Chapter 542

Some of the remaining royalty in the Kingdom of Boltis, apprehensive about potential repercussions from the crisis, surrendered without considering the consequences.

Davey's demands of the Kingdom of Boltis were aimed at dismantling the power of the Boltis royal family and destabilizing the nation—a request so audacious that no other treaty in the world would dare make. Furthermore, with the King and Prince of Boltis perishing in an explosion without a formal trial, it's no surprise that conspiracy theories abound.

"Conspiracy theories?"

"It's simple. Remember the saying, 'the dead tell no tales'?" Davey responded, swirling his wine glass.

"Hmm... I'm not quite following, brother," Baris replied.

"Consider this. Conspiracy theories are akin to compelled deductions. We orchestrated the demise of the King of Boltis, so naturally, people will speculate about our motives."

Baris adjusted his glasses, nodding in comprehension. Though astute, he and Illyna were still young, despite fulfilling their roles as royals.

"In that light, the common nobles and other royals must view your actions with astonishment. They likely perceive you as a monster," Perserque remarked.

"I may have a millennia-old soul within, so such differences are to be expected," Davey retorted.

"Yet, age doesn't always equate to maturity, Davey."

"Don't fret; your husband won't fall into that category."

Although Davey was only seventeen, his experiences set him apart. After all, maturity was laid within, not in mere appearance.

"Is the death of the King of Boltis being spun into a conspiracy theory?" Baris inquired.

"Factions within Boltis will endeavor to sway public sentiment away from siding with the Kingdom of Rowane. Rumors might circulate, suggesting that 'The King of Boltis was, in fact, innocent, and Rowane and I invaded under false pretenses to seize control.'"

"That's...!"

"Evidence holds little sway; people believe what they perceive."

That was precisely why conducting an official trial and publicly declaring his guilt before execution would have been preferable. But what if he died before such a trial could occur? It seemed like a ploy by the leader of the Illuminati to divert Davey's attention away from them—severing their connections, hiding their existence, and strategically outmaneuvering Davey.

Davey acknowledged their cunning, finding their actions unexpectedly impressive.

"No way... there's still the evidence..."

"Remember, people can be surprisingly deceitful, Baris. Never forget that."

Baris made a complicated expression and then chuckled wryly. "I guess I can't easily keep pace with you, brother."

There was no need for mere consolation.

"If you caught up that easily, you'd take my spot, and I'd have nothing left to do!" Davey burst into laughter at Baris's playful remark, seemingly lightening Baris's troubled heart.

"Learn little by little. I have much to teach you. So, don't see me as a competitor or someone to surpass, but rather as a guide," Davey said calmly as he embraced Baris and patted his back. "Remember, I'm always on your side."

"Brother."

"Enough. Let go. What's with this clingy act between brothers?"

As Davey came to his senses, he realized Baris had hugged him, perhaps moved by emotion. Davey initially pushed Baris away with a scowl but then noticed Baris's trembling hands and stopped resisting.

"Baris."

"..."

"No leader makes all the right choices."

Startled, Baris stepped back from Davey.

Despite reassurances, Baris, destined to be the Crown Prince and future king, couldn't shake off his insecurities. An inferiority complex stemmed from his deep affection for his brother. Once, he had been so consumed by these feelings that he lashed out at Davey and withdrew.

"Baris, a king shouldn't worry about how future generations will remember him, but rather about the countless people who trust and depend on him in the present. Why fret about your posthumous reputation when it's not even time yet?"

"But brother! If, after my death, I'm remembered as a villain..."

"Why concern yourself now with what future generations will say about you?"

'It's like chewing on digestive herbs before even getting to the meat. There's nothing more presumptuous than that,' Davey thought.

"Baris, typically, leaders and those in the upper class tend to exhibit sociopathic traits," Davey advised, clinking my glass against Baris'. He added, "When a problem arises, don't just ponder whether it was handled well or poorly. Instead, think about what benefits it can bring to you."

"That is..."

"Can you do that?" Davey asked Baris.

Baris fell silent.

"I..." he started.

"It's impossible, right?" Davey took a sip of his wine and moved past him. "Then show it. Show the world what a king with a genuine heart, not a calculative mind, can achieve."

"Wasn't that just rhetoric?" he questioned.

"Let's be clear, Baris. You've come this far precisely because you're not that kind of calculative person."

True sincerity could sometimes transform people.

* * *

Returning to the Kingdom of Rowane after the incident in the Kingdom of Boltis, Davey sensed the prevailing gloom in the atmosphere. A sudden war with another country had erupted, swiftly dividing victors from the vanquished. How startling it must have been.

Within Boltis, some still struggled to accept the surrender and were rallying forces to resist—an inevitable outcome since the King of Boltis, who should have faced a public trial for his crimes, had died abruptly. With such turmoil, it was inevitable that there would be significant discussions within the International Alliance. Despite the absence of any loophole or opportunity for intervention, the aftermath of this incident could not be taken lightly.

Amidst this chaos stepped in Baris. Reflecting on his conversation with Davey, Baris proposed taking charge of stabilizing the situation in the Kingdom of Boltis.

Impressed by his brother's remarkable growth, Davey chose not to interfere. Should Baris become overwhelmed, Davey pledged to aid him then. It was the familial love of a brother who had agreed to support from behind.

"Damn, that was foolish," Davey muttered, staring at the completely destroyed artifact.

The artifact possessed by the leader of the Illuminati had astounding effects. The Black Mist was supposed to be a power wielded only by the Deathlord, Rho Aias, and even with preparation, manifesting it through an artifact should have been theoretically impossible. Yet, the leader had accomplished it. It was clear that he knew and possessed something related to Rho Aias, leaving Davey with the task of determining the specifics.

However, Davey had inadvertently obliterated both the Dark Knight and the Black Mist artifacts that had manifested, a frustrating mistake that cost him a valuable lead. A sigh escaped Davey involuntarily.

"Huh..." Davey sighed, feeling a tap on his shoulder from behind.

"Davey, Rinne is requesting a routine check-up."

It was Rinne, innocently looking up at Davey and lifting the hem of her dress as if it were a casual matter.

"Stop right there," Davey halted her, and Rinne tilted her head in confusion.

"Follow me."

'She shouldn't be doing a strip show in public.'

Davey led her into his office, where she promptly hopped onto a small chair and, lifting her dress, gently touched her chest.

Click!

Her abdomen cracked open, revealing intricate workings inside. Despite her human-like thoughts, creativity, and appearance, Rinne was a true bio-golem—a creation of Davey's that he had yet to fully understand.

"No significant changes," Davey noted.

Rinne's 'heart' was a Deus Ex Machina, a self-evolving mechanical heart of sorts. From what Davey could see, she had remarkably evolved since he first created her, now self-sustaining and evolving using various nutrients and metals.

"You haven't been ingesting anything strange, have you?"

"Rinne consumes highly efficient resources, as reported. Davey's comment is rated very low."

Her response seemed slightly disgruntled, though her expression remained innocently blank.

It was still a mystery how Rinne could so clearly express emotions despite her impassive face.

"So, what did you pick up and eat?" Davey asked her.

"I collected various taste data from the Kingdom of Boltis to activate my taste receptors and consumed the necessary metals," Rinne replied.

The thought of her small, soft body consuming metal was astonishing.

"Hold on a minute." While examining Rinne's interior, Davey sensed an unusual power and looked at her. "Rinne, spit it out now if you know what's good for you."

Rinne avoided Davey's gaze and started whistling, a clear sign she was hiding something. "Rinne reports only the truth..."

"Then explain why I'm sensing devil mana from your body," Davey pressed.

Devil mana wouldn't linger unless she had consumed something heavily saturated with it or related to it. A chilling thought crossed Davey's mind.

"You didn't eat a necromancer, did you?"

After a long silence, Rinne swatted Davey's hand away. "Rinne does not consume living things and rates the taste of decay very low."

"Then how come there's devil mana in you?"

"That is..." Rinne hesitated, then suddenly widened her eyes as if remembering something. She reached into her open abdomen and pulled out a small orb. "Found at the site where Davey was. Detected high energy. Rinne deemed it tasty."

The orb Rinne produced was small, but upon seeing it, Davey immediately embraced her. "You're the only one for me!"

"Uh, uh, Davey's unusual behavior! Rinne rates low! Error! Error! Error!" Rinne squirmed in panic, so Davey released her.

This small orb, though only half synchronized with Rinne's body, was unmistakably the orb used by the leader to manifest Black Mist magic and later summon the Dark Knight. She had found and consumed it from the debris.

"This is good. I thought they'd retrieved it. Well done."

"Davey, does Rinne's action rate highly?" she asked.

"Yes," Davey assured her.

Rinne, satisfied, placed her hands on her hips and puffed out her meager chest. "Ha! Rinne rates her search capabilities very highly!"

"Right. Let's see what's inside this thing," Davey said, reaching for the black-light filled orb.

It wasn't just any orb; it was used to summon a Dark Knight, a being of Sword Saint level. Even if half-empty, its foundation had to remain. If it was capable of containing a Dark Knight, it was likely related to the Deathlord. Slowly, Davey touched the orb, drawing up devil mana. Even though he couldn't be a perfect Deathlord, as an Imperfect Deathlord, Davey should still sense some effect.

The orb vibrated wildly, as if signaling its time had come, and the devil mana began to link with it. Then, for a moment, Davey saw something.

"Davey?"

Rinne's voice brought him back as he was suddenly flung back by an intangible force. She hopped off her chair, concerned.

Davey couldn't say anything. 'Deathlord's transcendental magic could only be wielded by a Deathlord. Yet, someone used it with their will? That was impossible unless part of a Deathlord's body was embedded in this mysterious orb. That meant...'

"These scoundrels. They've fashioned an artifact out of Rho Aias' body, haven't they?" Davey laughed bitterly.

"Davey... Davey." Rinne reached out to Davey, then playfully spoke while holding the orb.

"Rinne, a new energy manifestation is considered possible," Rinne stated as particles gathered in her hand, forming a black sphere. It was a simple dark magic spell, Dark Ball, but for some reason, Rinne, who could not use magic, began to use devil mana and cast spells.

"The body of a Deathlord..."

As the realization dawned on Davey, the puzzle pieces began to fit together. A Deathlord's body was inherently the only one fully optimized for dark magic. Rinne, having absorbed and assimilated the orb imbued with a Deathlord's body, seemed to have acquired, albeit minutely, some of the effects of a Deathlord's body.

Silently pondering, Davey slowly stood up, acknowledging that awakening this mysterious golem, Rinne, was indeed a stroke of fortune.

"Rinne, can you activate a magic circle if I draw one for you?" Davey inquired.

Rinne tilted her head in confusion, but as he meticulously drew out a magic circle, she closed her eyes and began to disperse a small amount of devil mana around her, forming the circle.

A faint resonance sounded as the magic circle activated... successfully. However, since only a fraction was absorbed, the amount of devil mana left in Rinne's body was somewhat insufficient to fully operate the magic circle.

"Davey, Rinne reports that the total amount of new energy is woefully insufficient."

"That's fine. That's all we need," Davey replied.

"Question, Rinne requests an explanation for the purpose of this magic circle."

"It's a Resonance Magic Circle," Davey responded calmly.

A Deathlord's body is unique across all dimensions and histories, and her devil mana is slightly different from that used by humans. When her power almost reached the realm of gods, the very nature of her devil mana changed. That power, even after her existence was erased, remained for some reason, leaving remnants behind.

In essence, Rho Aias's devil mana was also a unique energy source. If they had made an artifact using the body of a Deathlord, they should have remembered one thing: no matter where they hid, Davey had a way to find them. A chilling intent began to emanate from him.

"Rinne, we will now take aggressive measures to increase the amount of devil mana in your body."