Dekan's Notoriety

The next morning.

In Dekan's dormitory, the morning light shone on the living room floor.

Dekan bought the latest newspaper, and the two of them snuggled together on the sofa to read it.

[Kingdom Union Newspaper Homepage Column]

"... King Laxas VI of the Tomafis Kingdom suffered nearly three months of targeted, inhuman torture at the hands of an unknown sorcerer before his death..."

"... Under cruel torture, Laxas VI became increasingly emaciated, unable to eat or sleep, and eventually suffered a complete mental breakdown..."

"... And not long ago, Prince Alik, the beloved son of King Laxas VI, was unfortunately attacked during the campaign to support the Randir Kingdom, resulting in brain damage. He has yet to regain his senses, and this finally became the last boulder to break down Laxas VI's psychological defenses..."

"... Laxas VI chose to commit suicide in the dead of night, and by the time he was discovered, it was too late to save him..."

"... Laxas VI behind a blood-written note before his death, which appeared to contain a list of people he suspected of being sorcerers, most of whom were Laxus's enemies or people with whom he had grudges..."

"..."

Dekan looked at the list.

"Wait, how come my name is on this!"

Dekan's fingers traced across the newspaper, and when he saw his name, he shouted it out indignation.

"Meow!! You're not even a little bit guilty about stealing, meow!!"

Looking at Dekan's expression, Cat Teacher really wanted to swat Dekan.

You're still acting like a ghost at a time like this!

If it hadn't known that it was Dekan who did it, it would have almost been fooled by Dekan.

"Tsk, do you understand the self-cultivation of an actor? You have to be constantly immersed in your acting, even fooling those around you and yourself, that's what makes it seamless."

Dekan instantly regained his relaxed and indifferent state, and reached out to flick the Cat Teacher's head.

He then crossed his legs, shook the newspaper, and turned to the next page.

"Let's see what other great news there is..."

The rest of the document contained analyses and predictions about the world situation.

"... While the Tomafis Kingdom appears stable now, it is showing signs of internal strife. The First Prince and Second Prince have been preparing for action since King Laxas VI fell seriously ill, and King Laxas VI's Eldest Princess should not be underestimated either..."

"... But with Laxas VI's earlier death than anyone expected, his descendants dared not make any moves, maintaining a delicate balance..."

"... Ironically, the stability of the Tomafis Kingdom is, in a sense, maintained by that mysterious sorcerer, which is why the Tomafis Kingdom has yet to have a successor ascend the throne..."

"... According to expert analysis, the trust between the Northern Nations is now on the verge of collapse, and the power of the group led by the Tomafis Kingdom is showing signs of disintegration..."

"... The attitude of the Salon Empire in the far north is also worrying..."

"... The Empire seems to share this apprehension, making it easy to deduce that the mysterious sorcerer is not from Imperial forces; otherwise, the Empire might already have a well-thought-out plan to seize the initiative and launch a surprise attack..."

"... The Kingdom Association has now issued a notice to all member states, offering a reward for any information regarding the mysterious sorcerer..."

--Reported by Ludwig, reporter for the Kingdom Union Newspaper.

After reading it, Dekan was still holding the newspaper, deep in thought.

"Dekan, you absolutely mustn't mess this up, or I, as the one who kept it a secret, will be finished too!"

Cat Teacher recalled the maximum bounty she had just seen and gradually felt a little scared.

At this price, it was even a little worried that Dekan would report Morion.

"Trust me, you're perfectly safe as an accomplice; you'll never be exposed."

"How did I become an accomplice, meow?!"

"Don't worry about the details; it's all capped at death anyway."

"..."

Cat Teacher stared wide-eyed at Dekan, then shook his head helplessly:

"Fine, meow. To be honest, you [Dekan Gospel] are even more of a beast than I imagined..."

"The effect was indeed better than I expected. After all, who could withstand such one-on-one torture, being watched and cursed every day? I couldn't stand it myself."

In fact, Dekan knew that to slowly curse someone to death like this, the other party's rank needed to be low enough.

For example, Laxas VI himself was only a third-rank official.

Dekan's curse on him was quite deadly.

The King of Ashuston, whom Dekan initially cursed, was a sixth-tier powerhouse. If it weren't for the fact that the internal strife was accelerated by chance, Dekan wouldn't have expected to be able to curse a sixth-tier powerhouse to death in three months.

If the enemy is of a higher rank, it will be even more difficult.

Dekan put down his newspaper.

He took out the [Dekan Gospel] again and, as usual, used it to curse Laxas VI.

Why are you cursing him, meow?

Cat Teacher stared at Dekan in disbelief.

He's already gone to the Underworld, why aren't you leaving him alone?

"Let me confirm whether he faked his death. No one can escape my punishment."

Dekan Death Note in his hand and put it away.

"You beast, meow..."

Just now, after Dekan wrote Laxus's information, the effect failed to activate.

It seems that Laxas VI is indeed dead.

However, I've already used up today's daily incantation.

"Now my top-tier review should be fine."

Dekan took out the list that Ice Princess had given him and looked at it with satisfaction.

After eliminating the two kings of the Northern Nations, the Northern Nations are now in complete chaos.

They're probably already overwhelmed with dealing with the new alliance and quelling the internal strife, not to mention a ferocious tiger lurking just further north.

The most powerful country in the world, and the only empire.

The Salon Empire has been a sworn enemy of the Kingdom Association for many years.

It possesses a vast territory and comprehensive national strength that would make any kingdom tremble with fear.

A century ago, if the scales of the gods had tipped a little more, the Salon Empire might have even succeeded in conquering the entire continent through the "War of Destruction".

However, it was precisely because of this war that both the Empire and many kingdoms neglected the Shadow World, causing it to continuously suffer severe natural disasters.

Furthermore, the disruption caused by the Resurrection Church triggered the collapse of a ninth-tier Shadow World.

Coincidentally, the natural disaster caused by this ninth-tier Shadow World fell entirely within the empire's borders, nearly destroying four provinces and causing the loss of one-third of the empire's population.

The Salon Empire, which had been advancing triumphantly, suffered a severe blow, and its offensive was seriously hampered.

This gave the kingdoms a chance to regroup and form alliances.

Ultimately, a formidable organization— the Kingdom Association— was formed to resist the Salon Empire.

It can be said that the unity of the Kingdom Association largely depends on the existence of the Empire.

It wasn't until a little over a decade ago, when a new emperor ascended the throne, that relations between the two sides gradually improved.

The two sides gradually shifted their conflict to the Resurrection Church.

The Resurrection Church can be described as a centipede that dies but does not fall; it has experienced several periods of rise and fall in its nearly 100-year history, but has never been destroyed.

Even now, with both the Kingdom Association and the Salon Empire targeting the Resurrection Church, they are unable to eradicate it completely.

The Card Maker Association and the Sun God Church are considered neutral forces.

It is not hostile to either the Kingdom Association or the Salon Empire, and in fact cooperates with both.

Certainly.

All forces are hostile to the Resurrection Church.

After the resistance from the Northern Nations to Dekan decreased.

Although his Card Crafter agreement is still blocked by top-tier Card Crafter from the Empire, the obstacles are no longer as troublesome as before.

After all, Dekan's top-tier review process still has quite a few supporters.

In addition, there's Dekan's achievement of defeating the bishop twice.

Dekan's current status goes beyond simply being Quasi-Special Grade Card Crafter.

The balance that had been there, which had been just barely in place, has now been broken.

The review process will proceed smoothly.

"Meow... But you won't let the Emperor of the Empire go, will you...?"

Cat Teacher moved closer to Dekan and asked.

After all, Dekan had wreaked havoc on the Kingdom Association's northern defenses. Since the Norton Kingdom was also a member of the Kingdom Association, Dekan would likely target the Empire as well, as a way to maintain balance.

Furthermore, it knew that Dekan was always vengeful and would eliminate Dekan enemy who could be killed from a moral high ground as soon as possible, giving them no time to develop or gather intelligence.

Therefore, the emperor of the empire was destined for a calamity.

Of course, Dekan probably didn't initially expect the chaos in the Northern Nations to produce this effect.

The consequences of this Gospel are too difficult to predict.

"No, we can't curse the emperor of the empire next."

Dekan pondered.

He had originally planned to curse the emperor of the empire next.

Although the emperor of the empire is quite special, his combat prowess is extremely terrifying, and it would not be an exaggeration to say that he is the strongest in the empire.

The curse from the [Dekan Gospel] alone could not possibly have killed the emperor.

At most, you can only break the emperor's mentality through patience.

But here's the problem.

Even Mie said yesterday that he felt Dekan was quite suspicious.

Unless there is an absolute alibi, Dekan could easily be linked to this incident.

So if the next step is to curse the emperor of the empire, that would be another person with a clear grudge against Dekan.

Even if Dekan had the perfect alibi.

By cursing his enemies one by one, he perfectly satisfied his own interests.

Furthermore, the method he used was one that Dekan was most skilled at: curses.

It's hard for others not to start to suspect him!

Some might even begin to speculate whether Dekan possesses some kind of magical, long-range attack capability.

Therefore, Dekan felt he needed to change his approach to completely clear himself of suspicion.

The most crucial point is that you should no longer curse those whose motives align with your own interests!

First, we need to completely clear ourselves of any suspicion!

Therefore, there is only one answer.

Dekan decided that he would first symbolically curse each of the Royal Capital of the Kingdom Association countries with the least amount of curse power every day.

This will confuse the public!

After cursing all the kings, Dekan temporarily refrained from cursing the emperor.

You need to pretend to be quiet for a while.

And ideally, this could be used to frame the Empire, leading others to speculate that "this mysterious sorcerer wants to help the Empire."

Of course, Dekan wouldn't waste the opportunity to cast a daily spell.

He just happened to have an enemy he needed to deal with.

Even if you curse him, it probably won't be known to the whole world.

That person is— the Bishop of Falsehood Carlos!

Dekan made up his mind: after cursing all the kings, he would first go and capture Carlos.

During this time, he sent his slave Isabel to investigate and also asked Alice to help him confirm the true name of the Bishop of Falsehood.

By using connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles, they finally determined the true name of the Bishop of Falsehood.

Although Dekan also didn't expect to be able to curse Carlos was at the eighth rank.

But if they curse him for a year or two, it should break Carlos's mentality!

By eliminating half of the Resurrection Church's second-in-command and strategist, it will be much easier to completely destroy the Resurrection Church later.

So, what happened next?

Dekan decisively launched the nationwide curse plan.

Each day, randomly select one or two kings to cast a spell on.

They're all standard curses.

Just a little something.

Three weeks passed in the blink of an eye.

"The first day of cursing Carlos. For the next year, I will write his name here every day, silently sending him my blessings, while he remains unaware that on the other side of the world, there is someone who cares so much about him."

After cursing Carlos, Dekan had nothing better to do, so he casually wrote something in the [Dekan Gospel].

He felt that his daily incantation had gradually become an inseparable part of his life.

So I've decided to keep a daily record from now on.

A curse must be performed with a sense of ritual.

"Are you fucking bored...?"

After seeing that Dekan added a casual comment after cursing, Cat Teacher felt a little reluctant to continue documenting this person's life.

It is very worried about Tata.

She's such a nice young girl. Even though making those cards is pretty Underworld, at least she still has a human heart.

If I spend too much time with Dekan, I'm afraid he'll soon lose all his goodwill.

"This semester is almost over, I really hope I can play Shadow World one last time before it ends."

Dekan glanced at the calendar on the wall.

June 22nd.

Final exams are approaching.

He has fewer classes this semester, so he basically has nothing to review.

However, Cornelia missed about half a semester's worth of classes, and there was another problem student who missed the entire semester.

Dekan has now transformed into a tutor.

The intense tutoring and remedial classes, just like the end-of-term classes last semester, have started again.

"Sigh, Tata is so smart. She understands things perfectly after just a few words of explanation. Flora is such a pain..."

Dekan picked up two books, grabbed his water glass, shook his head helplessly, and prepared to go to the library to find Cornelia.

Just as he opened the dormitory door, he saw Alice standing outside.

She seemed to be about to knock on the door.

"Huh? Mie isn't here?"

Dekan looked around the corridor but couldn't find Mie.

Logically speaking, when Alice visited him before, she was usually with Mie.

Alice shook her head:

"Mie went to take the exam."

"So Alice, you wanted to see me? Come in."

Dekan returned to the living room and put the book he was carrying back on the coffee table.

Then he sat down on the sofa opposite Alice.

"Dekan, are you aware of the upcoming Kingdom Association Hero Festival?"

Alice asked.

"Yes, I'm also planning to go on a trip."

Dekan nodded.

He had already made a promise with Cornelia that they would go to the Southern Kingdom during the summer vacation after finishing their first year to participate in the [Hero Festival], which was held every five years.

Even though his top-level review is still being processed.

However, as the hero who defeated the two bishops, he has already received an invitation from the Kingdom Association.

He and Croix will attend the event as special guests.

In addition, girl groups under the Happy Group were also invited.

Already quite well-known in the Central Nations, they will have the opportunity to perform as guests at the opening ceremony.

Dekan also wrote a brand new single for them.

Their progress can be described as rapid. Ice Princess Judith possessed exceptional comprehension and physical abilities, found learning singing and dancing to be a piece of cake, while Flora was a born idol.

Of the three, only Ice Princess is slightly worrying.

During the performance, compared to the other two, Ice Princess was occasionally a little reserved and unnatural.

If we can seize this opportunity and make the performance a success, we may become a household name throughout the kingdoms of the Kingdom Association.

It might even become a huge hit in the empire, completing a cultural invasion!

This is to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Kingdom Association and the Empire.

This year's Hero Festival also specially invited guests from the Empire and participants.

"This time, I will represent the Norton Kingdom's delegation at the Hero Festival..."

Alice hesitated, as if she wanted to Dekan a favor.

"That's perfect, it's guard duty, right?"

Dekan very generously agreed.

Anyway, Mie agreed to go with them.

Mie would definitely enjoy being with Alice.

Alice quickly waved her hand and said:

"No, no, I want to ask you to represent our Norton Kingdom in the competition and win the championship."

"Ah, no..."

Dekan decisively refused.

He doesn't like playing competitions.

He went there for tourism.

Moreover, with so many talented young people in the Norton Kingdom, there's no need to send him into battle.

The Hero Festival does not restrict rank, but it does restrict age.

Participants must be under 30 years old.

Therefore, both Ice Princess and Judith regretfully could not participate.

The strongest eighth-tier expert in the Norton Kingdom — the Grand Sage of Kulan Territory— was unable to participate.

However, it is still possible to find seventh-tier powerhouses under the age of thirty.

Dekan still prefers to sit in the audience, the guest seats, or the commentary booth and give his opinions.

"Sigh, I won't force you, but my father asked me to ask for your opinion."

Alice sighed, but quickly smiled with relief.

"Your Majesty?"

Dekan asked, puzzled.

He thought Alice wanted him to win the championship so he could go on stage and show off as the representative of the Norton Kingdom.

Alice nodded:

Yes, actually, he wants to ask you for help.

Upon hearing this, Dekan sat up straighter, his expression becoming more serious, and asked:

"The King asked me for help, so it seems there's something special about this Hero Festival?"

The king treated him very well, even favorably, so Dekan was always willing to help the king in any way he could.

Alice stood up, walked to the door connecting the living room to the balcony, and drew the curtains.

Then he walked to the door of Dekan's dormitory, opened it, looked around, and made sure no one was around.

So he went back to sit on the sofa.

"What are you doing, sneaking around like that...?"

Dekan commented on Alice's behavior.

Alice, however, was not at all as casual as usual. Instead, she asked in a serious voice:

Have you heard of the 'Lord of Calamity' and the 'Calamity Cult'?

Dekan was taken aback.

He had never heard of it.

Judging from his name, he must be an important person.

And what about the Calamity Cult —is that some kind of secret society?

Dekan asks questions when he doesn't understand:

Is he some figure from ancient legends?

Alice shook her head and replied:

"He is a big figure who has recently risen to fame. The Kingdom Association even convened an emergency high-level meeting for him and his fanatical followers."

"Oh, so I'm the one who needs to deal with him?"

Although Dekan didn't know the connection between "Lord of Calamity" and the Hero Festival.

However, it seems that winning the Hero Festival championship will inevitably allow one to target the "Lord of Calamity".

"Yes, I'm afraid that nowadays, only Pain... the top- Card Crafter Dekan can compare to him."

Alice stumbled over her words halfway through, then quickly corrected herself and finished speaking.

Dekan was furious when he heard that.

His reputation was hard-earned, built step by step.

How did this jerk manage to catch up with me so quickly?

It's like having to work hard for thirty years only to lose out to someone else who wins the lottery.

And.

Even if they're going to parachute in a new boss, this isn't how they do it!

Before he could even finish dealing with the Resurrection Church, a new group of forces inexplicably appeared.

Even if you can't continue writing an invincible protagonist story, this isn't the way to do it, is it?

"Explain the situation in detail. In any case, if these guys pose a threat to the Norton Kingdom, I will not stand idly by."

Dekan has now changed his mind.

He still has no plans to participate.

However, he will target this "Calamity Cult" and the so-called "Lord of Calamity" from behind the scenes.

"The prize for this year's Hero Festival champion is a divination opportunity. The Astrologer will use her ninth-tier epic Spell Card to perform a divination for the champion, answering the champion's questions. We hope that after you win, the Astrologer can divine information about the Lord of Calamity."

Alice explained.

Dekan crossed his arms and nodded.

He already has a general understanding.

It seems that this Lord of Calamity and his Calamity Cult are very troublesome.

Even in the intelligence war, the Kingdom Association was at a disadvantage.

The Astrologer's trump card has an extremely long cooldown period, measured in years.

Because divination opportunities are rare, they are usually used for major events.

The Kingdom Association has likely already requested the Astrologer' help in dealing with the Calamity Cult.

But clearly, the fortune teller refused.

The decision to award the champion of this year's Hero Festival as a divination opportunity was made by the Astrologer himself.

She must have already figured something out.

Therefore, the only way to get the Astrologer to divination the Lord of Calamity is to win the Hero Festival.

If things go as expected, the Calamity Cult will very likely infiltrate the Hero Festival and impersonate others to participate!

The Empire's competitors also had to be wary.

Therefore, the Kingdom Association naturally hopes to have the most reliable players participate, so as to secure the championship.

In the Norton Kingdom, the most reassuring person is undoubtedly Dekan.

"I understand, Alice. Although I won't be participating, don't worry, I'll find a way to deal with the Calamity Cult at the Hero Festival."

Whether they are the Calamity Cult or the Lord of Calamity, as an international counter-terrorism expert, Dekan will not tolerate their existence.

He wouldn't allow anyone to be darker or more sinister than him.

Dekan thought for a moment and then asked:

"So, what exactly did this guy do?"

Upon hearing this, Alice glanced around again. Perhaps because she was in the same space as Dekan, she felt that Dekan had the power to ward off evil spirits, and she felt a little more at ease.

She swallowed hard and said:

"This all started a few months ago with the death of King Ashuston. At the time, everyone thought it was just a long-planned scheme culminating in a fire. Then, Laxas VI also met a tragic end. Amidst the general panic, he suddenly cursed all the Royal Capital, as if declaring war on the Kingdom Association, foreshadowing a great calamity... And now, some fanatical followers of the Lord of Calamity have formed an organization called the Calamity Cult, and it's gradually spiraling out of control..."

"Ah..."

Dekan was stunned.

The Cat Teacher next to him also gaped, just like Dekan.

They exchanged a glance, and both broke out in a cold sweat.

Dekan felt there was a slight sense of déjà vu about the story Alice was telling.

This "Lord of Calamity"...

Could it be him?!