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218. The Art of Incitement (2)

Nebia had already met the Emperor several times.

Since the moment she was reborn as a Saint, visiting the Imperial Capital frequently had become inevitable.

She often met with the Pope in the most beautiful flower gardens of the Imperial capital or in the serene reception hall of the palace to strengthen their bonds.

She also came face-to-face with Meloin and Karis, the Emperor’s children, at those meetings.

Having met countless nobles, none had left as bright an impression as they did.

Though it wasn’t visible, it felt as though a radiant light surged from the Emperor himself.

Truly a Sage Monarch; the purifying power that emanated from him was formidable.

It was rumored that any monster would become as docile as livestock after just one encounter with him.

With such a beautiful light surrounding him, it was only natural for the citizens to praise him.

‘I too, will one day…’

Though she might not reach the Emperor’s level, Meloin and Karis too, shone brightly.

Once, Nebia had respected them in many ways.

Who would have thought that she would one day personally welcome those she had only heard rumors about while living in the slums?

Ah, so that is what a ruler looks like. The title of the best Emperor in history was no idle boast.

Her curiosity about them ran deep within her.

– “There’s no need to feel overly burdened. The Saint is always right.”

The words of the Emperor always shook Nebia’s heart.

His tone and inflection felt as if she were reuniting with her father and brother who had once lived.

There was no shortage of comfort for the times when she lost her precious family and endured her mother’s abuse.

However, there was bound to be darkness even within such a royal family.

Perhaps it was kept too thoroughly hidden, as it was not known to the public, but Nebia could sense it.

Every time she conversed with the Emperor, she heard an unsettling voice. It was a voice that contrasted sharply with his bright image.

Though Nebia could perceive a person’s true feelings just by their voice, the Emperor held a unique fondness for her.

She didn’t know what that darkness was, but if asked whether she wanted to distance herself from someone who showed her such compassion, she would shake her head.

Wasn’t it the case that anyone in a high position had at least one such thing?

`I, too, am no different.`

At that time, Nebia found that darkness appealing.

Though she didn’t know exactly what the Emperor’s darkness was, it felt like meeting someone of her kind.

For Nebia too, carried a face of desire hidden behind the dazzling mask of a Saint.

A splendid evil concealed behind a beautiful façade.

At that time, Nebia had no role model.

At that time, anyway.

*

“This is…!”

“You have finally cast aside the guise of the Emperor. Demon King.”

Kamain was significantly flustered by the revelation of his true identity.

The sight of the once benevolent Emperor transforming into a grotesque demon could be understood just by looking at his stained hands.

These were hands that had turned into a Demon King after 300 years. He could not possibly forget.

“Unbelievable!”

This couldn’t be possible.

Since his reincarnation, he had not once transformed into a Demon King.

To prepare for the potential revelation of his identity, he had reinforced his resistance to Divine Power to the max.

No matter how overwhelming the Saint’s Divine Power might be, it shouldn’t be easy to dispel.

“Don’t be mistaken. My voice contains more than just Divine Power.”

“What do you mean?”

“Have you ever heard of a clan that reveals their soul?”

“What?”

As if he were familiar with it, the Emperor, now a Demon King, flinched.

In this Empire, there existed a special bloodline that ordinary people could never possess.

The Yohok clan, which inherited the Blood of the Thousand-Year Fox, and the Yo-in clan, which flowed with demon blood.

Their common feature is that they appear similar to humans while possessing extraordinary powers.

And there was another unknown race in existence.

“The Dawn Clan. Does that name ring a bell?”

“…!!”

A clan that can only currently be found in history books.

While they didn’t possess the incredible powers seen in the Yohok or Yo-in clans, they had their unique traits.

No matter how much one hides their appearance, they can reveal their true form or pierce through to the genuine thoughts of others from birth.

In other words, Nebia’s keen hearing was not simply due to a good ear.

“Before the Dawn Clan, no matter how many layers of masks you wear, they are all useless. It might be an ambiguous ability in combat, but to certain individuals, it is a terrifying power. Just like you.”

For someone who wished to keep their identity hidden throughout their lives, it was nothing short of a calamity.

If one crossed paths with a member of the Dawn Clan, the mere act of speaking would likely expose their identity.

However, the old Nebia did not suspect the Emperor’s identity.

Back then she could only distinguish lies, and with her deep fondness for the Emperor, there was no room to question.

Even if she sensed malice, it didn’t spark any anxiety within her.

Thus, the Emperor had no idea what Nebia’s lineage was.

“You’re a member of the Dawn Clan? That can’t be true! I dealt with those monsters years ago…”

He recalled having received a report about rebels stationed in a poor, snowy region.

Given that it was a place incapable of development and full of slums, it seemed suitable for criminals to gather there.

As he investigated the area, the Emperor learned that the leader of the rebels was a member of the Dawn Clan.

An ancient clan known for seeing through all souls.

Horrified by that fact, the Emperor vowed to eliminate them immediately.

`Even if they recognize my identity, without evidence, it would be all in vain.`

Thus, it seemed he chose to methodically gather evidence by organizing rebels rather than making a public spectacle.

With the Emperor’s power, he could suppress their voices as many times as necessary, but if they refused to give up, there would eventually be limits.

Thus, the Emperor was scared. He took measures against the fear that his identity might be revealed.

But the longer the tail, the more it steps on it.

If he sent a formal knight squad, it would merely serve to acknowledge his identity to them.

If that suspicion spread across the Empire, public opinion might plummet.

So, he sent a covert unit that operated behind the scenes rather than a knight squad active on the surface.

– Black Squad.

A shadow unit that handled everything discreetly leaving no evidence behind.

Their actions never became public knowledge, so once everything was dealt with, they could place the blame on another band of thieves.

“I’m sure of it. I ordered the Black Squad to eliminate them all!”

The two, a man from the Dawn Clan who had been the leader of the rebels, now faced their demise at the hands of the extermination unit led by the Emperor.

He thought he had dealt with the situation discreetly, but the realization that Nebia belonged to the same clan chilled him to the bone.

“Yes, that’s right. They all perished by your hands.”

Quietly—

A harp resembling a swan’s wing was summoned into Nebia’s hands.

Despite its appearance as an instrument, in Nebia’s grasp, it became a weapon.

“My father and brother…”

Ting—

The sound that typically emanates from a harp rang out.

That seemingly ordinary sound turned into sound waves flying like bullets, piercing the Demon King’s shoulder.

“Cough!”

Ting! Ting! Ting!—

It wasn’t over yet. A series of twangs from the strings produced more sound wave bullets.

Just by strumming the instrument, it was as if Nebia unleashed a concentrated barrage comparable to a squad’s firepower.

Kwah—!—

Despite not mixing any gunpowder, the ground trembled from the explosions.

Yet Nebia did not cease, continuing to pluck the strings.

Tiri… Ting—

She pulled the string, then let go a beat late.

Suddenly, the now somewhat upright form of the Demon King was crushed under immense pressure.

“Cough!”

The Demon King slammed into the ground as if buried under a transparent metal block.

However, that alone did not satisfy Nebia; she increased the pressure further to keep the Demon King pinned down.

“Die… die!”

Anger radiated from the Saint.

She was intent on turning him into mere clay, wanting to smear him against the ground.

That great calamity she had believed to be the work of mere thieves was indeed at the hands of the Emperor.

She was also angry with herself. She felt ashamed of having once looked favorably upon and considered that Emperor as a role model.

“It’s all your fault!”

At least when her father and brother were still alive, her family had stability.

Had those two not died, her mother wouldn’t have twisted into the person she had become.

Moreover, she wouldn’t have contemplated taking her own life.

Had light not miraculously descended at that time, she wouldn’t even be here now.

“Die!!”

With that strike filled with rage, it went completely dark.

The view of the Demon King falling into the invisible pit could not be seen.

“Haah… look at my mental state.”

Perhaps she had overexerted herself, as Nebia wobbled on her legs.

She had wept tumultuously upon seeing her father and brother’s corpses.

As tears froze in the region’s cold, her heart grew colder.

That day resurfaced in her mind, making her unable to control her emotions.

Kugugung!—

Then, the ground shook once more, and an arm burst out from beneath the earth.

The Demon King, who had sunk underground, emerged like a ghost, grabbing Nebia by the neck.

“You did well to bring this upon yourself.”

“Kugh!”

Surprisingly, all the wounds from Nebia’s attack had healed.

That was clear evidence that he was no longer entirely human.

“This monster…!”

“Ha ha ha ha! Did you think I would fall to a human like you?”

“Ah!”

The Demon King, holding Nebia, smashed her down hard enough to break the ground.

Nebia screamed, coughing up blood.

“I didn’t expect you’d be the daughter of that rebel leader. I should have guessed it from your keen hearing.”

While Nebia’s origins were indeed from that snowy region, there was no clue that connected her to that family.

The keen hearing that everyone had mistaken as a gift from her rebirth as a Saint was, in fact, something that bloomed with her transformation.

Ting!—

Finally able to pluck the strings with her hands, she released a shockwave that pushed the Demon King away.

Now standing, Nebia managed to catch her breath and speak.

“So you’ve been masking yourself as a Saint all this time, shamelessly pretending to be a Sage Monarch. If it hadn’t been for my rebirth as a Saint, you’d have continued your charade while acting like trash.”

Nebia unveiled the Emperor’s identity through sound waves.

Simply being a member of the Dawn Clan alone would not have made this possible.

This was the result of combining the power to unveil a soul from her Dawn Clan heritage with the Divine Power granted to her as a Saint.

Thanks to that, even if the Demon King had bolstered his resistance to Divine Power, he could not counterattack against the combination of two powers.

“So that means you are the one and only existence capable of forcing my identity to be revealed.”

Just being a member of the Dawn Clan frightened him.

Yet this Saint before him was an existence that was incomparable to them.

With a satisfied grin, her smile was more akin to a villain than a Saint.

Thus, the Demon King quickly made a judgment.

“In that case, there is only one destination for you! I will send you to hell just like your father and brother!”

The Emperor now revealed an ominous magical power throughout his body.

He approached step by step, wrapped in a sinister aura that could only belong to a Demon King.

Still, Nebia faced this monster with laughter.

“That’s amusing.”

“Are you putting up a fight? No one will come to save you!”

“That’s not it; I’m genuinely baffled.”

Through her hearing, Nebia sensed the Demon King’s emotions.

In this situation, the Demon King had the overwhelming advantage, while Nebia was on the edge of death.

Yet, with each word from him, she felt as if she were receiving the antics of a restless barking dog.

A feeling of agitation and unrest washed over her.

In a word, that was called fear.

“In such an advantageous position, why are you feeling fear?”

“…!”

At that statement, the Demon King jolted.

In this absurd state of roles reversed, Nebia recalled her past self.

A coward who only viewed the world through the lens of domination.

How strange it is to see someone so much like herself.

“This isn’t particularly something I should say, but I know well about those who are merely superficial in their glory. They seek to be the center of attention while using others, treating them like dirt.”

She could state that with extreme certainty.

Because Nebia had personally experienced it.

“And do you know another characteristic? They always burn with senseless inferiority complex trying to catch up to someone else. Isn’t that right?”

With every word, the Demon King trembled, veins popping in his head.

Though it was an undeniable truth, he avoided admitting it, rebelling against the realization.

It was due to knowing that he had always been overshadowed by the Great Sage Dantia in every achievement.

“Then perhaps this might be… your way to relieve that inferiority complex?”

A magical device suited for storage appeared in Nebia’s hand.

It contained evidence of Heidern’s research on the Demon King.

The Emperor, now a Demon King, widened his eyes apprehensively at the sight.

Crack!—

“Stop!!”

When Nebia destroyed it with Sacred Magic, he screamed madly.

He lunged at her, ready to tear her apart, but Nebia was still smiling.

Next, she shattered a wall with sound waves.

Bang!—

Inside was a hidden space, and there stood Meloin, his daughter, holding a crystal orb.

“M-Meloin? What are you doing here?”

“…”

Meloin stood there, unresponsive, as if she were being controlled, making her presence all the more suspicious.

“Do you happen to know how advanced the technology of Aligieri is?”

“Technology…?”

He scrutinized the crystal orb that Meloin was holding.

He could immediately tell it wasn’t something ornamental.

“No way…!”

As his face drained of color, Nebia wore a satisfied expression.

“Now do you understand?”

That smile was nothing less than that of a villain.

*

Aligieri Town suddenly fell into silence.

The magical device held by Elder Enviel projected an unbelievable scene.

[Then there is only one destination for you! I shall send you to hell just like your father and brother!]

The once revered Emperor Kamain.

The sight of him transforming into a demon was more than enough to send an icy chill throughout the entire town.

Transformed into Enviel, I perfectly mimicked Enviel’s mannerisms.

“Now, everyone, do you see?!”

Though he was a repulsive villain, he had his own talents.

“That demon is the Demon King we must take down!”

Indeed, the one to think of when speaking of “incitement.”

Surviving as the Academy Scammer.

 

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