Repeat Vice - The Villainous Noble Doesn't Want to Die, So He Swore to Not Die As One of The Four Heavenly Kings - Chapter 22: Values

Chapter 22: Values

The dragon, glowing with a radiant light that dyed the moonlit night as bright as day, spread its azure-flame burning wings and glared in our direction.

From the dragon emanated a tremendous magical power, enough to easily destroy one or two cities.

It was the highest-ranking dragon species confirmed in ancient texts, the Dragon Lord Bahamut, who rules over the element of light and fire.

The Dragon Lord Bahamut, who certainly does not obey humans, lowered its head as if submitting to a certain young boy.

When the boy turned towards us, he extended his hand.

“Now, let us march together. We now have sufficient power to rule the world.”

The boy, who would eventually be called the Second Demon King – Raymond Roi Nodens Galleon, smiled fearlessly.

————————————————————————————————–

In the mansion of the Galleon territory’s capital city, a grand party was being held, attended by numerous nobles.

We arrived in the Galleon territory just recently.

It took us six days to depart from the Lightless territory, passing through several towns and cities, and finally arriving at the capital city of the Galleon territory.

Normally, it would take seven days and seven nights, but we managed to arrive a whole day earlier by taking the royal capital’s train.

The train was quite a remarkable vehicle.

It was much faster than a carriage, with minimal rocking.

I would like to have one in our territory as well, but since I haven’t had a decent conversation with Father since the first day in the carriage, I haven’t been able to bring up such a topic.

Well, there’s no need to rush. I’ll bring it up another day.

The party hosted by the Galleon family was a large-scale event held over three days and nights, with some families attending all three days and others attending just one day before returning home.

Incidentally, the Lightless family planned to attend only on the first day.

I thought Father would attend all three days because of his nature, but with the recent scandal involving Clinton and the unsettled aftermath, he probably didn’t want to leave the territory unattended for too long. 

For the past three months, Father has been busy like me.

Recently, negotiations have been underway with the Viscount Serpente family regarding the treatment of Clinton’s wife and children, whom we had detained.

The Serpente family promptly apologized for Clinton’s wrongdoing and agreed to compensation, but they seem reluctant to take custody of his wife and children.

It’s a complicated matter involving the families of those who caused trouble to the Lightless family.

The Serpente family probably doesn’t want to deal with the hassle, but it’s no joke to suggest that the Lightless family will be the ones to take care of Clinton’s wife and children in the future.

By the way, the Serpente family is not attending this party.

They’ve been self-restrained due to the Clinton incident, but it’s probably because they were afraid to face Father directly.

In any case, it’s a relief for me to be able to return home early.

While I’m away, negotiations with the guild members won’t progress, and I haven’t been able to communicate closely with the puppet-like deputy officials, so returning home even one day earlier is honestly helpful.

I wore a coat with a dark color, symbolizing the Lightless family, and attended the party venue.

In the early stages of the party, I accompanied Father, who was also wearing a dark suit like me, to greet the Duke of Galleon and other influential nobles, the hosts.

We presented a dignified bow befitting the Lightless family while making our rounds of greetings.

I like parties, but honestly, this time is the most painful moment of my life.

“Try to be a bit more friendly.”

“…I don’t want to be told that by Father alone.”

Father scolded me in a low voice, so I retorted.

He’s the same, without a smile on his face.

After finishing the rounds of greetings, I was finally released.

This party is a standing-style event, where you receive drinks from passing waiters to quench your thirst.

I walked around the venue, enjoying the atmosphere of the party with a glass in hand.

I listened to the elegant music being performed on stage and watched the nobles freely dancing.

This isn’t just a normal party, this is the social world’s party, the world of the upper class society.

But…

“…It’s quiet.”

Was the party always this quiet?

The music being played, the murmurs of the nobles, it used to be more lively, such parties I mean.

This party is supposed to be a gathering of the cream of the upper class.

So why do I feel so unsatisfied with the state of it?

Why does the rowdy revelry of a backwater fishing village come to mind?

Suddenly, Fol’s face flashed in my mind, and I shook my head to clear it.

Why am I thinking about her…?

I sighed.

I spent only a few days with Fol, yet what has become of me?

Did I let myself be swayed by my emotions?

Me, towards a commoner?

Nonsense.

As I questioned myself inwardly, a voice suddenly interrupted.

“Are you enjoying yourself, Rofus?”

As if talking to a friend of ten years, the person who spoke so familiarly was someone I had just met for the first time – Raymond Roi Nodens Galleon, the heir of the party’s host.

—————————————————————————————————

Accompanied by Raymond, Rofus visited the garden of the party venue.

There were two other young men and women besides Rofus.

They seemed to be around the same age as Raymond.

One was a tall, muscular young man.

The other was a petite, fair-skinned girl in a green-themed dress.

None of them had met Rofus before, but Raymond seemed to know them.

Like Rofus, they were followers of Raymond, who served as the Second Demon King in the story.

Raymond stood in the center of the garden, facing Rofus and smiling quietly.

Then, he emitted an intense magical power from his body.

It was a magical power so powerful that Rofus sweated profusely.

It reminded him of the magical whale he encountered in the magical sea.

The other two, Augustus and Annegeld, after directly receiving Raymond’s magical power, turned pale.

Augustus knelt down, and Annegeld trembled while bowing her head.

Rofus, with his abundant magical power, was sweating only slightly, but Raymond’s magical power, which was enough to push even advanced nobles to their limits, was still astounding.

Rofus glared at Raymond, questioning his intentions, and Raymond immediately stopped emitting magical power.

Once freed from the high-density magical power, Augustus and Annegeld gasped for air.

Ignoring them, Raymond then created a small ball of light in his hand.

At first glance, it looked like a smaller version of the Light Ball, a lower-level magic, but Rofus and Annegeld’s expressions changed when they saw it.

What Raymond did was beyond the scope of conventional magic from a magician’s perspective.

There is something called no incantation in magic.

Rofus often used no incantation, but this technique skipped all the steps of chanting and announcing the magic name to activate the magic as quickly as possible.

No incantation is a technique that can be called a divine skill for current magicians, but what Raymond did with the small ball of light was beyond that.

The small ball of light lacked the sigil that is always present in magic.

The embodiment of attributes without a sigil, it was no longer something that could be called magic.

It was something beyond magic, something beyond what lies beyond magic.

Of course, even Rofus cannot imitate such a feat.

By the way, Augustus, who is not knowledgeable about magic, just stared at it.

Raymond rolled the small ball of light on his palm for a while before extinguishing it and raised his arm.

With a tremendous force, Raymond’s arm struck the ground.

The impact was tremendous, shaking the ground, and a crater appeared where he struck.

Extraordinary physical strength.

Just pouring a large amount of magical power wouldn’t produce such destructive power.

Certainly, there is pure potential, but what is truly necessary is the synchronization rate between the body and magical power.

In other words, how well the body allows magical power to flow through it.

Rofus and Annegeld, naturally, were shocked, but Augustus was even more surprised, his eyes wide open.

Magical power, technique, physical strength.

Raymond, who displayed overwhelming power in every aspect, abruptly changed his calm smile to a defiant one.

“Let me assert this. There is no one in this kingdom stronger than me. My abilities surpass those of anyone else in this kingdom in every aspect. If we narrow it down to fighting prowess alone, there’s no one in this kingdom who can defeat me. This is not an exaggerated self-confidence but a fact derived from an objective standpoint.”

Raymond continued, addressing the group.

“However, there were four individuals in this kingdom who surpassed me in specific fields. And astonishingly, they were of the same generation as me. I felt destiny at work. One of them isn’t present here, but that’s referring to all of you as well.”

Raymond then turned his gaze towards the three of them.

“I showed  you quite a spectacle just now. That was merely a brief demonstration of my power.”

Raymond shrugged his shoulders.

“But… I must repeat, what I showed was still truly lackluster. Such displays are nothing more than mere sideshows. My magical power is inferior to Rofus’, my magical technique to Annegeld’s, and my physical strength to Augustus’.”

Upon hearing these words, Rofus, Annegeld, and Augustus exchanged looks, realizing the truth in Raymond’s statement.

Indeed, each of them, in their respective fields, could potentially surpass Raymond. 

However, even with their exceptional abilities within the kingdom, Raymond had displayed a level of power that left them astounded, a power they couldn’t afford to underestimate.

While Annegeld and Augustus gazed at Raymond with eyes filled with awe and fear, Rofus remained calm. This was because Rofus, having experienced the story firsthand, knew that Raymond’s foundational abilities were exceptionally high overall. Although seeing it directly for the first time did surprise him, it wasn’t to such a significant extent.

Rofus fixed a sharp gaze on Raymond.

“So, what’s the reason for gathering us? Don’t tell me it was just to boast about your power?”

Rofus’s arrogant attitude, even in the face of such overwhelming power, left Annegeld and Augustus wide-eyed.

In contrast, Raymond showed a gentle and friendly smile.

“Boasting? Compared to you all, my power is insignificant. I want to build an equal relationship with you all.”

“Equal? Isn’t it a mistake to demand submission? After all, you’ve been intimidating us so heavily, how can you say that?”

“Hey…!”

Augustus tried to stop Rofus by placing a hand on his shoulder, but his hand was blocked by the magical barrier he always kept active.

Annegeld watched Raymond with apprehensive eyes, fearing his reaction.

Raymond smiled upon hearing Rofus’s disrespectful words.

“I’m glad, Rofus. Not many treat me as an equal. Also, I had no intention of being intimidating. If my actions caused any discomfort, I apologize.”

Raymond’s calm apology slightly eased the tension for Annegeld and Augustus.

However, Rofus remained disrespectful, even at this juncture.

“What’s the reason for gathering us then? I believe I asked that earlier.”

“Hey! Cut it out already!”

“Why are you being like this…!?”

Augustus confronted Rofus, and Annegeld glared at him with condemnation.

“Who do you think you’re talking to with such arrogance?” retorted Rofus, returning a threatening glare to Augustus.

Rofus was getting agitated. If things continued like this, he might end up becoming Raymond’s follower as per the story. That would be bad, very bad. Becoming one of Raymond’s followers would lead to a future where he’d become one of the Four Heavenly Kings as in the story and ultimately be killed by the protagonist faction. That was the outcome Rofus feared the most.

Therefore, Rofus struggled. He distanced himself from the other Four Heavenly Kings, and at the same time, he continued to show a defiant attitude towards Raymond.

However, Raymond had not given up on him yet. He looked at Rofus and spoke.

“The reason… is to rule the world.”

Raymond’s words left Annegeld, Augustus, and even Rofus dumbfounded, unable to respond.

The audacious words of a 12-year-old boy carried a grandiose ambition. However, there was a weight to those words that didn’t seem childish at all. At least, it overwhelmed the kingdom’s three greatest geniuses present there.

Raymond smiled gently and continued to speak.

“I lived incognito in the Northern Empire from the age of 5 to 10, for five years. Unlike the kingdom, the empire is a country where alchemy and science have developed, rather than magic. Therefore, there are barely any magic users in the empire. In fact, those with magical abilities are even discriminated against.”

Rofus also knew this information through the story. However, Annegeld and Augustus, who were unaware, listened intently.

“Half a century ago, the kingdom and the empire were at war. Although they now have a mutual non-aggression agreement, back then, they were bitter enemies. The remnants of that mindset still exist. There’s a strong sentiment in the empire that magic users are evil.”

Raymond spoke, spreading his left hand.

“In the borderlands of the empire, there are instances of witch hunts where those with magical abilities are killed. I witnessed it firsthand. Innocent infants born with magical abilities were tortured and killed for no reason.”

Then Raymond extended his right hand as well.

“In contrast, in the kingdom, those with magical abilities hold power as nobles and sometimes toy with and even kill those without magical abilities. Using magic to oppress the powerless… Both countries have innocent people dying.”

Raymond questioned the three of them.

“Don’t you think this world is filled with injustice? In one country, magic users are revered and given power, while in the other, they are hunted down as witches. Innocent, powerless people are dying in both countries… It’s all because of differences in values, creating these tragedies.”

Raymond’s words left the three of them breathless, overwhelmed.

“There’s something missing in this world, don’t you think? A basic value that says you shouldn’t harm others, you shouldn’t kill them. That simple value.”

Raymond tightened his outstretched hands, determination shining in his eyes.

“So, I’ll become the one to embody that value in this world. The one who will guide all humanity, the absolute leader.”

A declaration to reign as the world’s king.

It hinted at rebellion against the royal family.

And then Raymond reached out his hand.

“I alone cannot achieve this. But if you lend me your power, it’s a future that can be realized. Please, lend me your hand. For the prosperity of the kingdom and to eradicate the injustices of this world.”

There stood not the Second Demon King, Raymond, who sought to destroy the kingdom, but a charismatic leader filled with righteous intent.

Annegeld and Augustus, as if entranced, approached Raymond and knelt before him.

Even Rofus felt a strong urge to kneel before Raymond, but he stopped himself at the last moment.

This wasn’t the result of mind control magic.

It was the pure charisma of Raymond.

An overwhelming charisma that made people want to follow him.

It was the birth of a ruler who would guide all humanity.