NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 9
Chapter 9
“So…”
A vein bulged on Citri’s forehead. She looked furious as she slammed her hands down on the table.
“I can’t give lessons!?”
“Yes.”
Nahun’s attitude was as if it was a matter of course. The arrogantly perched Seere on his lap was just an added bonus. Seere was playing with a new whale plushie and a white rice ball that Nahun had just bought for him, looking completely oblivious.
‘…Why a whale of all things?’
Citri shuddered momentarily, recalling her first meeting with Nahun, then shook her head to regain her composure and shouted at him.
“Are you really saying you want to fight me!!?”
“But we’re currently working on incorporating the military forces of Your Majesty Citri into our faction, so we don’t have time for that right now. It’s not that I don’t want to do it.”
At Nahun’s words, Citri frowned deeply. The intention behind his words was obvious, and she could only sigh and nod. After all, she was the one in a hurry.
“Okay… I guess I just need to persuade you! Then you’ll have some time to hold lessons!”
“Oh, really? It would be wonderful if Your Majesty could step in.”
It was clear he was calculating everything.
Citri clicked her tongue in her mind, thinking that she would pay him back someday for this sly man….
‘…That’s what he must be thinking.’
Nahun could clearly see Citri’s thoughts. Having played the game dozens of times, he understood Citri’s personality better than anyone else—perhaps even better than Citri herself.
‘If she thinks so, then I’m grateful.’
If Citri’s desire for revenge could be the driving force for her resolve, it wouldn’t be a bad thing. Nahun set Seere, who had been playing on his lap, down and stood up.
“Then let’s go right away.”
Nahun and Seere visited the training grounds again today. The difference this time was that Citri was with them. As they arrived, Lin stepped out of her office to greet them.
“Your Majesty Seere, Your Majesty Citri. What brings you both here?”
Upon seeing Lin’s cat ears, Citri seemed to recognize her and spoke.
“So you’re Lin El Lazine.”
“I didn’t expect you to recognize me.”
Seeing Lin’s reaction, Citri laughed incredulously. Lin El Laza—a figure who had served as a commanding officer since before. Who wouldn’t know the key force of the former second-ranked Demon King?
“Do you think I wouldn’t know one of Seir’s Four Swords?”
“That name is long discarded.”
“Hm, I see….”
Citri briefly commented on Lin’s response.
“Is that a sense of guilt for failing to protect your predecessors?”
“!”
Seeing Lin’s stiff expression, Citri smirked and patted her on the shoulder a few times.
“That was a lousy joke, forgive me~.”
“…It’s fine.”
Nahun sighed as he looked at Citri, then spoke to Lin.
“We’ll be visiting the third training ground for a bit. Is that alright?”
“Of course.”
Noticing Lin’s not-so-pleasant expression, Nahun chose not to say anything. Offering awkward comfort might worsen the situation.
‘I should talk to Citri about this later.’
Causing trouble with this faction wasn’t a good idea. Nahun led Citri and Seere toward the third training ground.
“Huh?”
When a soldier spotted them and hesitated, Epsilon shouted.
“Hey, focus on your training!”
“Your Majesty Citri?”
“What?”
Hearing the soldier’s murmur, Epsilon turned his head. Indeed, Citri, who had appeared with Nahun, was right there. Epsilon and the other soldiers immediately knelt on the ground.
“Your Majesty Citri…!”
“It’s been a while, Epsilon.”
Although they had come under Seere’s command, their loyalty to Citri, their former lord, remained strong. The moment they saw Citri, Epsilon and the other soldiers’ expressions brightened.
‘It’s not like they’ve found their master. Their faces are fully alive now.’
Nahun frowned slightly. Seeing Citri glance at him for a cue, she quickly spoke up.
“You guys.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“You’re not listening, are you?”
“…Yes? What do you mean?”
Epsilon asked with a bewildered expression, and Citri answered simply.
“I heard you’re not following Seere’s orders, among others. Why is that?”
“Your Majesty Citri, what do you mean? We are loyal only to you…”
“So~! Why aren’t you listening, making me come all the way here?”
Citri frowned and pointed out a fact to Epsilon.
“Nahum and I are allies; do you know that?”
“Yes? Oh, I know.”
While they were aware they were incorporated into Seere’s faction as part of an alliance, they had thought it was more of a formal agreement. Epsilon was well aware that Citri had often coerced them under the pretense of support.
“I’m not joking; it’s a genuine alliance!”
“Yes?”
But to claim now that they had a genuine alliance was puzzling.
“Since when?”
“I signed it not long ago. That’s why I incorporated you into Seere’s forces.”
“That…”
This was the first they were hearing of it. As Epsilon looked bewildered, Citri continued.
“So, you’re the unit symbolizing the strong alliance between the 71st and 72nd floors.”
“An alliance…symbolizing…?”
Citri averted her gaze as her conscience pricked at her own lies, but Epsilon and his subordinates, unable to look her in the eye, didn’t notice.
“For our alliance to become stronger, you must be loyal to Seere. What do you think will happen if you fail to cooperate?”
“Uh, uh….”
“I wish for this alliance to continue.”
Citri narrowed her eyes slightly as she spoke.
“Yes, for the impending war. This alliance is essential.”
Epsilon was confused. However, being more loyal to Citri than anyone else, he took a moment to gather his thoughts, then understood her words and bowed deeply.
“…I understand, Your Majesty. We have committed an offense.”
“I’m no longer a majesty. What are you?”
“We are…”
Epsilon and his subordinates rose in unison and saluted.
“We are the army of Your Majesty Seere!”
Citri smiled lightly at their salute and turned her head. There was Nahun.
It was almost as if she was saying, “See?” and Nahun smiled inwardly.
‘Indeed, they are quite useful.’
Control through fear inevitably leads to division. Although yesterday Nahun had put some fear into the training ground, it was only a temporary measure. Coercive methods couldn’t quell the dissatisfaction festering in their hearts.
So Nahun had brought Citri into this matter. He knew they would accept Citri’s words as truth since their loyalty toward her was immense.
Citri’s use of the alliance to soothe them, stating, ‘In reality, you were incorporated as supportive troops, not because you are useless,’ was a brilliant move.
‘This will make it easier to command them going forward.’
Nahun gave Citri a thumbs up in approval. Seere, who had been watching, looked at him blankly before giving a thumbs up of her own.
#
The rebellious Epsilon’s unit had successfully been pacified through Citri’s adept maneuvering. Nahun smiled contentedly at the excellent results.
“Wow, as expected of Your Majesty Citri. You resolved the issue at once.”
“Stop acting coy. You planned it all.”
Citri made a straightforward request of Nahun.
“Now, you’re going to give lessons, right?”
They were standing in an empty training ground—not the one used by soldiers. Nahun had intended to do so without being told, but it seemed he was too anxious about it.
“Of course, it was a promise.”
Nahun lightly released Seere’s hand for Citri’s lesson.
Clap!
“Eh?”
Seere immediately tightened her grip on him again. She didn’t let go of Nahun’s hand, just like when she had hugged the white rice ball.
“Seere, could you let go for a moment? I need to conduct a lesson…”
“No!”
Both Nahun and Citri were taken aback. Seere pouted and stubbornly held onto Nahun’s hand. Once again, she declared in a determined voice.
“I don’t want to let go!”
“…Hmm.”
Nahun thought it was just a stubbornness typical of a child. He felt that it would be easier to find another way than to persuade Seere this way.
“Then, come here.”
Nahun effortlessly lifted Seere in one arm, still holding her hand. Citri scolded him for his actions.
“Nahun! You just said you would teach us!”
“I can do so in this position.”
“What?”
“After all, the lesson for today was this.”
Citri flinched for a moment. The atmosphere shifted as Nahun’s magic power spread throughout the training ground. It was an overwhelming force that even Citri, the Demon King, felt pressured by.
“I’m going to hit you once.”
With a confident smile, Nahun declared.
“That’s your training—just one hit.”
“…Are you joking?”
Citri growled.
“I need to enhance my original strength! With the current power I have, this kind of training is not enough to assist me!”
“It shouldn’t be that way.”
“What?”
In that instant, the concentration of magic power dominating the area intensified. The pressure from earlier now felt like child’s play.
“Ugh!?”
“Let me clarify one thing.”
Nahun was using his magic power to protect Seere so that she wouldn’t feel the pressure. So, while Seere remained blissfully unaware, she giggled in Nahun’s embrace.
A monstrous mass resembling the gigantic whale he had seen before began to materialize before Nahun. Citri went rigid, like before.
“I am stronger than the past Demon King. So I will be of considerable help.”
Seeing Citri tense up, Nahun reminded her of their training content.
“Now, step out of my magic and hit me once.”
#
For Nahun, Citri’s growth was more important than anything else. Perhaps her growth was as crucial as Seere’s.
The reason was simple. She would become Seere’s most reliable ally in the future.
‘For Seere to reach her peak, Citri’s presence is necessary.’
When a Demon King rises through the ranks, individual might is indeed significant, but the power and influence of the Demon King’s faction play an even larger role. The easiest way to amplify power and influence is through alliances.
If the allied Citri becomes stronger, it automatically strengthens Seere. Therefore, Citri’s growth was essential for the path Seere was to take in the future.
‘For that…’
This training was necessary now. If Citri was to continue being of help, she ultimately needed to regain her sealed powers. Her powers were sealed in a layer governed by mid-tier Demon Kings—those ranked 31st or higher.
To win against upper-ranked Demon Kings, she must be able to move even under intense magical pressure. The Demon King guarding the sealing stone of Citri’s powers would surely possess a stronger magical force than the current Citri, so such situations would frequently arise.
This is what the training was about. She needed to continually release her own magic power, pushing Nahun’s power away to secure her own space. Through this, Citri could adapt to the pressure of magic power and, by constantly releasing her magic, would be able to increase her circuit capacity, or so Nahun thought.
He addressed Citri.
“Now, just hit me once.”
“Ugh…, are you messing with me? How… can I…!”
Citri was feeling an immense pressure. It was as if weights weighing several hundred pounds were placed all over her body. Seeing her condition, Nahun deliberately poked at her sore spot.
“Do you think you can recover your sealed powers like this?”
“You…!”
“In my opinion, that seems impossible. Why not just give up on regaining your powers?”
“I’ve… said enough…!!”
Even though Citri struggled to rise, if it were that easy, Nahun wouldn’t have proposed such training.
It was no easy feat to neutralize Nahun’s dispersed magic with her meager magical powers and create her own active space.
“Ugh!!”
Meanwhile, while Citri struggled, Seere remained in Nahun’s embrace, gazing at him blankly as if nothing were wrong.
“Teacher.”
“Yes?”
“Citri looks like she’s having a hard time.”
“That’s right. This is the training for that.”
Seere tilted her head in confusion, not quite understanding. Nahun gently ruffled Seere’s hair as he spoke.
“Make sure to watch closely.”
“Okay?”
Nahun almost let his thoughts slip, but quickly swallowed them. He was worried that young Seere might get scared upon hearing them. So, he thought of something she couldn’t even imagine.
‘When you grow a bit more, someday you’ll also have to go through this training.’