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TOAD – Chapter 50
TOAD – Chapter 50
“Are you shitting me?” I asked.
We had relocated into a nearby town. It wasn’t like I had much choice. Besides, the fire was starting to burn my backside. As his army put out the fire using magical means, were brought to the nearby village which had recently had a slaughter. Well, it hadn’t been burned to the ground, and the army of the demon king had set themselves up there. I ended up sitting in what used to be a tavern across from that tall monster of a man.
We were brought a small meal and a drink from the back, and he silently watched while I ate. When I had finally finished, sipping down the last of the wine unserreptitiously, he had once again repeated those fateful words proposing to me. I figured my response was more than adequate. He cocked his head with a small frown as a response.
“No, I am not... shitting... you.” He reached into his coat and then brought out a small scroll, pushing it toward me. “Perhaps this will explain my presence a bit.”
His voice came out in a low baritone that caused my spine to shiver. It felt like silk wrapped around gravel. He might have been a decent radio show host or even a movie trailer announcer. It was the kind of voice that would gain followers and strike fear into the hearts of enemies. I had to admit, I was very curious about him. I didn’t know anything about this marriage nonsense, but he exuded a manliness where I wouldn’t mind mounting his cock for a night.
I reached out and took the scroll. As soon as I unrolled it, I shuddered slightly. The writing was something that I recognized immediately. As I began to read the letter, I couldn’t help but feel even more complicated. This was something written by Reinhart.
My Lord Demon King,
My name is Reinhart, a lowly demon of your empire and an accomplished alchemist. I once was part of our illustrious spy network and sent to the human territories to observe the local lords. My position was eventually found out, and I’ve since been repositioned into a secret program. Throughout my time with this program, I’ve come to realize certain things, and I believe that my life and the life of someone I care about are in jeopardy.
If you’ve received this letter then I am already dead. I’ve prepared for this package to be automatically sent to you. It includes all of the information I was able to smuggle regarding a top-secret fertility project aimed at overthrowing you as king. Various families have funded resources into creating demonic lines. Their ultimate aim is to restore the demonic strength of their families by reintroducing monster blood. They have been capturing women from all over the realm to performing horrific fertility experiments to achieve this goal.
Ultimately, the families funding this are in direct opposition to the throne, and I believe that their goal is to eventually overthrow you, my lord.
Although my position under you was dismissed, I still consider myself a loyalist to you, the demon king. This is why I have decided to send a warning. If you do not care about any of this and consider the attempts to establish new bloodlines to be a fool’s errand, I must regretfully inform you that there has been a success.
This success comes in the form of a certain woman by the name of Aria. I’ve reported on her before. She was located in Nidia right before the fall. She will also likely show up in reports regarding the Nyphum incident, and in direct connection with Lord Typhoon.
Aria is an enigma and an extremely capable woman. She has a unique set of special skills, and these skills allow her to birth first-generation demonic children. I believe that Aria is the key to saving the demon realm and saving my lord as well. If at all possible, please pull her out of this program and protect her. Consider this the modest request from a man who is no longer in this world.
Your loyalist,
Reinhart
It was written in Reinhart’s typically messy script, but he seriously took his time to make it as legible as possible. It possessed his eloquence and verbiage, so I had no doubt that it was legitimately him, and not a forgery concocted to mislead me.
The demon king continued to watch me as I read the letter twice, and then slowly put it down. It didn’t tell me much that I didn’t already know. Reinhart was dead, but as a careful man, he had made sure that there was a contingency plan for me. Even gone, he had been looking out for my best interest. If I had the capacity to cry anymore, I might have shed a tear for him. Unfortunately, it was too late for that.
“Alright,” I looked at the demon king with a straight look. “I guess I understand why you’re here. I already took care of your little problem as well.”
“Yes. I can see that.” He responded.
“Even a king has a limit... that limit is level 99.” He explained. “But even that limit can be exceeded...”
“God...”
He nodded again. “You are as intelligent as you are beautiful. While on my way here, I learned everything I could about you from the handful of surviving reports. However, they did not say that you were a demon queen until I confirmed it myself when I first saw you. It appears that you have already reached your final incarnation. The reports don’t quite do you justice.”
“Oh? What do the reports say?” I smiled.
“That you create disaster wherever you go.”
My smile flickered a bit. I was hoping for some flattery, but apparently, this demon king couldn’t see that.
“That still brings us back to my first question.” I reminded him. “It sounds like I’m already at the peak of my evolution. I will keep leveling past 90 until I reach 99, and then I’ll be as stuck as you are. What does that have to do with marriage?”
“Every time we level, our status increases. We become faster, stronger, smarter, and more charming. The difference between a level 30 and a level 90 is vast. Level 90s are practical perfection compared to the lowly rabble of a first classer. For those of us that pass 90, it becomes even more pronounced. Many of our statuses start to transcend what it means to be mortal.”
“I’ve heard as much.”
“Have you also heard that most couples also tend to level closely together? The woman never stays far behind her man. There have been cases where a man has gone off to a prolonged war, leveled up significantly, and then when he returned home, he could no longer find his low-level wife unsatisfactory? She becomes so feeble that he fears to touch her without harming her, and she lacks any of the charms she once had. Most of these men either kill their wives or lose interest in them. Thankfully, they usually remember to impregnant them before going to war, and so they concern themselves with their child instead.”
I had dwelled on the interplay between women and men’s relationships when status was a real thing, and you could charm a woman just by being at a higher level than her. I had never gotten too far. It seemed I usually managed to find myself in the company of people whose levels were higher than mine, or at least equal. Even then, I knew my transcendent charm was making it increasingly difficult to interact with commoners. Anyone below the second class would instantly become infatuated with me with a single look.
“Yes... I understand. It’s lonely at the top.”
His lips tightened and he nodded. “I had never fallen in love. I had dedicated my life to the demon realm, growing the pinnacle of strength and leadership. As I’ve grown older, I’ve realized that I need an heir. However, my status is so significant that no woman can handle my child. In short, I’d need a woman at level 90 or higher to be able to father a child.”
My eyes darted up to him. “Is this why you’ve come personally?”
“Yes.” He nodded again. “My years as king are limited, and already there are those looking to overthrow me. My inability to have an heir has been looked at as a weakness. This is why I need to find a woman who is powerful enough to father my children. According to the data Reinhart has sent me, you are their perfect candidate. You have a class capable of exceeding level 90, and your ability to merge with demonic blood appears to be nearly perfect. Some circles have already started to call you the mother of monsters.”
“I just happen to have the right specialist skills...” I tried to deflect, startled as he reached out and grabbed my hands.
“Aria, you are the woman that I have been looking for. I don’t simply want you to be my wife and my queen. I want you to carry the next demon lord!”
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