The gem was undeniably luxurious at first glance.
Inside, a darkness that seemed to burn flickered and writhed.
“What is this? Just looking at it gives me a bad feeling.”
That’s only natural. After all…
‘This was used by Legion Commander Kelzad.’
The first legion commander who retreated to the Demon Realm after being pushed back by the Continental Alliance.
Kelzad, the 3rd Legion Commander.
‘This was where he made his initial appearance—Carpathia. And this is also where he’ll reappear later.’
So, it’s not surprising that Kelzad’s jewel is found here. It’s not an entirely implausible plot point.
‘The problem is, this is too good of an item for the early stages of the game.’
Human, animal, insect, beast, demon.
To summon a demon, a ‘living being’ must always be offered as a sacrifice.
But Kelzad was different.
He summoned demons and wielded powerful black magic without sacrificing any living being.
In the past, and again when he reappears in the mid-game story.
He demonstrated his immense power without sacrifices, and the source of that power was this very item.
‘Kelzad’s Jewel.’
‘I’ve stumbled upon something truly unexpected.’
It wasn’t a bad thing. No, it was so good that it left me dazed.
And why?
‘I never imagined I could so easily strip away one of Kelzad’s and the final boss’s powers…’
The skill that activates when the final boss battle begins.
[Master of All Things].
Skills, items, mysteries, and more.
It absorbs not only what the player’s team lacks but also the abilities of living Four Heavenly Kings and legion commanders.
That’s what the [Master of All Things] skill is.
‘That’s why it’s crucial to eliminate as many legion commanders and Heavenly Kings as possible.’
The more of them you eliminate, the weaker the final boss becomes.
This is why every player made a relentless effort to take them down.
‘But the best most could do was eliminate one legion commander and two or three Heavenly Kings.’
Particularly in the mid-game episode ‘The Descent of Kelzad,’ players often faced severe challenges.
As I explained earlier, losing Carpathia would severely disrupt the Empire’s military operations.
The Empire was well aware of this, so they launched an all-out war, and players could join the battle if they wanted to, but…
‘The issue was that Kelzad’s appearance was in the mid-game, not the late game.’
At that point, players’ levels were low, skills were lacking, they weren’t equipped with proper gear, and their parties weren’t fully formed.
As a result, most players ended up with the ‘death’ ending.
It was practically a death sentence to say, “Don’t go to support; just surrender Carpathia.”
‘Even if you succeeded, the losses would be enormous. You’d be lucky if half your party survived.’
In any case, Kelzad, befitting his status as a legion commander, displayed immense power.
He had many troublesome abilities, but the most problematic was his ability to wield powerful magic without sacrifices.
Yuridia’s [Demon Slave].
Imagine that kind of skill being unleashed in all directions. And yes, it happened every turn.
‘But to think I’ve acquired Kelzad’s Jewel?’
Not only had I obtained Kelzad’s power, but I had also stripped away one of the final boss’s abilities.
“Keke, this is an item used by a legion commander.”
“A l-legion commander?”
“Yes, it belongs to Kelzad, the 3rd Legion Commander. It holds the power to use trash as a substitute for sacrifices.”
“S-so I can use black magic without killing anyone!?”
I nodded indifferently.
Of course, the efficiency wouldn’t be as high as using a living being, especially a human, as a sacrifice.
But it would be a great help to Crowell.
He hesitated at the thought of killing, and he was under the significant restriction of not being able to sacrifice anyone who wasn’t a black mage.
Perhaps realizing this, Crowell’s eyes began to sparkle.
He seemed to ignore my advice to sacrifice other black mages entirely.
‘It’s my restriction… so I guess I have to take responsibility.’
I had no plans to become a black mage, so I didn’t need the item.
Given the risk that it might fall into enemy hands if Crowell were to die, handing it over to him wasn’t the best idea.
But I had a hunch.
‘Crowell… might just be the key to taking down the final boss.’
Crowell, who couldn’t kill anyone who wasn’t a black mage. And right before him, the [Kelzad’s Jewel] appears.
It was clearly a scenario the developers had deliberately designed.
Yes, this wasn’t just a hunch.
It was ‘statistics’ derived from the countless hours I’d spent playing the game.
So, I decided to pass the jewel to Crowell. But of course…
“A legion commander’s power… If I turned this over to the Empire or someone else, I could make a fortune.”
Making a show of it was an entirely different matter.
“N-no way! If I used black magic, I’d be executed. Who would want that?”
“Hmm… I suppose that’s true.”
“But as a rookie black mage, I can use it freely. It’s the perfect item for someone like me who aspires to become a high-ranking black mage.”
“Keke, didn’t you say you wanted to go back to being a farmer?”
“That was never true. I’ve always wanted to be a great black mage. My dream is to become a high-ranking black mage and serve Snake Mask.”
“Dreams are important. Alright then, from now on, bow to me three times a day, wherever you are.”
“Since I don’t know where you’ll be, I’ll just bow three times in every direction!”
His flattery was on a level with seasoned politicians.
With this level of persuasion, he might just survive among the black mages.
I casually tossed the jewel, and Crowell caught it with both hands, cradling it as if it were precious.
“Sniff! Now I can live safely as a black mage! I don’t have to kill anyone!”
Hmm, did I mention that Kelzad might track him when he descends?
Well… it doesn’t matter. He seems happy enough for now, so I’ll let it be.
As I watched Crowell rub his face against the jewel, a boy came running from afar.
“Mister!”
“Joseph! Are you okay?”
“Yeah! I won! Should I go take down Snake Mask too?”
“Uh… It’s probably best not to. Besides, they’re not really bad people.”
A wise choice. I don’t hold back just because the opponent is a kid.
“Is everything done? That took a while.”
“Keke, Cat Mask. Losing to a child, how disgraceful for the Dark Beast Squad.”
“I was just humoring him because of you! Well, I think Rabbit Mask actually did lose.”
I noticed Rezé collapsed in the distance.
Losing to a child—her Strength stat of 3 really showed.
“I figured it wasn’t something a child should hear, so I kept him entertained for a bit.”
Was Luna always this considerate?
As I stared at her, she moved closer to me.
Whether it was the elixir or the stench from the underground sewer, Luna’s scent pleasantly tickled my nose.
“Are you sure it’s okay to let him go? Isn’t this a missed opportunity to boost our reputation?”
Luna’s question was valid.
She chose to raise her reputation as a way to clear her name.
As a student, the chance to take down a black mage doesn’t come often, so it’s understandable that she’d feel a bit regretful.
But.
“Keke, he’s just a lowly black mage without any kills. At most, you’d get a certificate of recognition.”
“True… He’s just a small fry. Alright then, next time, let’s catch a big fish and really elevate the Dark Beast Squad’s reputation! Oh!”
Luna raised her right hand high in the air and cheered. From afar, Rezé’s right hand weakly lifted in response.
To react even while in a near-death state… What a determined rabbit.
Tap, tap-.
Luna lightly patted my body. The look in her eyes clearly said, ‘What are you waiting for? Join in!’
“…Oh.”
Not wanting to deal with anything bothersome, I simply raised my right hand to respond.
There was no need to tell her that participating in the Dark Beast Squad won’t do anything to elevate the Lester family’s honor, right?
A short time later.
“Then as promised, escape tomorrow while the Academy students are returning.”
“Yes, I understand.”
“Discuss with Scarlet how to pass on the information. Unless it’s something important, you probably won’t have to meet with me.”
My little rat, Scarlet.
I had no choice but to rely on him.
Though I kept my identity hidden, I’m too busy with Academy life to come out often.
“We’ll take Joseph back. His parents must be worried.”
“Oh, right. He’s been stuck down here too long because of me. I feel bad for his parents…”
Crowell bent down slightly to meet Joseph at eye level.
“Stay healthy, and don’t wander around alone anymore.”
“Okay, I got it. You take care too, mister!”
“…I’m not ‘mister,’ I’m your big brother.” (TL Note: Joseph calls him Ajusshi, which means Uncle or Mister. He tells him to call him Hyung, which means Big Brother)
We left the underground sewer, holding Joseph’s hand.
Joseph looked back several times, waving goodbye to Crowell.
As we rounded the corner of the sewer and Crowell’s figure disappeared, I heard Joseph whisper.
“My hero, mister.”
Goodbye.
“Joseph!”
“Mom! Dad!”
Joseph jumped up and down, waving his arms wildly.
He could see his parents frantically running toward him from a distance.
“Joseph!”
His parents pulled him into a tight embrace. It was a much stronger hug than usual.
“Mom, Dad. Why are you crying? Are you sad because I came back?”
“No… These are happy tears… Tears of overwhelming joy.”
They had thought Joseph was dead.
Even after the knights explained that he had likely been sacrificed by black mages and that no trace of his body remained, they kept searching for him.
Clinging to the hope that he might still be alive.
But as the days passed, as time went on, that hope inevitably dwindled.
Like sand slipping through their fingers, the hope gradually diminished.
Then, with Joseph running back to them on his own two feet, it was only natural that tears of joy would flow.
“Where have you been all this time?”
“I got caught by a black mage and almost got in big trouble.”
“A b-black mage!?”
“Yeah, but it’s okay. A hero and his animal friends saved me.”
“Animal friends?”
“Yeah! I thought they were bad people, but I guess they weren’t. They even brought me back here.”
Was it just a dream?
Joseph kept talking after that, but his parents couldn’t understand any of it.
They didn’t know what had happened. But.
“Thank you… Thank you so much…”
They could only express their heartfelt gratitude to the unknown heroes who saved their child.
The sunset painted the sky.
Three figures, dressed in black robes adorned with fluttering red clouds, stood atop a roof, each wearing an animal mask.
Their gazes were fixed on Joseph and his family, who were still embracing each other.
[Someone is expressing boundless gratitude to the ‘Dark Beast Squad.’]
[Reputation increased by 5.]
[Current ‘Dark Beast Squad’ Reputation: 9]
“S-so touching…”
Tears welled up in Rabbit Mask’s eyes as she blew her nose loudly.
To be moved by something like this… Truly, the rabbit’s emotions were as fragile as that of a pufferfish rabbit.
‘As for the quest reward… Whatever, it doesn’t matter.’
There was a quest to find Joseph, but I didn’t take it in advance, so I couldn’t receive the reward.
Well, revealing my identity to get the reward wasn’t an option anyway.
No player had ever cleared that quest, and the reward wasn’t substantial, so it didn’t bother me.
Cat Mask… no, Luna, stretched her arms toward the sky.
“Ah~ That was great. Dark Beast Squad! We resolved a case! The organization’s reputation is skyrocketing!”
A dark organization that safely escorts children home. What a terrifying group.
“But this is strange…”
“What is?”
“Why did we help someone else? That Crowell guy, and those two annoying girls…”
Those two annoying girls—she was probably referring to Yuridia and Victoria.
It was natural for Luna to be confused. The word ‘kindness’ didn’t exist in her vocabulary.
This was a good opportunity to explain.
Kindness without expecting anything in return.
“That’s what we call ‘kindness.’”
“Kindness? Do you really think that exists?”
“Of course. Luna, didn’t you share the elixir with me?”
“That’s because… we’re friends.”
“Kindness isn’t exclusive to friendships. You’ve seen and experienced it over the past few days, haven’t you?”
Luna’s eyebrows furrowed as she frowned, making her expression subtly change.
Smiling slightly, I lightly patted Luna’s head.
“Luna, not everyone in this world is bad. There are plenty of good people too.”
In fact, there are far more good people. Otherwise, this world would have perished long ago.
Whether it’s Earth or this world.
Good people are in the majority. We just often fail to notice them.
“Luna.”
“What?”
“Promise me one thing. Don’t assume everyone you meet is bad.”
“…You’re too nice. You’re going to end up dead sooner or later.”
Luna spun around so fast that the wind rustled.
Along with her fluttering light pink hair, a pleasant scent tickled my nose.
“But… I’ll give it a try. Since it’s advice from a friend.”
That was enough for now. If she could keep progressing bit by bit like this.
‘One day, she’ll be able to make friends and live happily without me.’
Even after I return to Earth, she’ll be able to live happily and have fun.
The Luna I’ve come to know, the Luna who’s my friend, is fully capable of doing that.
Whether she knew my thoughts or not, Luna smiled brightly and said.
“So, when’s our next Dark Beast Squad activity?”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s also come up with a cool pose. One so intimidating that people tremble in fear just by looking at it!”
“Y-yes! If the enemy is terrified, maybe we won’t even have to f-fight!”
Luna and Rezé struck weird poses and began discussing it seriously.
I guess there’s no other way. The Dark Beast Squad…
Is officially disbanded starting today.
–TL Notes–
Hope you enjoyed this chapter. If you want to support me or give me feedback, you can do it at patreon.com/MattReading
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Damn I really enjoyed these lore drops,Make the world more rich
Anyway with power like that the Final boss is probably the First legion commander but due to the fact that he can also use S-rank one flash I think it Luna father serving as human host to the First legion commander… And there also the fact that the final boss have immense political power to the point that it will took three pillars to oppose him too…
How would Luna father/First legion commander get that? Luna father is emperor son too or something?
Thanks for the chapter!