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148th Chapter: Our Radon Has Become Kind (2)

Everyone has the right to respect others.

There could be various reasons for this.

Being impressed by overwhelming performance and making someone a role model in life, or receiving significant help or positive influence.

No matter how insignificant it may seem, even if one chooses to respect a flawed person, I have no right to twist that into something else.

Indeed, to insult someone others respect is truly outrageous.

It’s no different than openly criticizing one’s parents in front of them.

‘But these guys are different.’

Slave Replicant.

That guy has blood on his hands to gain that respect from many. There’s a phrase he always spews out.

– I am a being destined for the path of light in the afterlife. No matter what I do, the true God will forgive me.

Leaving aside the fact that most under Enviel prattle about such nonsense.

Perhaps Heidern is an exception.

The Slave, he is merely a monster who seeks the blood of others under the pretense of wanting respect.

Instilling hope in such a guy is preposterous.

“Shall I tell you where Elder Enviel is right now?”

What I am about to do is very simple.

I just want to bring him face to face with reality.

“Wh-what do you mean, senpai…?”

The Slave asked with a trembling voice. He still couldn’t grasp the current situation.

It’s understandable. He would blindly trust me, seeing me as Enviel’s successor.

“Plus, what’s that fishing rod doing here…”

The Slave, rolling on the ground, looked up at me with desperate eyes.

His effort to endure the pain from his broken leg seemed pitiful, but I didn’t have any sympathy to spare.

“That’s what I’m saying? I told you, I was that woman back then.”

“That woman from back then…!”

There was someone in the Slave’s mind.

The interrupters who appeared while using Blood Parasites to incite the princess.

A group consisting of a girl who looked silly in a rabbit mask and a mature woman.

Could it be that mature woman is Radon senpai? That’s just nonsense.

“Senpai, could you please stop joking? This isn’t the time for that.”

“Do you seriously think this is a joke?”

“….”

He seems to be serious. The blind faith in his eyes said it all.

To him, Enviel is like a God. I, as his heir, must be like an apostle of God.

They say there’s a fine line between genius and fool.

No matter how great a talent, if one becomes obsessed with a single idea, they will disregard their principles and beliefs.

Cults are a prime example of that.

The Slave can be considered a great talent as well, being the leader of the Royal Guard.

However, he is overly desperate to avoid betrayal from his faith.

That’s why he disregards the signs around him, showing reactions like, ‘God would never abandon me!’

“Is this part of the plan? Is that why you broke your leg?”

“….”

His question contained a sincere hope.

A face pleading that I don’t betray his faith was almost too much to handle.

Of course, that blind faith has its limits.

“Then do you remember the voice of that woman from back then?”

“I vaguely remember it. It’s a humiliation I can’t easily forget.”

At those words, I couldn’t help but smirk.

And I said.

“Was it something like this?”

“Uh…?”

A woman’s voice came from my mouth.

Hearing that, the Slave’s eyes widened. I spoke again for the astonished one.

“I wonder if the broken teeth from that time are okay?”

“Wait a second, then you really…”

Come to think of it, Radon senpai spoke as if he knew everything about that situation.

Beyond just watching… as if he had actually participated.

No. It can’t be. It absolutely shouldn’t be!

The only heir of Elder Enviel cannot be like that. Such a thing must never happen!

Then the female voice broke through my thoughts.

“Oh, by the way, that silly kid in the rabbit mask back then is this one here.”

I pointed to the fainted Nebia.

With that, the Slave was engulfed in considerable shock.

If that was true, then Nebia must have intended to betray them from that time onwards.

Radon senpai accompanied her, and if he is still helping her now…

“Senpai, can I ask you a few questions?”

His mouth still trembled.

But unlike before, the fervent light in his eyes had dimmed significantly.

Looks like he’s slowly starting to realize.

“Senpai, are you really… chosen as the heir of the Elder?”

“Yes. I inherited several of his powers.”

It wasn’t official, but it’s not wrong to say I received power from him.

“Then how did you meet him and inherit it?”

“I met him here at the Academy. I helped him when he was in danger.”

That was definitely not a lie. While ‘helping’ may be up for debate, I certainly did assist him.

“And just now, you mentioned that I could tell you where the Elder is…”

“….”

“Do you truly know where he is?”

I could answer without lying this time.

I am indeed the ‘successor’ who received various skills from Enviel.

I know where he is, and now I’ve even inherited his genes.

“You see, junior. I have inherited everything from him. His mana signatures, of course, and all kinds of knowledge and memories.”

I, who have inherited all of that, can truly be called a ‘successor.’

Moreover, that wasn’t all I received.

“Additionally, I inherited his physical form.”

“Physical form…?”

The Slave made a puzzled expression.

To assist his understanding, I summoned Muto.

“Take a good look.”

Muto swiftly flew over and swallowed a sparrow that was flying nearby.

Immediately, I activated my newly acquired skill.

– Genetic Transmutation Lv1

Then my form transformed into that of the sparrow.

The Slave was amazed at how I looked identical to the sparrow Muto had swallowed.

“What the…”

“As you can see, if I eat another body, I can change into that form. Although this is my first time using it, it turned out to be surprisingly easy.”

“Physical form…?”

“Yes, physical form.”

He seemed to understand what I meant by physical form.

Then I activated the skill once more.

I spent quite a bit of mana, but I was able to transform into a shape I imagined.

“Then do you know this ‘body’?”

My voice changed. It was no longer a sparrow, nor a woman’s voice, but that of an old man.

And the physical structure changed at the cellular level, becoming a completely different person.

“Ah….”

Seeing that, the Slave took a huge gulp.

It was the figure of Elder Enviel, whom he reveres as a god.

“Now, here’s the one you respect. What do you think?”

“….”

No answer came.

From his mouth, only the sound of wind could be heard.

He seemed to have forgotten even how to breathe out of astonishment.

The Radon who just swallowed a sparrow now transformed into the sparrow’s appearance.

And this time, he became Elder Enviel.

He could change into the same form as the entity he swallowed. With that realization, the only thought come to the Slave was:

“Then the Elder is….”

Finally, the Slave’s lips moved. At the same time, his expression began to twist slowly.

At last, the pitiful faith shattered, and the tower of hope built in his heart crumbled.

“Exactly.”

I inherited the physical form. The meaning of that…

“I ate him.”

There was no need to understand more.

The moment I confidently declared that, the Slave’s face crumpled completely.

“Ah… AAAAAHHHH! UAAAHHHHH!”

And an enormous scream erupted.

It was a desperate sound as if he had witnessed his parents’ horrific corpses right before his eyes.

I could tell how deep his shock was by looking at him.

[Degradation Rate Decrease: -280%]

[+28000 Credits]

[Experience points have exceeded a certain amount! Acquired 1 Stat Point.]

“So you’re saying being the Elder’s successor… was all a lie?!”

The Slave finally realized all the truths.

Now he shot me a fierce look akin to one who sees an enemy, but I casually replied.

“It’s not a lie. I inherit all the knowledge, memories, and physical form of that gentleman. So am I not a successor?”

“Stop spouting nonsense! The Elder would never allow you!”

Let alone overpowering the Elder would be impossible with Radon’s fighting power.

He must have used some cowardly trick.

And in the midst of his confusion, the Slave’s eyes caught sight of Markray.

‘Everything this guy said was true…!’

Markray’s advice echoed in his mind. Don’t trust Radon Crawler.

He recalled how he had dismissed it as nonsense and struck back. What a shameful thing this was.

“How does it feel, Slave? Do you have more to teach?”

“…!”

I mimicked the tone of Enviel’s body and voice.

It was a style I had used on the Slave long ago. Hearing it caused him to go wild with rage.

“You damn scammer, you!”

CRACK!—

“KUAAAHHHH!”

The Slave had formed a blade of light in his hand, but that hand was quickly severed by the swiftly moving fishing rod.

Where his arm used to be, red liquid overflowed as if a faucet had burst.

The mental shock made it impossible for him to move expertly. Especially since any careless movement would make the bleeding worsen.

No matter how strong he was, facing me in such a state would be impossible.

Moreover, the magical treatment he received had many side effects. One of them began to manifest now.

“I won’t… forgive you… I will definitely…!”

His body began to swell, and he ultimately transformed into a monster.

It’s a form I have battled many times in the main story. The phase 2 form of the Slave encountered while playing as Angela.

Back then, his vicious patterns had given me a headache, but now he had no arms or legs.

And due to the bleeding from his neck, before he could even fight, he collapsed.

“No… Elder…! Elder…!!”

“How amazing. You can still speak?”

What a resilient lifeline. I said that while releasing the transformation.

“What are you upset about? Are you crying because you think you were worse off than people you plunged into despair under Enviel’s orders?”

“There’s no need to worry about the lives of those unchosen… cough!”

Indeed, he was an impossible guy to reason with.

I gave Muto a sidelong glance, and understanding my intent, Muto pierced through the Slave’s upper body with his tail.

SPLAT!—

“KUHEH!”

“Do you really like Enviel? Then I’ll let you see him.”

“Wha…?”

The face of a black snake appeared before the Slave.

The snake moved closer, extending its mouth towards him.

“Stop… No! I…!”

“You’re destined to be chosen in the afterlife as well, right? Then dying shouldn’t be a problem.”

He struggled desperately, but he could no longer muster any strength.

Normally, he would’ve been able to shake it off, but he lacked the energy.

For the price of uncovering all the truths, he was silenced. The Slave screamed in helplessness.

“So have fun with the Elder in my belly.”

“N-noooooo!!”

Muto swallowed him whole. And in that moment, I felt the memories of the Slave seep into my mind like it was being chewed.

‘How long has it been… ugh!’

It was accompanied by pain just like when I devoured Enviel.

However, since the Slave had less time than Enviel, the pain didn’t last long.

Thanks to that, I was able to endure without fainting.

“Are you okay?”

“Ugh… Just barely made it.”

The resentment he held towards me was immense.

Even now that I consumed him, that overwhelming thought flowed through Muto.

Of course, it would serve as the source of my power, making me stronger.

As my spirit power began to overflow, I smiled and said.

“Hey, Muto.”

“Yeah?”

“I think I’m way too kind.”

[Degradation Rate Decrease: -200%]

[+2000 Credits]

“HAHAAHA! This guy! You’re so kind that even gods and demons will be blinded by your goodness upon seeing you!”

Muto laughed heartily, rolling around.

But it’s not over yet. Markray is still lingering.

I surveyed him with ‘Mana Eye’ and finally, I could learn what I had been curious about.

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<Markray Layert>

Species: Human

Occupation: Wizard

Mana Circle: 5 Circles (Forced Amplification)

Mana: 140/140

Strength: 70

Disposition: Arrogant / Elitist

Feelings towards the user: Hostile (High)

[Special Notes]

– All stats have increased exponentially due to magical treatment.

– Cursed by the Liar.

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‘The Curse of the Liar.’

As expected, he had fallen under the curse as well.

Surviving as an Academy Scammer.

 

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