Chapter 258: #A Master and Disciple’s Forbidden XX (2)

Apparently, General Hwang Bosheng, who was guarding the borders, had attacked the palace of the Eunju Empire with two hundred thousand troops.

Swish! Swish!

Upon hearing the news, Demon Lord soared into the sky. His flying technique made him look like a black streak of light traveling across the air.

“

Huff! Puff!

Let's go together, sir!”

I did my best to chase after him, but because I was too heavy, I couldn’t catch up to him. Still, I was relatively good at it, having already left the cult leader behind in the distance.

“What a slow pig!” Demon Lord clicked his tongue disapprovingly, then grabbed me by my collar. “I'll be going full speed now!”

“Pardon?”

Craaaack!

His thigh muscles swelled as he tore through the air, covering distances far beyond his earlier speed.

Baaaaam!

How the heck did he make a sound like a sonic boom?! What is he?! Some kind of jet?!

“

Waaaaaaaaaah!

”

The thick flesh on my face was pushed backward by the force, as if about to peel off. We should’ve traveled at least hundreds of kilometers, as we arrived at our destination in under thirty minutes.

Baaaam!

Demon Lord landed, leaving a huge hole in his wake. Then, he roared ferociously, “These darned rebellion troops! Prepare yourself! I’ll beat every last one of you to death with my iron fists!”

“

Bleeergh!”

Meanwhile, I felt nauseous and vomited while lying on the ground. Despite never having been on a plane before, here I was, suffering airsickness. Something felt off.

The beautiful palace, reminiscent of China’s Forbidden city, was eerily quiet. Wasn’t there supposed to be a rebellion?

Bang! Bang bang bang!

Suddenly, extravagant fireworks and cheerful music rang throughout the palace.

Ruuuuumble—

At the same time, a purple, carpet-like fabric rolled out, and rows of splendidly dressed female attendants appeared, dancing like falling flower petals.

As we stood watching the sight in astonishment, guards towering at almost two meters tall yelled, “The glorious ruler of the great Eunju Empire, the emperor reigning above all men, has arrived!”

Shaaa, shaaa—

Like a butterfly, she stepped on the purple fabric on the ground. She donned a platinum crown and a phoenix-embroidered imperial robe. Her pale face glowed. Everyone knelt at her appearance—only Demon Lord and I remained standing.

The moment I saw her face, I felt my breath hitch in my throat. Even Namgoong Xiaoxiao, one of the Five Beauties of the World, couldn’t compare to her. Radiating an untouchable aura and majesty that dominated all men, she had to be the fabled once-in-a-century beauty. Her one and only flaw, if it could even be called that, was her sickly pale skin. Yet, even that awakened a fierce urge in men to protect her. She was basically the most beautiful woman in the world.

However, her beauty wasn't what shocked me the most.

Despair...!

She was the spitting image of Despair, save for the infernal aura of delight in destruction. My heart pounded hard. I could feel myself hyperventilating.

C-calm down. Only their faces are the same...!

-I can never forget this energy! You! You’re the one who killed my daughter! How dare you show up here with her face!

I recalled how enraged Demon Lord was back then. Despair and this woman were clearly two different people.

The emperor greeted Demon Lord respectfully, “Have you arrived, Master?”

“W-what is all this? Didn't a rebellion happen?”

“Rebellion? Didn't you come because it was my birthday? Master, did you possibly forget...?”

A shadow formed on her face, and Demon Lord broke into cold sweat.

Eh? This was my first time seeing him so flustered.

“

Kekeke!

H-how could that be!”

No matter how I saw it, he was clearly covering it up with a laugh.

“L-look, I even brought you a present!”

Present? When he was topless like that? What a blatant lie...

Then, Demon Lord slapped my back a couple of times.

“Here, let me introduce him to you! He’s your new junior!”

“Oh my!” The emperor smiled broadly, like a cherry blossom in bloom.

Somehow, I felt like this old man was turning me into a present for her...?

“Nice to meet you, Junior. Even though Master had declared that he’d never accept another disciple in this life, he still acknowledged you! You must be quite the prodigy!”

Her eyes, clear like the early morning lake, met mine.

Ding!

-----

[Zhu Alin]

A female human. Around for 25 years.

Special note: Empress of Eunju Empire in The Plains. Harbor deep affection for Demon Lord. And...

-----

In the past, Zhu Alin was both Demon Lord’s disciple and stepdaughter. After she was chosen as God of Destroyer’s apostle, Demon Lord ripped her heart out himself. Their powerful familial bond would explain the deep affection part, but...

[Special note: ...A

yandere

.]

It’d been so long since a special note left me bewildered.

You mean...

that

kind of yandere?

***

A celebratory banquet for Emperor Zhu Alin was held in the palace. It was a modest one, attended by the three of us, along with a few of her favorite subjects.

Nyam, nyam!

Demon Lord tore the flesh of a grilled baby pig off the bones, glowering at the veteran general, who bore a sword wound across one eye.

“So, you’re Hwang Bosheng? I heard that you’re the one who led the troops and attacked the royalty?”

“G-Grand Master! That’s just a baseless accusation! My faith is as clear as the skies and as deep as the oceans! To me, the emperor is the sky! She’s someone far more precious than my own life!”

Thud thud!

The general suddenly fell to his knees. He banged his head so hard against the ground that his forehead reddened.

“Master, don't tease the general. He might not be up to your standards, but he’s one of the key figures supporting the Eunju Empire.”

“

Ahem!

I’m not teasing anyone! You ugly fool, stop it! You’re ruining my mood to drink!” Demon Lord coughed dryly, then downed his drink.

Smiling from ear to ear, the emperor whispered into his ear, “Thank you for your present, Master. I will cherish it for the rest of my life.”

Around her neck was a pearl necklace the size of a thumb.

“

Ahem

. Well, you don’t have to cherish it your entire life! Next year, I’ll bring a pearl necklace the size of an egg for you!

Hahaha!

” Demon Lord said merrily.

Tsk, that’s from me, yet he took the credit for it.

I adapted to the situation and bought the pearl necklace from the God’s Shop for a whopping five million Godcoins. It seemed to be a goddess’s necklace, said to enhance one’s charm. Given the emperor’s natural beauty, the change was hardly noticeable. It was like a 100 + 1 stat boost.

Zhu Alin smiled at me. “Thank you as well, Junior.”

Had I not been traumatized by Despair, I could’ve easily fallen for that heavenly smile. I smiled back and bowed my head, trying to look cool.

Demon Lord squinted his eyes at me. “You pig disciple, I won’t forgive you if you ever show any malice toward my daughter!”

Gosh, this elder is such a dimwit.

“Sure sure,” I replied dryly, then tore the flesh off a chicken drumstick.

I kept my guard up just in case, but fortunately, nothing bad had happened so far. Unlike the special note, Zhu Alin acted like a dutiful daughter toward Demon Lord.

And so, the night grew deeper.

“I'll see you again tomorrow, Master. If you leave without saying goodbye again, I’ll seriously get mad this time, got it?”

“

Ack!

Don’t worry! I vow on my name that I’ll never repeat that again!

Hic!”

Haa...

just how much did he drink? Even his breath smelled like alcohol.

“I’ll see you tomorrow as well, Junior~”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Don’t be so stiff. You can call me senior when it’s just us.”

Seeing the warm smile that I couldn’t even get from my own older sister pained my heart. If history continued as it did, this world would soon be destroyed by God of Destroyer’s alter ego.

Trying hard to hide the sadness, I replied, “...Yes, Senior.”

“Please follow me, Grand Master and Young Master.”

The banquet had ended.

I followed the attendant, who led us to our assigned room—a magnificent room prepped with silk bedding and expensive-looking decorations.

I tossed the drunk Demon Lord onto one of the beds, then got lost in thought. I seriously pondered over how I could save this world from destruction...

Zzz! Zzz!

Geez, this old man is so noisy!

I shouldn’t have such disrespectful thoughts, but I missed the times when he was a dagger. I opened the window and looked up at the crescent moon that was now far to the east.

“

Hyaa!

”

Like a swallow on water, I took to the sky.

I used the flying technique and struggled to balance myself because of my weight. Soon, I caught a glimpse of the palace beneath my feet.

Whiiiing!

As the night breeze blew, the palace was shrouded in silence and darkness. Aside from a few guards occasionally patrolling with torches, there was no sign of any suspicious activity. After a while, chills ran down my spine.

What the hell am I doing? I should just go back to sleep. That old man should be quiet by now, right?

Ssss—!

Huh?

𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

Just then, the palace shook.

What’s this?

Puzzled, I was about to return to the palace to take a look.

“Are you unable to sleep, Grand Master’s Disciple?”

I shivered. A heavy tenor voice suddenly came from behind me, and I spun around in shock. A man clad in white-tiger-like armor was flying in the sky. He looked familiar. Wasn’t he General Hwang Bosheng?

I chuckled awkwardly, as if caught in the middle of committing theft. “Oh, hi. I came out to get some fresh air while sobering up.

Hahaha.

”

“

Haha,

I see. To stand above the palace... the sheer audacity!” Hwang Bosheng laughed heartily in return.

“Then, if you’ll excuse me then.

Hoahm~

I’m actually sleepy.” I turned around, wanting to return to my quarters.

“Please stop there, new Demon Lord and Hero Yang Il-Shin.” His thick arms obstructed my path.

“You’ve committed the unforgivable sin of waking the emperor from her daydream.”

Daydream?

Riiiip!

At his enigmatic words, his back split open. Black tentacles sprung out of it, wrapping me all over.

“

Uuuugh!”