I Became a Level -99 Vicious Lord

At the same time…

Around the time Otto heard the news of Adonis's death in his hometown and decided to eliminate the key figure, Aquinas in the process.

Rowena was conducting trials for the captured soldiers of the Kingdom of Erzsebet from the previous battle.

The Imperial Arad forces, led by Rowena, had invaded the territory of the Erzsebet Kingdom when Otto lured Bathory down the Uruk Plains.

In truth, Rowena's military activity couldn't be considered a full-scale war.

Although large forces were mobilized, no significant battles had taken place.

In reality, the conflict was more akin to a military provocation, with a small force infiltrating and destabilizing the rear rather than engaging in full-scale battles.

However, even in that military provocation, the Arad Empire's forces emerged victorious, killing a considerable number of Erzsebet Kingdom soldiers and capturing several dozen prisoners.

Today was the trial for the prisoners captured during that time, and Rowena, as the supreme commander of the Arad Empire's forces, personally delivered the verdicts.

Rowena opened her mouth, looking down at the captured soldiers of the Kingdom of Erzsebet with a cold expression.

“I hereby render the judgment upon the suspects, sentencing them to death, and the manner of execution shall be…”

Just before delivering her verdict, a chilling aura flickered in Rowena's eyes.

"Sentences the prisoners to dismemberment, Lingchi,¹ and boiling to death."

*Bam!* *Bam!* *Bam!*

Rowena brought the gavel down three times, sentencing them to death.

“N… No!"

"What do you mean by that?"

"Isn't it bad enough that you're going to kill us?!"

"Please… have mercy on us… I beg you…"

The condemned prisoners, soldiers of the Kingdom of Erzsebet who had been captured, could not accept Rowena's verdict.

The quartering execution involved tying a person's arms, legs, and head to oxen or horses, tearing them apart as a form of death.

The lingchi execution is a form of punishment where the person is killed by being slowly and methodically torn apart.

And the boiling execution involves killing a person by boiling them alive or frying them in oil.

No matter how many Arad Empire soldiers the captured Erzsebet Kingdom troops had killed, the punishment was too harsh.

In war, killing the enemy is often considered an unavoidable act, and typically, prisoners are exchanged or released for ransom.

Furthermore, even when executing prisoners, the customary practice was to choose more humane methods, like beheading or hanging, to allow them a relatively peaceful death.

Yet, to sentence ordinary soldiers, who were neither high-ranking officers of the Erzsebet Kingdom nor war criminals, to such brutal executions was unprecedented.

“Y-Your Majesty.”

“I fear that is simply excessive.”

It was so extreme that even Rowena's close aides cautiously tried to dissuade her.

But Rowena was unyielding.

“How dare you question my judgment?”

Rowena's eyes glowed with venom.

"They are the ones who killed the soldiers of the Great Empire, Arad. We can't just let scum like them go. We must show them what happens to those who dare to oppose the Great Empire of Arad."

Rowena intended to use the condemned prisoners as a lesson to instill fear in the enemies of the Arad Empire.

To break the morale of the enemies.

"Execute the sentence in a place where the soldiers of the Erzsebet Kingdom can see it clearly. Let their screams and agony be heard well. Do you understand?"

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

Ultimately, Rowena did not reverse her ruling regarding the dreadful punishment.

The following day.

The punishment was carried out within the territory of the Arad Empire, closest to the fortress of the Erzsebet Kingdom.

It was a border area where the armies of the Erzsebet Kingdom and the Arad Empire were stationed, with both sides positioned just 1.5 kilometers apart.

And there, the screams of the condemned echoed through the air.

“Aaaaahhhhhhh!”

“Aaaarrggghhhh! Aaaarrghhhhhh! Aaaaahhhhhhh!”

It was a truly horrific and desperate cry that resonated, making the pain of those undergoing the punishment feel almost tangible.

“T-That!"

“Ughhhhhhh!”

"Oh my god… Stop… Stop it… Stop…!"

The soldiers of the Erzsebet Kingdom trembled as they watched the scene unfold.

Seeing allies suffer from dismemberment, Lingchi, and boiling to death was so horrifying that they were completely devastated.

Even the soldiers of the Arad Empire, who were executing the punishment, couldn't bear to watch the scene with their eyes open.

Just one individual.

*Heh*

Only Rowena smiled and reveled in the sight.

The Kingdom of Erzsebet had long been an enemy of the Arad Empire, as well as Rowena's adversary.

Because Rowena’s rear was uneasy, the powerful country called the Erzsebet Kingdom was inevitably an obstacle, making it difficult for Rowena to comfortably start a rebellion.

‘I will form an alliance with my cute younger brother. After conquering the Kingdom of Erzsebet, we will join forces to overthrow that fool from the throne.'

With that thought, Rowena sank back into her chair.

Sipping her wine, she leisurely observed the proceedings.

Taking satisfaction in the horrible punishments inflicted on the prisoners.

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Leaving Adonis's hometown, Otto conducted aerial reconnaissance on board Khamak, determined to find Aquinas's location.

Why?

Aquinas wouldn't have only sent recruiters.

Otto knew that Aquinas and the recruiters always moved together, and no matter how far apart they were, it wouldn't be more than 10 kilometers.

‘The recruiters must have sent the death soldiers to where Aquinas was hiding.'

There was no way to openly bring the death soldiers to the capital of the Kingdom of Erzsebet.

Thus, Aquinas established a place known as the "Corrupted Training Ground," where he trained the undead soldiers, upgrading them to become even more powerful.

The problem was that the location of the Corrupted Training Ground was also hidden from the players, so even Otto didn't know where it was.

Although Otto had played the game as Bathory several times, he didn't know the exact location of the Corrupted Training Ground.

In the first place, the game didn't provide a detailed description of the training ground's location; it simply indicated that it was somewhere to the west of the Kingdom of Erzsebet.

‘Where could he be hiding?'

Otto used his clairvoyance skill to continue scouting the area, keeping an eye on the movements of the recruiters and death soldiers.

Over time, his clairvoyance skill had become so powerful that it could be used almost like a magnifying glass.

In other words, Otto was a high-performance reconnaissance plane when riding in Khamak.

After flying for several hours and observing the ground, Otto finally gathered a clue about Aquinas's current location.

In the distance, he spotted a lone recruiter leading dozens of dead soldiers toward somewhere.

The result.

“Ah.”

Otto then realized the location of the Corrupted Training Ground and nodded as if to say he had expected this.

The place the recruiter and soldiers were headed to was a memorial site honoring the soldiers of the Arad Empire who had fallen in the region.

Once part of the Arad Empire's territory long ago, it had now become a neglected area within the Kingdom of Erzsebet.

‘It's underground.'

Otto confirmed that the recruiters and soldiers had gone into the abandoned ruins, and concluded that the decaying training center was hidden deep underground, not on the surface.

It would be impossible for so many undead monsters to completely conceal their presence without being underground, so Otto had somewhat anticipated this conclusion.

“What should we do now?”

Camille asked.

“Hmm.”

Otto pondered for a moment.

‘Going in there would be like committing suicide.'

The temptation to just drop a bunch of magic stone bombs and blow it to smithereens was tempting and certainly possible.

However, dropping bombs from the outside was unlikely to damage the underground facilities.

Even if the space collapsed, the other undead monsters would be destroyed, but Aquinas wouldn't be crushed to death.

He didn't need air to survive and could simply crawl back out after being trapped.

‘If we're going to blow it up, we should blow it up from the inside.'

Otto concluded.

‘The most certain way is to personally take Aquinas's head.'

Then…

"If you want to catch a tiger, you have to sneak into its den."

"Are you saying you want to go in there? That's too dangerous."

"I know."

Otto nodded in agreement.

"But when it needs to be done, it has to be done."

“But….”

‘It's a perfect opportunity to completely cut off the enemy's advanced troop production. Bathory alone can't create that many undead.'

"Understood."

“I'll wait here for now and request support from the capital, we're going to need a lot of bombs.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

In the end, Otto decided to enter the Corrupted Training Ground, the lair of the undead.

Although it was dangerous, the potential benefits of a successful operation made it worth the risk.

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Meanwhile, Quran's dementia was getting worse by the day.

There was hardly an hour in a day when the old dragon was fully conscious, and his condition continued to deteriorate.

To make matters worse, he was also suffering from senility and was often bedridden.

Olive diligently cared for Quran in Otto's absence.

“It's truly sad that I, a dragon… am so weak..”

"Oh, dear. Not this again. Let's talk about being a dragon later. You need to eat. Here, say ‘ah'."

Olive didn't believe that Quran was a dragon.

She was somewhat stubborn and wouldn't believe such absurd and fantastical stories until she saw it with her own eyes.

After the meal was finished.

"If I had known it would turn out like this, I would have borne at least one offspring…."

"Did you not have any offspring, elder?"

"There was a time long ago when I almost did. But it didn't happen."

Quran replied in a sorrowful voice.

"We dragons faced a great disaster, leaving us no time for that. It's a sad story, indeed."

“A great disaster?”

In truth, Olive didn’t think Quran was in a sound state, yet she indulged his words.

"Long ago, there was an incident where civilizations from another dimension tried to invade our world."

"Is that so?"

"We dragons opened a storm of time and space to protect this world, drawing those civilizations from another dimension into it to battle. We did this to fulfill our duties and responsibilities bestowed upon us by the Creator."

"Oh my, I see that’s what happened."

Olive thought Quran wasn't in his right mind, so she tried to go along with his story as much as possible.

"As the time draws near, I find myself missing her…"

Quran's eyes glistened as he reminisced about his old love.

“When that war was over… we were supposed to return to this world, get married, and have children….”

"It must be very upsetting for you, elder."

"I deeply regret not being able to stay by her side during her last moments… I wanted to be there for her…."

As the end of his life approached, Quran often found himself reminiscing about the past whenever he was in his right mind.

When the dragons were still alive.

The time when he was not the last remaining dragon.

"Elder, please bear with it for a little while. His Majesty will soon treat your dementia."

Olive said with a gentle smile, wiping the gruel from the corner of Quran's mouth.

"The development of the cure has already been completed, and they plan to manufacture it as soon as the ingredients are imported."

"I… Is that really true?"

Quran's eyes widened in surprise upon hearing Olive's words.

The thought that he might be able to conclude his life with a clear mind, at least in those final moments, filled him with hope.

"Will my dementia really be cured?"

“Oh my.”

Olive had assumed Quran wasn't in his right mind, so she was honestly a bit surprised when he showed hope for a cure for his dementia.

‘Even if it's not dementia, is his mind strange? Or does he just inherently have a tendency to exaggerate?'

For Olive, who had never seen Quran's true appearance, it was merely puzzling.

"If only I could be in my right mind on the day I close my eyes… If such luck truly comes my way…."

"Surely you will be able to do so. If you just wait about a month…"

"Who are… you???"

"Wah. I’m a baby dragon. Wah."

Olive suddenly became tired and, covering her face with a hand as big as a cauldron's lid, felt miserable.

No matter how diligently she cared for him, whenever the conversation drifted aimlessly like this, Olive felt utterly drained, and the strain was no joke.

** ** **

TL/N:

1. Lingchi (능지) – usually translated "slow slicing" or "death by a thousand cuts", was a form of torture and execution used in China from around the 10th century until the early 20th century. It was also used in Vietnam and Korea. (Death by a thousand cuts is a mouthful) so Lingchi it is.

Corrupted Bathory – Extra Vid