Chapter 96

The night in the capital city.

In a large mansion in an upscale residential area, a middle-aged, thin man was smirking wickedly.

It was Medici, the apothecary.

The spacious room was adorned with gaudy gold and black furnishings.

Kneeling before a small altar with a distorted statue, Medici bowed his head.

"Evil God Deathsize, I come to report. I have delivered a bouquet to Puchi Eri's shop."

Suddenly, the statue began to emit a black light.

As the statue flickered, a voice that was neither male nor female echoed.

"Hmm. Well done. Did you give it to the former hero, Alex?"

"No, he was absent. I plan to deliver it again tomorrow. Today, I gave it to the other one, a slave woman named Lilithia."

"Hmm. Well done. If you can eliminate those two, I will grant you even greater power."

"Hehe, what a blessing. I will continue to work hard."

Medici bowed so deeply that his head almost touched the floor.

Then the light from the statue faded.

Silence filled the room.

Medici remained bowed for about a minute, but when he realized there was no further communication, he straightened up.

He wore a satisfied smile.

"Hehe. Who would have thought that with Thomson's execution, my time would come. The Forlight family has gone bankrupt, and the minister and his allies have all fallen from power. If I can obtain Puchi Eri's formula using the power of the Evil God, I can dominate the country's economy. ... It was worth the secret arrangements I made to ensure I could take control. Hehehe."

Medici chuckled, his thin body shaking as he headed towards the door.

On the other side of the door was an ordinary study. The room with the Evil God's statue did not face the corridor.

Sitting at the desk in the study, Medici began to take notes, muttering to himself.

"Who will become the new Minister of State? With the nobility's influence weakening, it's likely someone close to the king will take the position. That would be either Lord Hamp or Leon... I should also send gifts to the Minister of Medicine and the Duke's family. ... I'll make an offer to buy out the major delivery company, TigerCat. If they refuse, I'll send them a bouquet... hehe. I'm practically in a position to control the country now."

Medici's dark face broke into an evil smile as he happily wrote on the paper.

After a while, he suddenly looked up.

He saw a portrait of a man hanging on the wall of the study. The man had a mustache and a rugged but honest face.

"Hehe. Father, are you watching from heaven? The country will soon be mine. See, it would have been better if you had let me take over the shop. I'm the one who made it this big, right? My brother was only good for being honest. If you had let me take over from the beginning, neither of us would have died... How foolish."

Medici chuckled.

Originally, Medici's apothecary was a small shop with a few branches. After making his father and brother disappear and seizing control, he used various ruthless methods to turn the shop into one of the largest apothecaries in the country.

However, he did not waste money on luxuries or pleasures.

He was solely focused on making a profit by any means necessary.

He did not keep mistresses, ate frugally, and was known as a miserly and greedy man.

Medici's laughter echoed through the study for a long time.

◇ ◇ ◇

A sinister temple loomed in the darkness.

The grand hall inside was supported by columns spaced at regular intervals, reaching up to a high ceiling.

In one corner, a fearsome-looking demon king sat at a kotatsu, writing on a piece of paper, while a seductive woman named Skrasis held a creepy statue.

The demon king, while writing the plot for Volume 2, asked Skrasis,

"So, is everything going well?"

Skrasis turned, spreading her long, dark purple hair, and struck a pose that emphasized her large chest and slender waist.

However, her face was lit up with a bright, cheerful smile.

"Of course! Look, Demon King! I've catered to your request for entertainment! This perfectly balances nobility and approachability!"

Skrasis thrust her hand forward, revealing a small statue.

It was a deformed representation of the Evil God, about three heads tall, with a mix of grotesqueness and cuteness.

The demon king stopped writing, furrowed his brow, and looked up.

"Such a condescending attitude is the most hated. Humans may be foolish, but they are very perceptive when it comes to being looked down upon."

"Hmph. Those who can't understand my art can go to hell!"

Skrasis, proud of her work, thrust out her chest, causing her large breasts to sway.

The demon king snorted in derision.

"Your approach will not gain popularity. The true skill of a demon king is to subtly lead people down the path of corruption while giving them a pleasant reading experience."

"What! ... Are you jealous of my talent?"

"Hah! Ridiculous! I am a best-selling author with 100 million copies sold! I may be envied, but I will never envy anyone! Hahahaha!"

The demon king, sitting at the kotatsu, arched his back and laughed loudly.

Skrasis frowned in disgust and angrily retorted, her dark purple hair swaying.

"100 million copies, forced on monsters and demons! It's ridiculous to gloat over inflated sales figures! Tell me, how many actual copies have you sold to humans?"

"Wh-What are you saying! The total number of copies printed is what counts! The number of copies sold is irrelevant! Even if the actual number was small, my work is far more popular than your strange statue!"

"You're one to talk! This cute and scary Evil God statue will be more popular than your lowbrow novels!"

"What!"

The demon king stood up and glared at her with a force that would kill a human.

Skrasis, slightly shorter than him, approached without flinching and glared back with a fierce intensity.

For a moment, sparks flew between their gazes as they stared at each other, neither backing down.

However, when they got so close that their noses almost touched, Skrasis blushed and shyly looked away.

The demon king, flustered, quickly retreated to the kotatsu and sat down.

Clearing his throat, the demon king spoke in an exaggeratedly calm voice.

"So, how is the plan to deal with Alex going?"

"Huh!? Oh, yeah. My followers are working to tarnish Alex's reputation and target his life. It's going well."

"Hmm. ... Well, don't get complacent."

"Of course it will go well!"

"Alright. I'll be watching your performance."

The demon king returned to his plot writing at the kotatsu.

Skrasis, pouting in dissatisfaction, began kneading clay at her workbench.

Her cheeks were still slightly flushed.

『Skrasis has 2 days left to live, reliving her life in a series of flashbacks.』

Countdown resumed. Adjusted Skrasis's tone to match the earlier part.

If you found this even a little bit entertaining, I would be grateful if you could tap or click the ★★★★★ below!

The next chapter will be updated soon (book publication is taking longer than expected, sorry).