The Duke’s Madness

Arthur asked.

“If you die, Van Prime. Is he really alive?”

Suga furrowed his eyes and replied.

“It must be alive. I’m not a human, I’m a doll and a monster.”

“But I love you, right?”

“How can a human love a monster?”

“If I didn’t love you, would I have married you?”

Suga was speechless again.

In the meantime, Arthur whirled around the beast and said.

“Or what, didn’t you tell me it was a homunculus? Then there might be a possibility.”

Suga’s eyes turned red.

She seemed to be trying not to cry, but in the end she burst into tears.

“no… He knows everything.”

“… … .”

“The fact that I’m a monster, and that I’m a doll intentionally made to fit my ideal type… .”

Arthur raised an eyebrow.

“Then won’t you be sad if Suga dies?”

“I guess so. but… If I am alive, that person will be more unhappy.”

“Why?”

“Because Barance intends to make him the puppet king.”

Arthur groaned.

“oh… Mr. Barance, you were a person with bigger ambitions than I thought.”

“He’s not aspirational, he’s a man with big ambitions that don’t fit the bowl. I will never see it with my own two eyes.”

Suga bit his lip.

“Ban loves the Prime Kingdom and its people. But if we go on like this, half will destroy the kingdom and its people with our own hands. According to Barance’s will.”

“So you want to die?”

“yes. It’s a rational choice.”

Arthur burst into laughter.

“It’s not a rational choice, isn’t it running away?”

“… yes?”

“No, it is. If Barance is the problem, you have to kill Barance, why are you trying to die?”

Suga narrowed his eyes.

“now… Are you telling me to kill that monster?”

“Why can’t you kill me? Everyone dies, Suga.”

Arthur’s beast was aimed at Suga’s forehead.

As she trembled in surprise, Arthur warned her.

“And neither do you.”

“… … .”

“I will give you a choice again because the way you look now reminds me of the old me. Will you die at my hands like this? Or will you survive?”

Suga, who came to his senses, muttered.

“If you survive… What do you have?”

“What is there? Your husband will be waiting for you.”

“… … .”

“And there is a chance to kill Barance. But if you die, it’s all over, Suga.”

Arthur finished his explanation and asked again.

“ruler. My obsession ends here. Choose now. Are you going to die?”

Arthur’s fingers, which held the trigger, gained strength.

Suga, who was watching the scene blankly, cried and muttered.

“I want to live… .”

“… … .”

“I want to live and be with that man for the rest of my life.”

At that moment, the Beast that was aimed at descends.

It was when Suga, who involuntarily exclaimed, sat down.

Arthur raised a corner of his mouth and asked.

“Then shall we renegotiate?”

“… Negotiation?”

“Originally, my mission was to take you to the Prime Kingdom. But the client seems to have changed his mind.”

Suga’s eyes widened.

On the contrary, Arthur said with a smirk.

“If I take you to the Prime Kingdom, what can you do for me Suga?”

* * *

Arthur thought.

‘Mr. Barnes. I don’t think you’ll want to save me anyway.’

There was no way a man who even used his daughter would let the witness live.

Then, in the end, I had to fight against that man, but it wasn’t easy.

‘Even if I use all the power of the spirits, I don’t think I’ll be able to win.’

Because of that, Arthur was Arthur who decided to use Suga and gave him another chance.

If she was there, at least she wouldn’t rush into it.

In the meantime, Suga was worried.

‘… What should I do?’

A mercenary named Dawn said he would help me, but I didn’t know when he would change his mind.

‘In the first place, he was a mercenary. If you don’t give them a reasonable reward, it’s going to take a while for them to change their minds.’

Moreover, considering the current situation, I would not work for any compensation.

‘What seven emperors… I have to run away from Barans of the Three Trees.’

Because of that, Suga was worried.

If Arthur Bayern doesn’t help me like this, there’s a high probability I’ll have to go back to Arcane.

That’s because Barance will never overlook my betrayal.

‘Memories will be erased and I will become a complete puppet.’

Considering that, I didn’t know that this moment might be the last chance of my life.

Suga, who was thinking about it, made up his mind and said.

“It shouldn’t be a normal reward, right?”

“It’s not like that, but it’s good if it’s something that will resonate with me.”

What you want anyway is Suga.

you are yourself

It was when Arthur swallowed these words into his heart.

Suga’s expression changes.

“… ?”

While Arthur tilted his head at the change in expression, she asked.

“If you give something worthy… Will you take care of me and take me to the Prime Kingdom?”

“uh… Yes?”

Instead of answering this, Suga closes his eyes.

At the sight, Arthur tilted his head.

‘Why is this person suddenly saying such a tragic thing?’

Then a sudden light burst from her chest.

“… !”

Surprised, Arthur hesitated and backed away.

In the meantime, Suga, who opened his eyes, exhaled and muttered.

“you are… I wanted a top-notch command.”

“… … .”

“However, the highest-level spiritual order does not exist. No scepter, not even a fragment of this heart.”

With these words, Suga held out something that escaped from his chest.

‘That’s… what?’

It was a small crystal stone, but a huge amount of mana was pouring out of it.

‘no… It’s not just mana. Magical power is also pouring out.’

Because of that, Arthur opened his mouth involuntarily.

A doll resembling a human, or a homunculus.

For this ridiculous experiment to be completed, a price was needed.

So, what would be worth the price?

‘Creating a life… For that to be possible.’

Arthur’s neck swayed.

“I hope that… Are you Dragon Heart?”

Suga laughed helplessly.

“Exactly, it’s a piece.”

With these words, a piece of dragon heart was held out.

“One of the many pieces that have escaped from a complete dragon heart. I’ll give you this as a reward, Dawn.”

* * *

Arthur was taken aback by the unexpected development of the situation.

‘oh my god… What’s happening?’

Suddenly, a piece of dragon heart appears from Suga’s chest?

And you give that piece to yourself?

At that time, Suga muttered.

“This… I took out half of the pieces in my body. Now that this has happened, my unknown lifespan must now have a fixed duration.”

“… … .”

“Not only that, but like normal people, you will be able to grow old now.”

Suga laughed, and Arthur swallowed dryly.

“You’re giving me this piece as a reward?”

“If you don’t take it, it’s something that will fall back into Barance’s hands anyway.”

“… … .”

“In that case, this kind of gamble is not bad. If you eat this heart and become stronger, I will be able to go back to my husband.”

After finishing the explanation, Suga passed out.

“… sugar?”

Arthur, who came to his senses belatedly, hugged her.

Undine next to him whispered.

[Arthur is simply fainting.]

At her explanation, Arthur nodded a beat later.

After that, I was dazed and my eyes widened.

‘I don’t know what this is… .’

At that moment, the piece of heart in Suga’s hand flashed.

Dig-!

The brilliant light emitted by the sculpture brought Arthur back to his senses.

At the same time, my heart started beating.

Exciting-!

With that beating, the corner of Arthur’s mouth went up.

“Hit the wall, gnome. A wall that no one can enter.”

The gnomes built a huge wall according to Arthur’s words.

Cuckoo-!

In the darkness where all light was blocked, Arthur looked at the dragon heart fragment in his hand.

‘I don’t know what… It’s a chance.’

It is also a chance to eat the Dragon Heart Piece, which is rumored to be the best elixir.

So Arthur decided to throw away unnecessary thoughts.

‘I can eat this heart now, how strong can I become? That’s what’s important.’

Arthur murmured, not hiding his overflowing feelings.

“The stage where I took off in the past was the 6th circle.”

Will I be able to achieve that level if I eat this piece?

Arthur did not hide his anticipation and put the dragon heart piece into his mouth.

That moment.

Dig-!

Arthur let out an exclamation along with the bursting light.

“… and.”

At the same time, the ring engraved on Arthur’s heart started beating wildly.

Arthur murmured in that strange sense.

“see… The state of a previous life.”

* * *

“Keuk.”

Aaron, who vomited blood, grabbed my heart.

Barance, who had been watching the scene with a tired expression, looked at another severed head.

“… The damage is great. I never thought my head would be cut off.”

With these words, Aaron glared at Barance with bloodshot eyes.

“this… Son of a b*tch!”

With a cry, Aaron tried to make a final effort, but that was it.

Casillas and Paran, covered in blood, insert swords and spears into Aaron’s body.

“Turn it off… .”

With a moan, the pirate’s vice-captain crashed.

The death of the pirate’s second-in-command, who ruled the back streets of Arcane, had to be futile.

‘But it’s not too surprising.’

How many people like that were on this back street?

This is not the first time that talented and ambitious young people have passed away before they could blossom.

It’s just that Aaron, that person, was uniquely talented.

‘In the end, what survives is the old man like me, not the talented and ambitious.’

The adage on the floor does not say that the one who survives the longest is the winner.

After defeating the second-in-command of the pirates, Barance sighed.

“It is over. Are you all right?”

Casillas and Paran barely nodded at the question.

“Looks like you’re going to die.”

“I don’t even have the strength to fight anymore.”

Barance burst out laughing.

“But this is the last time. After today, we will have the Prime Kingdom in our hands and finally bring out the pirates who were our nemesis.”

At Barance’s words, Casillas and Paran raised their lips.

“I look forward to it.”

“Are you finally eating this street?”

Instead of answering, Barance smiled brightly.

After that, I turned my gaze and looked down.

“… huh?”

Barance, who blinked for a moment, tilted his head.

“That… what?”

A huge mound of dirt was visible between the stopped trains.

What appeared to be Suga Haibin collapsed next to him, but no matter how much he tried, he couldn’t guess the identity of that pile of dirt.

“hmm… Doesn’t matter. whatever happened.”

As long as the pirate’s vice-captain died anyway, the situation was over.

Having made that decision, Barance dismantled the floating magic.

Casillas and Paran also came down from the air.

It was when Barance, who had moved on after that, was about to reach out to retrieve Suga Haibin.

A huge pile of dirt suddenly collapsed, and light burst out.

“what?”

Barance burst into exclamation and raised his eyes involuntarily.

‘This mana… What do you mean?’

It was a time when Barance’s body stiffened involuntarily with these words.

Arthur, buried in a pile of dirt, slowly walked out.

Barance, who had been watching the scene blankly, asked a question without even realizing it.

“you… Something?”

Arthur smiled and answered the question with many implications.

“It’s fine. Wouldn’t it be human?’

After that, Arthur opened his eyes and put his hand on my heart.

The vibration he felt at that moment made Arthur unknowingly exclaim.

“Ahh… .”

Arthur, who was trembling in the afterglow, muttered.

“It’s been long. Now that you are re-entering the realm of your previous life.”