Chapter 74 - The Archenemy Appears

The Kingdom of Niosebuk.

Located at the western edge of the world, it was a mighty nation boasting top-tier territory and national power.

Its operations were fueled by a thorough meritocracy; treatment was determined by achievements and abilities, regardless of birth status, race, or skin color. If you had the ability, even an orphan could rise to greatness; if you lacked it, even a prince would be cast aside.

The legions that survived this harsh selection were elites. Once they set upon a neighboring country, they would crush the enemy army, burn villages and towns to the ground, march straight to the royal castle, and behead the king and princes. Then, young queens and princesses were taken back to the motherland as spoils of war. In fact, regardless of status, every healthy woman judged capable of bearing strong children was taken. Everyone else was slaughtered.

It is said that the number of annexed vassal states has reached ten. "Vassal state" was a name in title only; once ruled, the history and culture fostered there until then were utterly destroyed, leaving no trace behind.

Might is right. It was the way of the Niosebuk Kingdom to thoroughly force this ideology upon the enemies they defeated.

The current head of this villainous kingdom, King Imashinunda I, was celebrating his 47th birthday today. A nationwide celebratory ceremony was held, and in the capital of the Niosebuk Kingdom... the Royal Capital, Ganinva, the city was packed with domestic dignitaries, princes and princesses granted succession rights, and palace warriors who had achieved great deeds and garnered respect and awe. Alongside them were the "wives" they had taken—slave women who bore the title of wife but carried only the duty of birthing children.

Tens of thousands of residents living in the capital crowded into the Royal Castle Square.

Appearing on a balcony built at a particularly high vantage point was a man radiating a cold, domineering aura. This man was the leader of the "Land of Tigers and Wolves," King Imashinunda I of Niosebuk.

Having reached his 47th birthday and nearing his fifties, his body remained sturdy, covered in muscles that looked like bundles of wire. His slender yet thoroughly trained frame was like a sharp, famous sword, and his gaze was equally, if not more, piercing.

When the King appeared in public, the crowd fell silent for a moment to catch their breath, then erupted into cheers of praise for the sovereign.

"Our King, the strongest!" 

"There is no king in heaven or earth more brilliant than His Majesty Imashinunda!" 

"The one fit to rule the world!"

Those shouts of praise were born more from the fear that they would be killed if they didn't say them. The King found more satisfaction in the fear underlying the words than in the praise itself...

"The weak must die; they serve no purpose even if they live."

The speech began.

"That is the providence of our country. We have attacked and destroyed many nations, and beheaded the losers. I believe the prosperity of our country is solely proof that this providence is correct."

The King of Niosebuk continued.

"Strength is justice. The strong can have everything. That is the most absolute and simple law of this world. Turning one's eyes away from that and mixing in trivial elements to make the world cluttered is nothing more than the weak escaping from reality."

"Exactly!" 

"Love and hearts are just the nonsense of the weak!" voices rose from the guest seats. It was proof that the entire nation was subservient to that mad King.

"That is why I will continue to fight. Until this world is covered by the law of strength. Today, I have reached my 47th birthday. But neither my heart nor my body has withered. I promise to continue expanding the flames of war with all my might and give our citizens the chance for prosperity and advancement."

An "Ooooooh!" of echoing cheers arose.

"The next target has already been decided. The great eastern nation, the Kingdom of Renisegura! A weakling state that gluttonously devours indolence in peace without striving in war! I shall burn that country to the ground with the fires of war, and take the Queen—said to be noble and beautiful—as my 17th wife! The weak are ruled by the strong! That is the absolute providence!"

The entire venue boiled over at the King's new declaration of war.

It was war. By destroying, pillaging, and seizing, further prosperity could be hoped for. Such vulgar expectations seethed in the eyes of everyone, subjects and commoners alike.

"Prepare for war! Let your hearts seethe and awaken the beast within you! We, the Kingdom of Niosebuk, are the 'Land of Tigers and Wolves'! It is said to be the land where tigers and wolves live! What a glorious name! Both tigers and wolves are the strong among beasts! Kill and devour every last one of those dull domestic animals!"

The King of Niosebuk was at the height of his pride on his own birthday.

"I am the master of the strongest tigers and wolves, King Imashinunda I of Niosebuk! My legend is still in the making! Eventually, I shall rule this entire world and impregnate every woman in this world with my seed! My name alone shall be the title of a legend that lasts for thousands and tens of thousands of years! Guhahahahahaha!!"

Right in the middle of his peak of triumph...

THOOM!

A massive hole opened up in his torso.

"Wh...?"

Not just the King himself, but every single royal, subordinate, and citizen attending the King's birthday ceremony who was focused on him was lost for words in shock. As if the cheers from a moment ago were a lie, all sound vanished. Everyone forgot even to scream, staring at the hole that had opened in the King's abdomen.

"Eh? Ah? This is...?!"

It was a hole larger than a fist, roughly the diameter of a handball. Anyone could tell that if such a hole opened in one's gut, it was a certain fatal wound. The King of the "Land of Tigers and Wolves" was dying on his auspicious birthday.

"...Why am I... dying?"

Immediately after those words—too pathetic to be a last testament—his head shattered into pieces, scattering bits of flesh like crushed tomatoes in every direction.

◆

"Right, mission accomplished."

The archenemy appeared and died instantly.

It's me. It’s Sao, the protagonist of this story.

Well, in this world where everyone lives with their own wishes, everyone is a protagonist. Except for the scumbags who take away those people's wishes and futures and act like it's only natural.

"Really... Did we really just assassinate the King of Niosebuk...?" 

"Told you, didn't I? We could do it if you cooperated."

Beside me was Lady Seeker, the princess of the Niosebuk Kingdom who had been sent to our country as a spy. The reason I forcibly brought her back on a "homecoming" was because her 'Divine Calling' was necessary for the assassination of the Niosebuk King.

Her 'Divine Calling' is [Voyeur]. You might wonder, "Is that even a 'Diving Calling'?" but the more you hear about its abilities, the more terrifying they are. Her held skills start with [Long-Range Vision] ; fitting for a [Voyeur], she can accurately and clearly see things from a distance as if using a telescope. She also possesses many high-performance skills perfect for covert activities, such as [X-ray Vision] and [Presence Concealment].

It makes sense to deploy such talent as a scout, but it’s a mystery why they treated her so poorly despite her being so gifted in espionage. If it were me, I’d use her as much as Ethan Hunt. Is that country stupid?

"In this country, only 'Divine Calling' specialized in direct combat are considered superior. Espionage is looked down upon as something cowards do. That’s why I, who had an aptitude for it, was immediately stripped of my succession rights and forced to become a spy."

They told her, "Because you only have that much value," and "We'll keep you alive only as long as you're recognized as having value, so work hard."

"Those were the only words my father... no, the King, ever said to me. He has no familial affection. He’s a monster who decides everything based solely on whether someone is useful to him!" 

"Oh... wow." 

"And now I've had a hand in that man's assassination! Serves him right! The skill he threw away as useless helped kill him! There's no story more refreshing than this! You idiot, thinking I'd be sad! Did you think I'd cry over my father's death?! Why on earth would I have a reason to cry for a scumbag like that!"

Princess Seeker was cheering rather than crying over the death of the King. I had felt quite hesitant about the inhuman act of making her help assassinate her own father, but it was a needless worry.

Anyway, the point is that I assassinated the King of Niosebuk.

Let me explain how I did it. First, relying on Princess Seeker's 《Long-Range Vision》 skill, we climbed the bell tower of a church located about 5km away from the Niosebuk Royal Castle where the ceremony was being held. From that high vantage point, we could look around without any obstructions, and we could clearly see the balcony of the castle where the King of Tigers and Wolves stood.

It was incredibly far, though.

Princess Seeker’s [Long-Range Vision] solved that; even from far away, I could see him as if he were within arm's reach. Being at such a long distance also ensured our own safety—two birds with one stone.

Still, you’re probably thinking, “Seeker is the one with the skill, it has nothing to do with you.” That’s where I used a new skill of my own.

It's a skill called [Shared Property], which allows me to treat the target's held skills as my own temporarily. The condition? Having sex.

While my male organ is inserted into a specific female organ, I can freely use one of that woman's skills. Well, since we’re having sex, the skills I can realistically use are limited by the posture.

Princess Seeker’s skill cleared the conditions. So, currently, I had pulled her skirt up and inserted from behind, and in that state, I used [Long-Range Vision] to snipe the King of Niosebuk.

My [Extend] skill has reached a high level of performance through leveling up, so I can instantly extend the pole I’m holding 5km away and instantly pull it back. The whole sequence took less than a hundredth of a second.

There were tens of thousands of people packed into the ceremony, but I’m sure no one noticed the moment it extended, let alone the moment it retracted. All they could notice was the result: the pole, extended with speed exceeding the speed of sound, pierced through that crappy King's gut, opening a massive hole. And the second shot that blew his head off.

The movement was exactly like sniping. I felt like Golgo 13.

"It’s amazing. To combine various skills and come up with an assassination method like this. No one will ever notice that the King was killed from such a distant place."

As if to prove that...

Soldiers swarmed into the venue of the King's birthday ceremony, blockading the area to prevent the crowd from leaving. They likely judged that the assassin was hiding among that mass of people. That’s the common-sense conclusion. But the culprit wasn't in there!

"Whoa, the people are starting to revolt! Whoa, they punched a soldier!" 

"It’s the 'Land of Tigers and Wolves,' so even the commoners are hot-blooded. A brawl is inevitable now. I wonder how many hundreds of deaths will come from that alone..."

The "Land of Tigers and Wolves" is scary.

"But will this avoid war?"

The reason I assassinated a foreign king like this was, of course, because I wanted to avoid a war starting in the country where I live. A cruel neighbor is targeting our home. I'd rather kill a foreign king without hesitation than have the people and land I love harmed or defiled. To protect what I love. And if that king is a demonic scoundrel, I have even less hesitation.

"But even if the King dies, the country remains, right?"

What if the Tiger and Wolf nation doesn't discard its war policy after the King's death and comes to attack our country led by a new leader...?

"There’s no need to worry about that. From now on, this country will enter a long state of civil war. For sure."

"Ehh?" 

"While you're ravishing me, you can use my 《Long-Range Vision》, right? Look at the group standing to the right of the King's body." 

"To the right?"

I stared at the right side of the castle balcony as Seeker told me. There, about ten young men and women were lined up. Everyone was confused and shocked by the sudden disaster... but in their expressions, there was a trace of giddy joy. Like, "The path to my glory has opened!"?

"Of course. The only ones who can sit in the royal family seats there are the King's children... and moreover, the powerful ones who haven't had their succession rights stripped yet." 

"The children of the King I just killed? ...Alright, maybe I should shoot them dead, too..." 

"Stop it. Those ones are more useful alive," Seeker said. What did she mean?

"The fact that the current King died means the next King will be chosen from among those people. Furthermore, this country is a total meritocracy. Regardless of order or formality, the truly strong prince or princess will succeed their father. ...What do you think will happen?"

Who is stronger and superior? There is only one way to decide that...

"So, a civil war..." 

"From now on, the Niosebuk Kingdom will begin a bloody civil war over the new throne. It’ll be no time for invading other countries. This land will be devastated by the fruitless struggles of my idiot brothers and sisters who are conceited enough to think they're 'the strongest.' Isn't that what you want, too?"

I guess so. The longer the civil war lasts, the longer the damage to my country is postponed. I have no choice but to hope they kill each other as much as they want.

"In fact, from your perspective, the appropriate response would be to pull strings behind the scenes so the civil war lasts as long as possible. Supporting the disadvantaged side of the conflict. Fanning the flames by spreading ominous rumors..."

While the wolves devour each other, the peace of humans is maintained. That’s fine, but...

"Why are you being so helpful?" 

"Eh?"

"I’m talking about you, Seeker. Even if you were treated poorly, is it okay for you to be this eager to cooperate with us? I mean, until you were caught, you were working for the Niosebuk Kingdom...!"

She had been desperate to sabotage my country so it could be conquered. What she was doing now was a clear betrayal of her country, yet she showed no sign of remorse...

"It’s fine. I knew from the start that this was a country not worth being loyal to... and in that case..." 

"In that case?" 

"Honestly, you're so slow...! Check what is currently inserted inside me!"

With my penis still gripped inside her vagina, Princess Seeker's buttocks trembled lewdly.

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