The Berserker’s Second Playthrough in the Game - Chapter 228



Only Krnovel

Episode 228. The Golden Lord (1)

“… … That’s exactly what happened, Nauri!”

Duncan, the savior of Untana, proudly finished his tale of bravery and straightened his shoulders. The gold medal he had received from the Delutana Council glittered on his chest, and the sound of the military band from Untana departing echoed outside the window.

… … ding, ding, dong, buuu, buuuu… … .

“… … .”

Kadim finally realized the full story of the peddler who went to rescue his family and returned with a troupe of stomachache acrobats. She couldn’t believe it easily.

“Hey, kid. “Did your father really defeat that paladin by himself?”

Dunsen, a little boy who looked just like his father, shook his head and broke his neck.

“Yes! My dad, he was really cool, Uncle Kadim! That bad knight was acting really bad, and my dad was like, swoosh swoosh, dodge, get behind, all that… … When I grow up, I want to be a great hero like my dad!”

“Hmm, hmm… … . Well, even a hero… … . Dunsen, if you just try hard enough, you can be like your dad… … .”

“Except for that ugly beard, hehe!”

“… … .”

Duncan suffered greater damage from the bloody murder of his own brother than from the high-ranking paladin.

The little assassin who had struck a harmless fatal blow fled away. Only Kadim and Duncan were left in the reception room. Before I knew it, Duncan had become the first head of the Wheeled family and the master of this huge mansion.

Kadim took a sip from his glass, then glanced at Duncan’s tattered right ear.

“Is that ear injury caused by a guy named Decagram?”

“Ahhh… … yes… … . When I let my guard down for a moment, I got pierced by a knife… … .”

“If you want, I can make you feel better quickly.”

Kadim takes out the Iron Blood Demon and puts it on my forearm. Duncan was appalled and waved his hand.

“Oh, no! It’s okay! Of course, a warrior should have at least one glorious scar… … .”

“… … In that case, whatever.”

Even though a considerable amount of time had passed since they had been together, the peddler was still surprised by the savage who did not hesitate to show blood.

Duncan then carefully brought up the subject he had been unable to bring up earlier: the fact that the ‘Star that Illuminates Sleep’ had been tracking them all along, and the warnings he had heard from the followers of the Forgotten God disguised as councillors.

As expected, Kadim didn’t seem particularly surprised. I had already heard about the persistent revenge of the Archbishop of the Elgar Church and her warnings about the ‘star that swallows darkness’ from Hendark.

On the contrary, it was the other side that he expressed interest in.

“… … You also heard that if you continue to openly use the dark magic, it will be difficult to avoid ‘divine punishment’?”

“Yes, it’s not completely safe even at night… … . Ah! And that girl, Illenia, told me that she was sorry for leaving without saying goodbye!”

“… … .”

After letting the gossip slide, Kadim fell into deep thought.

Until now, I passed it on without thinking much about it. But at this point, he couldn’t help but ask this question.

Why doesn’t the fake Elgar exterminate all unbelievers and pagans with ‘divine punishment’?

‘Light and order’, that was the original divinity of Elgar. However, the fake Elgar’s actions almost seemed to be ‘self-righteousness and persecution’, and the followers who followed him were the same.

However, if you ask whether the purpose of the fake Elga is to destroy non-believers and reign as the only god… … There were many puzzling corners.

Even the followers of the forgotten god, who tried their best to hide their identity, thought so. However, I did not understand why he did not punish the allies who treated humans like gods, the Atalans who served the God of War, the elves who served the World Tree, and even Duncan and himself who openly killed ‘Decagram’.

It was never because he was incapable of doing so, or because he was reluctant to intervene on the ground. In the distant past, there was the case of slaughtering a thousand dragons on the ‘Night of Heavenly Punishment’, and in the nearby past, there was the case of Lafustraan being completely destroyed. If he wanted, the fake Elgar could pour down heavenly punishment and exterminate any being that defied him.

Then, there is a reason why we do not touch non-believers, either intentionally or involuntarily… … .

‘… … Like cunning demons, to give a little hope and create greater ‘pain and despair’?’

It was nonsense. Putting aside the question of why God needs pain and despair, it would have been better to just throw all humans into hell and give them hope.

No matter how much I thought about it, I couldn’t come up with an answer. It was impossible. For now, I could only see Elgar’s true intention as ‘impossible.’

However, Kadim knew one way to turn absolute incomprehensibility into comprehension.

When I first encountered the ‘Great Devil’ in the Demonic World 300 years ago, it seemed more like a disaster that could not be resisted or supernatural willed rather than a living being. Looking at the enormous immortal hearts and the power beyond human reason, it seemed like it would be impossible forever to understand this being or grasp its principles of action.

However, each time the warrior’s group removed the hearts one by one, his mysterious status plummeted, and finally, when he was on the verge of death… … .

‘Haha, hahahahahaha!! Do you think the likes of you can kill me just because of this… … .’

… … He was throwing a tantrum like a mere devil and ended up having his head cut off.

‘survival’. If you make it the most urgent task, no matter how transcendent it is, its true colors will be revealed.

There is no problem that cannot be solved through force. As long as there was no continued intervention by the El family, this war was a golden opportunity to raise one’s ‘status’ and grow by killing the followers of the powerful El family. There was also a story about the ‘fake Elgar’s weakness’ that the dragon had heard about… … .

‘If the war lasts longer, I’ll have to test later to see if Heavenly Punishment has really weakened… … .’

Kadim made up his mind and came out of his thoughts.

Upon closer inspection, I noticed that Duncan had changed a lot from before. Flexibly compressed muscles, strong and hardened skeleton. By killing a member of Decagram, he must have entered the realm of superhumans.

But what changed the most were the eyes. The look in his eyes as he realized his own potential and began to truly prepare himself for the fight to protect what was precious.

Kadim snickered, let out a light laugh, and got up.

“Well done, Duncan. I guess I’ve been underestimating you a bit lately.”

“… … !”

“I will continue to expect outstanding performance from now on.”

As Duncan looked at the warrior leaving, a smile filled with emotion came to mind.

After all, no matter how many people praise you… … The only thing that could fully satisfy his desire for recognition to the depths of his innermost being was the praise of that great great warrior.

*

A public execution was carried out for the first time in a while in the central square of Delutana.

In the Golden City, public executions were one of the few entertainments enjoyed by everyone, regardless of gender, age, wealth or social status.

When it was normally carried out, the atmosphere was like a festival. Drunkards would swear at the condemned and vent their anger, lovers would hug each other and show affection, parents would use it as an opportunity to teach their children that if they disobeyed, they would become like that, and children would fill their bellies by begging for snacks…

But today the atmosphere was different. Instead of joyfully enjoying the death of the criminal, the citizens, without exception, looked at him with indignation, lamentation, and murderous looks.

Those targeted for execution were Ramulek Bolgaruis, a member of the Council who had colluded with the Empire and triggered the Gospel Incident, his wife, Lady Bolgaruis, and the entire family.

“Hey, you bastards!! “They’re like servants of the empire who got along with the bastards!!”

“Did you really want the armband that the Elgazins promised you, you fucking dog-like bastards!!”

“Go to hell, you little maggots rolling around in this shit!”

Perhaps because he was a celebrity who was notorious for raising vicious dogs, a lot of harsh criticism related to dogs was poured out. Of course, not only swear words but also a lot of stones were thrown. Those who took the lead in slinging stones were, of course, bereaved families who had lost family and friends in the Gospel incident.

Ramulec himself had already passed away after his back exploded when the ‘Star that Spreads the Gospel’ was summoned. However, by hanging a corpse on the gallows, they set a clear example of what a traitor’s fate would be.

Still, his end was relatively better.

“Kek, kehek, fuck off…” … .”

“Save me, save me… … .”

Mrs. Bolgaruis and her family members, who were unable to die in time, had to writhe in pain and die miserably while defecating.

“Die, traitors!!”

“Glory to the Alliance of Free Cities!! Traitors will be judged by the blade of Lord Remillion!!”

All citizens rejoiced at the extermination of the traitorous family. Among them, the ones who were the happiest were by far the bereaved family of ‘Old Man Sledgehammer’ Gulak.

Ramulek was a councilor in the past and was the main culprit who broke Gulak’s ankle and separated him from his family. They have had a long history with this family, not just in this incident. The bereaved families, who had resolved their resentment even though it was belated, hugged each other with tears in their eyes. One girl, carrying on her grandfather’s will, also strengthened her resolve by holding the sledgehammer tightly.

Also, this execution ceremony wasn’t just for the emotional beneficiaries. In reality, the beneficiaries who benefited the most were these people.

“… … Would you like to see more, sir? The execution ceremony is over, and now all that remains is to defile the body.”

“I don’t think we need to look at that. “Let’s stop getting up.”

“Ah, ah, go, let’s go together, I’ll get better!”

The spectators near the scaffold, Enrico stood up with the two heroes who had dropped Elgar’s star. The citizens who witnessed this quickly changed their stance.

“Look over there!! It’s the hero, the demon slayer who destroyed the evil imperial knights and saved the golden city!!”

“Savior of Untana! The Reaper of the Silver Mirror Lake! “There’s even Duke Duncan Wheeled!!”

“Waaa …

“Remillion! Bless the great heroes and the Turis family that supported them!!”

A roar of cheers poured out to the departing heroes and the councilor of the Turis family.

In fact, this was a miraculous thing. The Turis family was facing a serious crisis due to the death of Felico, the head of the family. If the fact that Enrico had arbitrarily acted as chairman became known to his political opponents, the entire family might have been in danger of extinction.

However, an absurd luxury arose. The Bolgaruis family, which had been the biggest obstacle, was thus annihilated, and the remaining political enemies were implicated in the suspicion of rebellion, leaving them unable to move.

As it became known that Enrico had sponsored heroes and created an evacuation zone, the public’s approval rating for the Turis family soared. To the extent that public opinion is immediately calling for Enrico to become the next chairman. The days were filled with only good things that made me wonder if God favored the Turis family.

But for some reason, Enrico’s expression wasn’t that bright.

“Phew… … Excuse me, but could you give me a moment, sir?”

The councilor asked Kadim and Duncan with a gaunt look, just like when they first met.

*

“First of all, I would like to thank them once again deeply for saving Delutana and Untana.”

Enrico bowed his head respectfully. This was not only a gesture of gratitude for saving the cities, but also for allowing the Turis family to be known as his patrons.

Kadim had not given permission for nothing. He had heard that Iza had covered up the death of Arch Paladin in Twin Canyon, had made room for the Atalains and Duncan’s family, and had tried to help him in many ways.

However, the favors that could be given without compensation ended there.

“Looking at your expression, it looks like you have something to ask.”

“… … .”

“Unless it’s something like the appearance of Decagram, you can take care of the trivial chores, Councilor.”

The councilor, who found out what was going on, stiffened his face.

“of course… … It’s not that bad. However, it was a difficult task for me to handle on my own, so despite my shame, I decided to serve him. They are desperately looking for the ball… … .”

“… … “What are you talking about?”

Enrico opens up his heart and mind.

Public opinion in Delutana had finally turned to opposing the Empire, but the entire alliance was not yet united.

Galentana and Vestana were still watching. Rumors spread that Decagram had been killed there as well, but most people were skeptical. Well, the fact that the Empire’s asymmetrical power, which single-handedly annihilated the city, died was not something I could easily believe… … .

Still, everyone trusted one rumor: that the ‘Demon Slayer’ was in Delutana.

So the Galentana Council had requested an emergency meeting to inquire into the truth behind the collapse of the arena, and the Vestana Council had requested an emergency meeting to inquire into the deaths of the elders and the disappearance of the magic tower master.

“Of course, I know very well that you would never have done something like that. It seems like they’ve completely misunderstood something, so if you could just come forward and explain… … .”

“It’s not exactly a misunderstanding.”

“… … “What did you just say?”

“I said it wasn’t a misunderstanding. It’s true that I destroyed the arena, and that I beat the elders and the magic tower master at the magic tower.”

“… … .”

Enrico’s soul briefly departed for a distant place. The complexion turned pale blue, then white, and finally turned an earthy color.

“That story… … Neun… … Phew… … Please never reveal this to others… … . Even if I die and wake up, it’s impossible to fix it… … .”

“… … .”

Kadim simply crossed his arms without answering.

Enrico didn’t speak up to ask for an explanation or explanation. The main point he confessed was this. At the meeting, he said he hoped to persuade other cities to fight against the empire as well.

“Even though we’ve overcome a major crisis, the war with the Empire has only just begun. In order to defend the border, continue the fight, and ultimately win the war, the cooperation of other cities is essential… … Perhaps because they see little chance of victory, the last time I tried to persuade them, there were no notable results.”

“… … .”

“But if you two come forward, it will definitely be a different story. To you two, you are like living proof that you can win against the empire. I will somehow resolve the issue of other cities requesting new recruits for the Duke… … .”

“… … “So, I persuaded you that way this time, but what if all my actions are revealed in the future?”

“… … .”

“Didn’t they say that even if you die and wake up, it’s impossible to recover? “Then, when that time comes, will you unite with other cities to oppose and threaten me?”

A scathing comment that pierces the heart.

A shadow gathered around the sunken eyes. Enrico swallowed her breath, washed her face dry, and with difficulty opened her mouth again.

“No, I swear on the name of Lord Remillion and the honor of our family that such a thing will never happen… … How could I commit such a heinous act against the hero who saved the city?”

“… … .”

“But… … please understand. I have no idea how to solve this problem on my own… … . I have to unite the great cities that have been torn apart for my own gain, and risk our own destruction together to confront the greatest power on the continent… … .”

“… … .”

“The late Brother Felico may have found a way out of it, but… … I, I… … I don’t seem to be qualified for that. It would have been more appropriate for me to be a councilor in a small town like Remtana… … .”

Enrico looks up at the ceiling with a sad look on his face.

There was no longer any cool fire in those eyes that made even Khadim lick his tongue. The death of a relative whom I depended heavily on, and the fatigue that had accumulated like a mountain, crushed my innate sense of reason. A fleeting complaint flowed from her parched lips.

“Whew, if Lord Remillion were still alive… … He would have been able to unite the torn alliance with just one gold coin… … .”

Hearing those words, Duncan, who had been quiet until now, opened his eyes wide.

“Uh… … Did you just say Remillion?”

“… … Is that so?”

“… … .”

Again, Duncan’s eyes returned to the golden bead necklace hanging around my neck.