The Ruler Of Darkness - Chapter 560



Only Noblemtl

Episode 560

Part 9 Last Night

The day has dawned in the imperial capital.

The early autumn sky looked even clearer and higher thanks to the heavy rain that had fallen all night.

but.

Among the powerful people of the zodiac, there were not many who could enjoy that clear sky.

* * *

The commercial street of the zodiac.

As the capital of the Central Plains, Hwangdo.

There was a huge demand for luxury goods, so normally everyone would be busy from the morning to start their day’s business.

“Hey, did you hear that?”

But today.

There was no sound of angry urging from the foreman urging the workers, nor was there any sound of nervous voice from the person in charge of training the employees.

“Among those present, no, among those living in the Zodiac, is there anyone who doesn’t know what happened last night?”

The shop owners had long since given up on doing business today.

Even without looking out onto the street where it was difficult to find a pedestrian, the fact that the countless lines of servants that usually lined up from the morning to make an appointment for their master’s visit were nowhere to be seen was reason enough.

“Tsk. I don’t see a single ant on the road.”

When the owner of the jewelry store clicked his tongue, the owner of the tea house next door scolded him.

“Then why don’t you go out like you usually do, leading your servants in a line and sitting in that splendid palanquin you love?”

This is also normal.

A situation where the voice was loud enough to be heard.

“…gibberish.”

but.

Now, even the proud owner of the jewelry store didn’t even think of raising his voice.

“My whole life.”

He said with his teeth chattering.

“I’ve never been so frightened as I was last night. It was amazing to me that I could be so scared.”

The other shop owners sitting around nodded their heads.

“… I agree.”

“… I couldn’t even close my eyes for a moment.”

Daru’s master shrugged.

“If this is how we, mere merchants, are, what about those in power?”

He said, still looking out the window where there was not a single person in sight.

“… Everyone will be so scared they could die.”

A heavy silence fell over the room.

Normally, someone would throw in a joke to lighten the mood, but in the current situation, there was no way a joke would come to mind.

Still they.

“… … .”

“… … .”

I couldn’t get over last night.

* * *

“… There are sixteen families, none other than the Sixteen Families of the Imperial Capital.”

The atmosphere in the palace became even more subdued.

From early in the morning, low-level officials who had arrived at the palace gathered together and were talking in low voices, swallowing dry saliva repeatedly.

“They say the head of the Bokyang family still hasn’t found the body.”

“… Are you sure he is dead?”

“I heard that those who appear to be people from Bokyangga have been searching all over the place as soon as dawn breaks.”

“Missing… , is that right?”

“Amcheon… , ‘it’ has appeared, and disappearance means it is essentially the same as being dead.”

“… I see.”

None other than the head of the sixteen families of the Zodiac has gone missing from the Zodiac.

That too.

By a bizarre being that was thought to exist only in the people’s fantasies.

“… … .”

“… … .”

While they were like that, holding their breath.

Bam.

“… … !”

“… … !”

As the door opened, the gathered lower-ranking officials jumped up from their seats in surprise.

“No, in this chaotic situation. I don’t know why they’re making such a fuss about going to the palace so early in the morning… .”

A junior bureaucrat who had opened the door and come in looked at them with puzzled eyes.

“Did I do something wrong…?”

“… No. You came.”

Those who had woken up in surprise sighed in relief one by one and sat back down in their seats.

Even if they are mere low-level officials, they are powerful people working in the palace.

No matter what.

They can never be free from what happened last night.

“More than that.”

A man who arrived late approached his colleagues, sat down, and spoke.

“Have you all heard the story about the heads of the sixteen families?”

The colleagues who had been sitting first shrugged their shoulders.

“We already talked about that.”

“They say that the head of the Bokyang family has gone missing and the family is looking for him.”

The one who entered the palace late waved his hand.

“No, no.”

He looked around and spoke in a lowered voice.

“… The rumor I’m talking about isn’t from the Bokyang family.”

“then…?”

“This is the head of the Akga family.”

Everyone’s eyes were focused on him.

“If you are the head of the evil family, then unlike the head of the Bokyang family, I haven’t heard any rumors about you.”

“It wasn’t just us, everyone thought it was strange.”

“So, I thought he didn’t change.”

“Do you know something?”

Everyone chimed in with a word about the news.

“Stop, stop.”

The one who arrived late cut off their conversation by waving his hand.

“Before the high-ranking nobles enter the palace, everyone should be quiet and gather close together.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

As soon as they closed their mouths and gathered their faces together, he opened his mouth.

“This is a story I heard from my brother-in-law who works for the Wan family.”

“If it’s the Wan family, isn’t it a family that is favored by the evil family?”

“That’s right. That’s why the Wan family was on high alert last night, and everyone from the head of the household to the rest of the family stayed up all night. But even though it was already dawn, the sun rose strangely late today. At that time…”

Gulp.

I heard someone swallowing dry saliva.

“It is said that one of the warriors guarding the entrance rushed in with a bloodless face and reported this to the head of the Wan family.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Everyone pricked up their ears and focused on his story.

“‘The evil lord has arrived outside!’ he said.

He lowered his voice even further.

“They say that the head of the Wan family tightly closed his eyes with an expression that said, ‘It’s come to this.’ However, since they were a family that had always been favored by the evil family, they decided to repay them at this time.”

He took a sip of his cold tea, as if his throat was burning, and continued his story.

“But. The warrior I reported said something strange. Didn’t he say something like, ‘My lord! Before you make that decision, you should look outside the gate yourself!’?”

“so?”

“So what happened?”

He continued his story, gesturing to his impatient junior officials.

“Normally, the head of the Wan family would have shouted, ‘Why are you trying to interfere in the head of the household?’ But yesterday was different. The warrior who came to report fainted after saying those words.”

“You fainted…?!”

“A warrior with internal energy…?!”

“So, the Wan family finished arming themselves and led their guards to the main gate. However, none of the family’s warriors who were supposed to guard the gate were visible.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Everyone held their breath.

“The Wan family head pushed away the terrified guards and opened the door himself. Outside, the voice of the evil family head was heard, ‘The Wan family, open the door immediately…!’ However, when he opened the door with a squeak, there was… .”

He looked around at his colleagues who were swallowing their saliva repeatedly and spoke in a whisper with an even lower voice.

“The head of the evil family, with only the upper half of his body remaining, was knocking on the front door.”

“… … !”

“… … !”

It was at this point that someone shouted, ‘Bullshit!’

Isn’t this just a ghost story?

But, because they had personally experienced that bizarre night last night.

No one could dismiss it as nonsense.

“They say it was so gruesome that it was hard to look at with open eyes.”

He described the scene.

“The evil family head’s lower part was tattered as if it had been eaten by something. His intestines were flowing out from his stomach and were hanging out, making a mess of the street. In addition, both of his hands had already been torn off. With only his wrists remaining, he was knocking on the gate of the Wan family.”

“… … !”

“… … !”

Creepy.

The color drained from the faces of the lower-ranking officials in the audience.

But his story didn’t end there.

“When the head of the Wan family opened the front door, his eyes met with those of the Ak family. The Ak family greeted him and said, ‘Oh, you came out yourself…!’”

“He, he said that so calmly in that state…?”

“It’s a crazy situation. But there’s more to it than that.”

He shook his head and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.

“Well. The two eyes of the evil head looking at the Wan family head, where the two eyes should be. Weren’t they completely empty? The Wan family head let out a scream of ‘Euaaaaaaah…!’ and fell backwards, and his guards frantically dragged him backwards.”

He pretended to grab something in the air.

“The evil family leader wrapped his arms around the legs of the Wan family leader and wouldn’t let go. He was said to have shouted, ‘Help me! Help me! No matter how much I run, I can’t get to my parents’ house!’”

“…No matter how much I run?”

“You didn’t get to your hometown?”

He shook his head at his colleagues’ questions, which asked in bewilderment.

“The main house must refer to the main house of the evil family, but I didn’t understand what he meant when he said he couldn’t get there no matter how hard he ran.”

“From what I heard….”

A junior bureaucrat frowned and said, swallowing dry saliva.

“I heard that the evil men were walking around in groups all over the place last night.”

Others chimed in.

“I even heard rumors that the army near the capital had moved. I don’t know if it’s true or not… .”

“But. You haven’t found one of your own wandering around like that?”

“Even, I couldn’t go back myself…?”

“Listen.”

He raised his hand as he was telling the story, stopping his colleagues’ speculations.

“As I said, I couldn’t understand that part either. But when I heard the next words from my brother-in-law who was there, everything made sense.”

“Th-what is that?”

“no way…?!”

“That’s right.”

If someone were to ask, he would answer right away without hesitation.

“They say they heard a voice in their ears.”

A voice as if boiling water was overflowing.

A chill down your spine, a chilling chill, and a terrible smell of sulfur.

“Ah, the dark sky…!”

A fellow junior official who was about to shout the name quickly covered his own mouth.

“That’s right. That’s what ‘it’ said.”

Thud.

The low-ranking official nodded while sweating profusely and relayed the words of the Venerable Amcheon.

“‘Are you a friend of the evil master? Will you let him in to help him?’”

Before anyone around him could react as if to what he was talking about, he continued with the words of the Venerable Amcheon.

“‘If you do that, I will go in too.’”

“… … !”

“… … !”

Everyone’s faces hardened.

The Dark Heavenly Lord wants to enter the house.

“Of course, the head of the Wan family shouted, ‘No! Absolutely not!’ and then the head of the evil family who was hanging on went into a fit of frenzy. ‘Are you abandoning me like that too?’”

Brrrr, everyone shivered.

I felt chills as if it were the middle of winter.

“Even when the evil head bit the foot of the Wan family head and refused to let go, the Wan family’s warriors desperately struck it off with their swords. I heard that the bite was so strong that the Wan family head ended up having to have one of his legs amputated.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

Blood spurting everywhere.

The scream of the Wan family.

The roar of the evil family.

A desperate struggle.

Everything came to mind so vividly that it felt like I had seen it in person, making the listeners take their breath away.

“‘I will curse you! I will curse you forever!’ The evil head of the household shouted as he dragged his entrails and disappeared down the street, followed by the laughter of ‘that thing.’ Even as blood poured out of his legs, the Wan family felt all their strength drain from him in relief. But then.”

In the ears of the Wan family.

Its voice resonated.

“’You’re next.’”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The story was over, but no one opened their mouths.

The morning sunlight streamed in through the window, but no one felt its warmth.

at that time.

Bam!

This time too, everyone was so surprised that they jumped up from their seats.

There were also those who fell backwards, along with the chair.

“What are you guys doing?!”

They breathed a sigh of relief at the words of the superior official who was looking at them and scolding them.

“When I told you all to come home early, did you think I meant for you to come out early and have some tea?!”

“Oh my, that can’t be.”

The lower-ranking official who had relayed the story to his colleagues said with a forced smile.

“But, what is so important that you have called us in so early?”

The senior official pointed out the window, and everyone turned their heads in that direction.

“… … !”

“… … !”

Before I knew it, outside the window.

People who appeared to be from the Imperial Family were standing in line.

While they were talking, a long line of people formed waiting for work to start.

“no…?”

“Why are there so many people…?”

At first glance, it seemed like there were dozens of them, coming from over a dozen families.

“These are the people who came from each family to receive a report that their head of the family can no longer enter the palace.”

“yes…?”

As the lower-level officials looked at him with incomprehension, the higher-level official spoke in a soft voice.

“Don’t you know?”

His tone was very heavy.

“All of them. They are the people from the family that suffered a misfortune last night and lost their head.”

“… … !”

“… … !”

As they looked outside in shock, the senior official shook his head.

“Everyone was so scared that they couldn’t even hold a funeral. They couldn’t even make a sound in the house.”

The senior official said, wiping his forehead.

“Still. We don’t even have a proper grasp of how many people died violently last night.”

“… … .”

“… … .”

The lower-level officials realized.

The story of the Wan family that they had heard.

However, it wasn’t just the story of the Wan family.

“It doesn’t matter what you thought about last night.”

The senior official said.

“The ramifications of this situation will be far greater than any of us can imagine.”