Dungeon Defense

Volume 2 - Intermission

Intermission

▯Demon Lord of Immortality, Rank 8th, Barbatos

Empire Calendar: Year 1505, Month 9, Day 21

Niflheim, Governor’s Palace

—Good. Very good. But you’re still far.

Dantalian. I’ll admit that you’re quite clever.

You may even perhaps be incredibly clever. Yes, if I were to compliment you further, then your head may spin better than mine.

However, you have no power. You have no information. In short, you don’t have a ‘faction’. The reason behind your decisive mistake lies there as well.

If you think that just because you’re smart, you can understand the entire world, then that’s quite the foolish miscalculation. For example, you’re saying this now. That I had gathered information on the Earl of Rosenberg’s territory and sent it to you in secret. But this is unfortunate.

You’re only half right, and the rest is wrong.

Because I’m the culprit who spread the rumor in the Earl’s territory.

Aha—.

On the 8th month and 20th day. As soon as I saw you achieve victory over that bitch Paimon during the Walpurgis Night, a thought arose. I will test out whether if you’re real or fake.

So the very next day, I ordered my spies to spread the rumor. The Earl of Rosenberg’s territory is in one of the most crucial areas among areas, you know? With some strenuous effort, I have an information network spread throughout that area.

Dantalian.

The problem always originates in the simplest difference in direction.

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If one’s information network is spread out well enough to acquire a rumor.

Then inversely, fabricating a rumor on this side and circulating it there, is obviously possible as well.

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A simple concept that even kids could realize.

It was approximately on the 8th month and 24th day that the rumor had started to spread in earnest. Since the Black Death was a hot topic, it circulated with quite the speed.

And if the rumor spread in a way that told people ‘a place right under the nose of their land has a boundless supply of black herbs’...... Hm? In the shoes of those bratty humans who were dying off by an incurable disease, then that would be enough to make them go mad for it, wouldn’t it?

I understand everything as well.

Naturally, it’s fun playing around with people’s greed.

If there is one thing that I wasn’t expecting, then it was the Margrave of Rosenberg’s movements. He took action more promptly than I thought he would. By the time the rumor of rebellion could barely take root, he had already decided to dispatch troops.

On the 10th day since the groundless rumor had proliferated, the youngster of Rosenberg had put out a draft notice for soldiers. Indeed, it was a reaction speed that felt as fast as lightning.

Hm.

As expected of the house that has fought us Demon Lords for nearly 300 years now.

Should I say that they have no opening?

It’s a house that seeks for perfection so much that I want to kill them.

Anyway, the situation flowed a bit direly......

Although I did achieve my goal of putting that kid Dantalian in a difficult situation, the dispatch of troops was still excessively fast.

When my spies reported that the drafting of soldiers will most likely be completed within 6 days, I unintentionally let out a sigh. Was this the part where I should compliment them for being ‘the haven of mercenaries’, the northern region of Habsburg?

The distance between the Earl of Rosenberg’s territory and Dantalian’s Demon Lord Castle is about a 10 day march. If the military force mainly consists of infantry and cavalry, and they strain themselves a bit, then they can maybe arrive within a week.

Rosenberg’s army would probably assault the Demon Lord Castle between the 9th month 16th day and 19th day. Barely half a month of delay remained. It felt like I had really fucked over a young Demon Lord.

Yup. I’m repenting.

Surely, it was immoderate to use a competent individual like the Earl of Rosenberg as a test subject to go against the rank 71st rookie.

Since it felt like this was a bit too much— I sent that letter.

You have an enemy.

10 days from now, an army of 2,000 men will invade your Demon Lord castle.

In case he tried to slack off, I purposely supplemented some exaggerations.

In truth, it’d probably take a bit more than 10 days, but I wrote 10. The military force was at most between 1,200 and 1,500, but I set it as 2,000. It was meant to tell him to be seriously alert.

...... But I never dreamed he would extract the defense militia from Niflheim as soon as he received the letter.

Even I was shocked here, rookie.

The fact that there’s an unknown cooperation system established between Dantalian and the Keuncuska firm was clearly evident.

Well, the rest is according to this guy’s ‘guess’.

However.

“A devastating war, Barbatos. If we can’t invade them, then we just have to make them invade us.”

“......”

At Dantalian’s proposal, I was at a lost for words for an instant.

It wasn’t for a particular reason. I personally felt a sense of irony.

To me, Barbatos, who had spread a false rumor to send invaders at you.

To suggest for me to once more ‘circulate a false rumor, and drive the humans to attack us’.

This was most likely proof of the saying that no one knows how life will turn out.

“......Hahah, ahahahah. Hahahaha!”

Even me bursting into laughter was natural.

Oh, Dantalian. You pitiable child. You’re trying to put a trap out for another prey, despite being caught in a trap yourself. Are you decorating that foolishness of yours as wisdom because of your gullibility or because of your pride?

Or—is it simply youth?

Even my already dead heart felt hot.

“How original, Dantalian. Very original.”

I stroked Dantalian from his abdomen, chest, neck, and cheek, one place at a time. I took a liking to his muscles that were firmer than they appeared. Dantalian gazed at me with a smile still on his lips.

“Half a month ago, around the time I sent you that letter, I was hoping that you would at least be a slightly interesting fellow. But by the looks of it, it seems I’ve lived for too long. With a person like you here, my hopes for the world are already daunted!”

“Barbatos.”

“Okay. I’ll cooperate with you. War? That’s what I was hoping for. A wild rumor? That’s just to my taste. To your bad habits, I, Barbatos will associate myself with you. How far you’ll be able to walk. What’ll be waiting for you at the end of your path. The immortal Barbatos will wait and see.”

Although it’s uncertain whether your conclusion may end with myself taking your neck.

That is something to look forward to later.

Let’s enjoy the current now.

“Just imagining how gruesome the war you’ll start is enjoyable, Dantalian. You aren’t planning to leave while disregarding the lady that you’ve heated up so much, are you?”

“What......?”

I activated my magic mist.

The black mist licked the back of Dantalian’s ear and seeped into his brain. Shaking this child’s skull, it passed through his spine and dug into his lower body. Once that happened, Dantalian opened his eyes wide.

“Don’t tell me, this mist......”

“Yup. An aphrodisiac spell.”

I smiled suggestively.

Binding a rookie like you to my side is simple.

For starters, after establishing a relationship where your body is no longer able to deny me, then slowly, with one bite at a time, it’ll be over after I chew away at you ever so slowly. Then at one point, all of your flesh will be torn off and only your bones will remain.

My name is Barbatos.

The Demon Lord of all the dead.

Anything that has become a skeleton will have no choice but to follow my command.

I sent my heated breath into Dantalian’s ear.

“Since long ago, I’ve wanted to be pounded by a son of a bitch like you and pant like a dog...... do you want to try?”

And with that, it was over.

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Oh clever child.

Ride on my hips and dance to your heart’s content.

Until the moment you fall weakened, and finally perish.

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TL note: The true finale of volume 2. I hope you guys aren’t too put off by Barbatos, because I honestly find it as a nice twist. Dantalian can’t be too conceited.

After this I’ll be writing the afterword, then once I’m done with that I’ll begin reading volume 3. According to the Korean people on the forums, they were mostly baffled by the fact of how amazing the writing is in volume 3. So I have high expectations.

Please be patient as I finish the afterword and read volume 3!

I’ll begin translating once I’ve finished reading!