novelraw Chapter 123
Chapter 123
Ch.123 I’ll Shatter All Your Traps
After the duel with Nekhuf,
I lay in bed—dinner with everyone had been pleasant—but sleep wouldn’t come.
Ate too much, maybe?
I had overindulged.
I decided to take a walk to aid digestion.
The garden under the full moon.
Cool night air and the scent of green leaves refreshed me.
Strolling along the orange stone path, my thoughts drifted.
…Roy’s been too quiet.
The King of the Dead.
It troubled me that he hadn’t touched the Seal Stones.
How long has it been?
A week since I met Selena—possessed by Roy.
I expected him to break the seals immediately…
but he’d left after merely confirming their locations.
What ability did he possess?
I’d anticipated either his death before entering the Seal Stone chamber, or at worst, one Seal Stone breaking.
This inaction was completely unforeseen.
“Hans?”
“Huh?”
A familiar voice called me.
I turned.
“Mia?”
“What brings you here?”
Her voice was soft—unlike her usual cool tone—and she used honorifics.
She always switches to polite speech when we’re alone. Still feels odd.
“I ate too much at dinner.”
“You did eat a lot. Honestly—you’re not a child. Eat moderately.”
I could only give an awkward smile at her gentle scolding.
“It was our first feast together in so long.”
“Still. Humans gain weight with age. You can’t get fat.”
Why? Are you my wife already?
Her acting like my spouse made me uncomfortable.
She stepped closer, giving me a sidelong glance.
“You need to stay healthy and live long by my side.”
“R-really?”
Could I truly stay by her side, healthy and long?
She seemed gentle now—but what about her whip lashes? Skin flaying?
Living beside Mia long-term felt like psychological torture.
“Of course. Humans live less than 100 years. If you live longer, I’ll grieve less.”
Her serene smile carried mature grace. My heart skipped.
Snap out of it—you know exactly what kind of woman she is, no matter how pretty!
She reached out and gently stroked my cheek.
“So take care of what’s mine. If you don’t, I’ll nag you endlessly.”
Her sudden affection made my face flush.
“Y-yeah… I will.”
“Heh heh—embarrassed? Your face is bright red.”
She giggled, amused.
Her beauty was undeniable—
among elves famed for beauty, Mia stood out strikingly.
“D-don’t laugh.”
“I didn’t expect someone with such complicated love life to be shy at this.”
Flustered, I fanned my face with my palm—
then she stepped closer.
“You’re… too close.”
Her floral scent filled my senses.
Ignoring my discomfort, she advanced again.
“Is it… because your reaction is cute?”
I stepped back—
—Step.
She followed.
“W-why are you doing this?”
“Because your red face is adorable.”
‘Adorable’ for a man? Unbearable. I stood my ground.
“What if you keep provoking me like this?”
“And if I do? What will you do?”
She licked her lips, emerald eyes glinting under long golden hair.
“Will you… devour me?”
Her taunting tone sparked male pride.
“Think I can’t?”
“Heh heh—confident?”
No! Not confident! Sorry! I shouldn’t have provoked her!
The words choked in my throat—but male dignity wouldn’t let me back down.
As she advanced, I retreated—
—Thud!
My back hit something.
A tree.
Of all places to retreat, I’d backed into a tree—nowhere left to run. Our game of chase ended instantly.
“W-why are you doing this?”
“Don’t you know why?”
Her hot breath made me flustered.
Her steady gaze felt heavy.
Stay sharp—if I fall for this, there’s no escape.
And the other three women certainly wouldn’t stay quiet if I got close to Mia.
I felt trapped between instinct and death.
I turned my head slightly, trying to sidestep—
—Thwack!
“Where are you going?”
Her predator’s gaze sent chills down my spine.
“W-where? I’m not going anywhere…”
An elf—a herbivore—as a predator?
But her expression and eyes screamed danger.
“You tried to run just now.”
“I wasn’t! Anyway, this joke ends here…”
Her delicate hand caressed my cheek.
“This isn’t a joke.”
“Stop it. Keep this up, and you’ll get punished.”
“Oh? And how will you punish me?”
Exactly—how?
I’d said it to save face, but her amused expression suggested she found it laughable.
“How will you punish me?”
Her eyes burned hotly—I pictured myself forcibly married.
No! Marrying her would be madness!
“Ha ha… went too far, huh? Sorry.”
“Hmph. Backing out now?”
“Yeah. Let’s stop. We’re not married—what’s there to do?”
“Well… I wouldn’t mind—with you.”
My ears burned, but I forced other thoughts.
Elves are herbivores… but Mia must be carnivorous.
Then again—wasn’t it odd that a peace-loving elf enjoyed torture?
“I… I see. But still…”
“And seeing you this flustered makes it hard to hold back.”
“Please… hold back.”
I ducked under her arm.
“Phew… I think I’ve digested. Let’s head in.”
Mia looped her arm through mine, beaming.
“Embarrassed? Your face is red.”
She poked my flushed cheek.
“I’m… not embarrassed! It’s just…”
I’d been swept up in the mood.
“Just what?”
“Never mind. I’m going to sleep.”
Mia lightly slapped my arm.
“Hmph. You’ll just sleep after this?”
Her ominous expression unnerved me.
“We should sleep—it’s late.”
“I heard… during your travels, you slept alone with Leah at night?”
“Huh?”
“Shall we sleep together too?”
W-what did I just hear?
Is this elf insane?
In this world, purity before marriage is a sacred duty—to gods, transcending race.
“Absolutely not before marriage! Have you forgotten your duty to the gods?”
She blinked slowly.
“But elven marriage ends with a vow. That’s all.”
Huh…?
***
The King of the Dead.
Now knowing the ‘poison’ was actually acid, a new problem remained:
how to neutralize the cave flooded with acidic vapor.
Ordinary poisons could be countered with antidotes—but
acid corroded at the cellular level.
Normal acid wouldn’t faze him, but this vapor had instantly rusted death knights’ armor—
proof of extreme reactivity.
Since it attacked lungs directly, the damage was catastrophic.
Acid—not poison—was used.
Poisons are efficient killers; acid is cumbersome—
especially with its pungent odor.
Even Davinus had doubted Roy’s initial assumption…
—“Only acid corrodes armor that fast. But how was the cave filled with it?”
The King couldn’t know this was a substance Hans frequently used as an alchemist in ‘Destiny.’
It required precise mixing of multiple compounds under strict conditions.
Even an alchemy-novice king knew that much…
‘This rival is extraordinary. Did he really prepare such a trap…?’
But admiration was a luxury—he had to break the Seal Stone beyond the trap.
The King and Davinus researched acid neutralization.
The simplest solution: collapse the entire cave and wait for the vapor to dissipate.
But…
that would bury the Seal Stones, making them harder to find.
‘Is there a way through without collapsing the cave?’
Then—a guild alchemist offered insight:
—“Acid dissolves well in water. Just wash it away.”
—“With water?”
—“I don’t know the exact acid, but acids love water. One this strong? Definitely.”
After a day of thought, Roy found his answer.
‘I need something to wash away the acid… What about this?’
He pulled the Trident of the Sea God from his spatial bag.
With Selena’s beautiful face, the King smirked.
“Heh heh… with this… rival, I’ll destroy every one of your traps. Davinus—prepare for the Seal Stone.”
“Your Majesty—you’ve found a way?”
“I heard acid is weak against water. Won’t this solve it?”
The King revealed the Trident.
Davinus finally understood.
“You’ll use the Altarion’s Staff for water magic… and the Trident to erase the water?”
Neutralize airborne acid with water, then erase the water—
allowing both to exit the cave unharmed.
“Exactly. Once that’s gone, the rest is trivial.”
“Brilliant. Let’s go, my King.”
Roy drew the Altarion’s Staff.
The King—wearing Selena’s face—smirked coldly.
“Rival… I’ll shatter all your traps.”
Review at
NovelUpdate
One for All200[Get access to 20 premium chapters each for over 30 series.
Check out List at Membership page]Unlock next 20 premium chaptersValid for 30 daysPurchase