintess……?”

“……! The Saintess is safe! She was injured, but there is no problem!”

I wasn’t sure who it was, but someone hastily answered my question. It was a rather simple-minded statement. There’s no problem? The fact that the Saintess was injured was already a problem in itself. They probably exaggerated in order to reassure me.

It was so stupid that I couldn’t help but smile.

“Is that so…… that is a relief.”

This was enough.

I let go of the little bit of consciousness that I was doing my utmost to hold on to. My consciousness faded away at a rapid pace. I tried to bluff by enduring the pain, but even that was too difficult now. The people around me seemed to misinterpret that as they all let out a shout.

“Y-Your Excellency! No, you must stay with us!”

“Who is the culprit!? Please tell us who did this to you!”

“Your Excellency!”

Idiots. Didn’t I tell you that I won’t die?

All you guys have to do is testify that I was worried about the Saintess’ well-being while on the border between life and death. Prove my innocence. Don’t forget it…….

My consciousness then went dark.

Truly, being a Demon Lord is a difficult job.

***

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. Dantalian really likes hurting himself, huh? Does this make it the third or second time he’s done something like this? Politicians are scary. In any case, I thought things would settle down since this Chinese game project is at its last stage, but I’m like facing the most annoying hurdle at the end. We’re on the ‘repetition’ phase where we basically fill the lines that are the same as other lines but with different number variables. This part is supposed to be quick and easy because the program we use is supposed to see those numbers and just finish the lines for us, but the issue is that this game made us attach symbols to a lot of the numbers. Since the numbers are attached to a Chinese symbol, the program doesn’t treat those as numbers. In other words, I’m having to manually copy and paste the lines and then change the numbers myself afterward. The work is SO tedious. It’s actually insane. It took me 2 hours to do 5% of the file.

Ugh, I’ll stop ranting for now. I’ll see you guys in the next chapter if I’m alive.

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