âIt would sound pretentious to say itâs empty.â
The Consciousness of the Ten Thrones.
The empty seats no longer felt awkward.
Except for Bael of the First Throne, who had never attended the Consciousness in the first place.
âBuer, Paimon, Barbatos, Gamigin.â
10th, 9th, 8th, and 4th in order.
The four thrones to âheâ who ascended the throne as a human.
All of them had been hunted.
âGamigin was a special case, so it would be okay to exclude him. Of course, Amon, youâll never be freed.â
Cijing.
Instead of an answer, I heard.
The sound of iron clinking beneath the veil.
The Ten Thrones present exchanged glances among themselves.
âHow long are you going to be obsessed with numbers?â
âWhat do you mean by that?â
âItâs not so much the order that matters. Itâs time to admit it: Gamigin didnât fall to Hell because he was a bad lucky guy. Paimon didnât meet his end because he was manipulated by humans.â
Even more heavy words follow.
âEven the Ten Thrones are mistaken.â
âThey were hunted to perfection.â
Amon, the Beast of Violence, is next. All of the Thrones are silent as Amonâs turn comes around. There was no one who got angry at the thought that he was being identified with a lower ranking member. After all, they knew better than anyone else.
Seugâ¦
Gazes turned toward Amonâs veil.
Thatâs right.
The established hierarchy is just a number.
Except for the 10th, Buer, they were all Ten Thrones from birth. In a way, they were brothers, sharing a certain sense of each other.
âI guess thatâs why I instinctively stayed away from Barbatos.â
ââ¦.â
âHe was obviously dangerous.â
Barbatos has insignificant force and power.
But the Ten Thrones knew better than anyone else what he was capable of.
Hence this moment.
No one dared to speak.
The only one who spoke was the one under the veil.
âHowever, even Barbatos was hunted. At this moment, there is only one decision left for you. Give Amon freedom before the right moment is lost.â
He uttered a terrible declaration.
âGive Amon his freedom â¦â¦?â
âHa, thatâs like burning down the house to kill a flea.â
âCan you handle it? No, is there anyone who can handle it?â
How did they come to that conclusion?
I could understand it.
But I couldnât agree.
It was as if my body was on fire.
Clang.
The sound of metal under the veil.
For it was they who had restrained Amon, and they knew better than anyone what it would mean to untie this uncontrollable beast.
âSurely, if it were Amon, he would be able to go beyond the arrogant brat and tear apart the Arcana continent and even the world of adventurers. But will that be the end? Do you think we can seal Amon again?â
âNow that Paimon has gone to hellâ¦â¦.â
âThatâs right, itâs obviously impossible.â
After devouring the Arcana continent and the adventurersâ world.
Amonâs anger was sure to be directed at the Demon World.
The Ten Thrones considered Amonâs calamity.
âMore than anything, I donât have the confidence to handle it.â
âI donât think it was the right decision either.â
âYou guys are too gentlemanly.â
âItâs not like us.â
Let Amon be free.
Only the Ten Thrones that had declared still remained steadfast.
And then he spoke.
âWeâll just have to wait for the moment when the two meet.â
ââ¦â¦!â
Damn, I hadnât thought of that.
That moment when Amon and Claudi were immersed in each other.
Maybe if I exploited that moment.
âWell, Iâm pretty sure we can both handle this.â
âI donât feel comfortable having this conversation in front of Amon.â
âWell, so what, he wonât be able to hear us through the restraints anyway.â
Someone pretended to look at Amon, but that was all.
It didnât take long for the Ten Thrones to agree.
And rightly so.
Even if the conclusion isnât perfect.
âI just hope the sparks donât fall on me.â
âIsnât it time to wrap things up?â
âDamn it, if they skip Amon, Iâm nextâ¦â¦!â
Thereâs no better option.
Because everyone was realizing it.
A grave voice summarized the Ten Thronesâ thoughts.
âThen let us make our judgment immediately. As you have seen through your Evil Eye, he has begun to move. His movements are distinctly different than before.â
The comprehension of the Ten Thrones is different from that of a normal demon or Arcana Continent being. They already had a grasp of how the adventurersâ world worked, almost to the point of being players.
âHe who did not even reveal his great deeds is now making his presence known. He is gathering and uniting forces forgotten by all. He is deploying forces near Behemothâs Maw.â
They might set foot in the demon world first.
âThe biggest variable of all is of course his entrance into the Demon World, in that case, I have no choice but to make the best judgment to exclude that variable. Thatâs right. Based on your opinion, I will agree to Amonâs liberation.â
Amonâs liberation required the consent of a majority of the Ten Thrones.
Hwoosh.
One candle burning in the center.
ââ¦â
Then, one after another, the candlesticks began to burn.
Soon there were five candles.
âWith this, Amonâs seal has been lifted.â
Clang,
A heavy noise from beneath the veil.
Now that Amon has been released.
There was no benefit to continuing the Ritual(consciousness). Amonâs savage senses could follow their scent beneath the veil and tear them apart, starting with themselves in the demon world.
Throck.
Of course, no greeting was necessary. All the Ten Thrones stepped back from the veil as they vaguely heard Amon start to rampage.
It was a moment that came to an end.
âWhat.â
Valefor, the Sixth Throne Demon King.
He folds and unfolds his small, insignificant fingers.
Then he shakes his head.
âSurely there were five?â
In the consciousness of the Ten Thrones.
The number of the Ten Thrones in favor of Amonâs release was indicated by the candle in the center. Five, a majority of the Ten Thrones. That was why âsomeoneâ had said that the opportunity to utilize Amon would never come again, unless now.
âBecause gap is not considered in the consciousness of the Ten Thrones.ân/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
True.
The Ten Thrones are just designated positions.
Even if the demon who sat on it fell to hell.
The influence, or decision-making power, of the Ten Thrones didnât go to hell with them. This meant that it would be correct to view the empty seats as voting neither for nor against, but rather abstaining.
Valefor paused at the edge of his seat.
The Commander of the Legion approaches, concerned.
He approaches with a cautious expression.
âLord Valefor, is there something that bothers youâ¦â¦? â
âNo, Iâm calculating, donât talk to me.â
âI apologize.â
Valefor gave the Legion Commander a curtsy and began to count, now folding his fingers in a deliberate manner. First, he had to rule out the first finger, for sure.
âBael was not present.â
Why was he so sure?
Simple.
Because Bael had never humbled himself before.
He never communicated with them.
Foolish Bael.
They didnât call the first Demon King of Thrones that for nothing.
That leaves us with five.
Five.
Valefor muttered.
âOne of them is Amon, isnât it?â
One cannot make rational judgments while restrained.
Moreover, this was an important matter related to Amon himself.
Amon did not have a vote in the matter of releasing his restraints.
âWell, then it should be four?â
Valefor began to recall the voice beneath the veil, and then realized: Wait, the voice that had insisted on breaking Amonâs seal.
Whose voice was that â¦â¦?
It was obscured by the veil.
The voice was unclear.
However, that tone of voice was not hidden unless it was intentional.
Yes, the tone.
That tone of voice that seems to look down on you.
Overbearing, as if daring to look down on the Ten Thrones.
Rattling.
Valeforâs small frame shivered.
ââ¦no way?â
As usual, there was only one thing I could think of.
âIs it the new, new Ten Thronesâ¦â¦!â
Yes, it was him.
The Ten Thrones guy, invading the consciousness of the Ten Thrones.
Heâd tricked us and gotten what he wanted.
Valefor didnât understand.
âWhy?â
Why would you unleash upon the world a terrifying creature called Amon, a creature that even the Ten Thrones fear? Are you confident that you can hunt him down?
If so.
Valefor smiled bared his teeth.
âThat is an obvious mistake.â
Amon could lead the world to ruin if he were set free.
Such is the madness that goes beyond violence.
Valeforâs grim laugh echoes.
âYou will see the horror of it all, you arrogant man.â
*
Dalkag.
I set my teacup down with a sigh.
I really thought I was going to die while cleaning up!
First of all, the atmosphere was serious.
Is this the first time Iâve seen our seniors make that kind of expression?
Actually, we canât get along well.
Why, the first time I stepped foot in the Magic Tower.
I mean, think about Marceloâs parachute ride.
âIâve had a hard enough time getting recognized.â
And thatâs not all.
Even the senior mages didnât get along.
It wasnât until recently that the subtle discrimination against Vangrit, who came from a commoner background, had disappeared.
âIf only I had known.â
Grandfell, no matter how much I tried to hold you back, I wouldnât have held a special conferenceâ¦â¦! Still, is it because he made a threat as the head of the special conference?
âIâm glad we didnât fight right away.â
The chief of the past and the chief of the present have different weights.
Not that Iâm better than Marcelo, but literally.
The current Chief is the second in command of the Magic Tower after the Tower Master, right?
Because the position of Elder Mage is vacant.
I remembered the words of the ghosts of Amethyst Hall.
-âI will follow what Chief Lee says.â
Anyway, since youâre the senior, Iâm glad youâre following the Magic Towerâs hierarchy, everyoneâ¦â¦! I still havenât recovered my objective, the ãPost-Cataclysmic Bibleãwhich was my goal.
âPerhaps it would be better for you to hold it?â
The Amethyst Hall was already open to players. It would be safer to leave the holy book in the hands of the ghosts of Amethyst Hall than to leave it there.
âTheyâve been through it all anyway.â
Oh, by the way.
âItâs settled.â
âYou know, Grandfell, youâve been so quiet all this time, and then you open your mouth at teatime, and somebody thinks youâre a bit of a coward. Iâve been stuck in the middle of nowhere trying to catch up.
âItâs settled? Who thinks youâve done it?â
Grandfell sipped his tea leisurely at my questioning, so itâs clear that itâs Lee Hoyeol whoâs getting hot under the collarâ¦â¦! Forget it, whatâs the point of me having a fight with you?
âMore than that.â
Itâs time to move on.
Letâs see, Hakuna is off on an expedition to the Arcana continent, leading the forces of the Kingdom of Yusra. Because I was the only one who could fill Hakunaâs void.
âSince weâve started, letâs do it right.â
That way, Grandfell, you can keep up the image youâve developed. So donât tell me youâre going to waste one more cup of green tea because you donât want to steep it.
Thereâs no time, thereâs no time!
âHowever, integrity and innocence are above all else.â
Thatâs not integrity and innocence, itâs just being in trouble.
I was about to argue with Grandfell.
A voice echoed in my head.
âMy lordâ¦â¦!â
Hiel appeared in the office at the same time.
Hiel shows up without me calling first.
I immediately recognized the seriousness of the situation.
My prediction was correct.
âThe Behemothâs Maw have been destroyed.â
What?
Was it destroyed?
There was no need to ask back.
Hielâs voice raged.
âBy the grasp, Baelâ¦â¦!â
Grandfell, on the other hand, spoke calmly.
âBael, thatâs not exactly âestablished procedureâ.â
Established procedure.
What does that mean?
Could it be that you knew something?
What the hell are you thinking, Grandfell?
â¦..?