My Uncle is the Strongest Dark Mage

Chapter 32

The first thing I felt upon entering the capital was, as always, how dazzling the city remained, unchanged from before.

Among the four countries on the continent, it was the most advanced in terms of civilization.

And among them, the capital Raymond was particularly the center of the most developed magical engineering.

A place where automated carriages, rarely seen even on the outskirts of the Elemental Kingdom, were used as public transportation for ordinary citizens and could be spotted frequently.

The city's lights never went out, even at night, and it was a world brimming with bustling vitality.

'I can see why Master decided to settle here.'

It was an environment that could be considered harsh or desolate, but it was undeniably a place of convenience and simplicity.

According to Cain, if you had money, you could live a life more comfortable and luxurious here than anywhere else on the continent.

And Cain, the absolute ruler of the underworld that encompassed the entire continent's shadows, was unofficially the richest person on the continent.

'I will gladly dedicate this body to ensure Master's happiness continues.'

Even though his days were already too busy to get proper sleep, he berated himself, thinking it still wasn't enough.

The man lightly shut his eyes, his face lined with deep wrinkles.

'But first, I suppose I need to conclude this negotiation properly.'

He opened his eyes.

Then, he rolled his pupils and looked around here and there.

The second impression he had upon arriving in the capital.

It was that the intelligence agency seemed to be operating excessively busily throughout the entire city.

By now, the king of this country was likely informed of his arrival.

Was his entry into the country the reason they were moving as though there was a national emergency?

If someone asked him that, he would shake his head firmly and reply no.

'It must be because of Master.'

Death King Heukcheon.

After the Grant Department Store terror incident, it was known even in the underworld that the intelligence agency had mobilized, suspecting the Death King to have resolved the incident.

However, since Master rarely left the house, there was little chance of his information or location being exposed to the intelligence agency, and thus no action had been taken.

After all, one needs to be active to gather even the smallest clues.

'As expected of Master.'

Others would find staying indoors all the time suffocating and would surely go outside at least once.

But Cain was living a life so distorted that he could eat well and live well even if he stayed home his entire life.

To the point where he seemed reminiscent of "Sloth," one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

Even in such pitiful behavior, the man revealed extreme respect, nodding solemnly.

'It seems I won't need to deal with this country's princess.'

However, the one issue was this country's princess, Maril Raymond.

With her memory, she could deduce, just like the Demon Lord, that Cain and Arina were at the Grant Department Store through a logical gap.

In fact, she had even figured out that Arina was indeed at the Grant Department Store.

If she had revealed that fact to the king or anyone else, what would have happened?

No matter how much Cain stayed indoors, it would have become extremely easy for the Demon Lord to track him down.

Therefore, even the underworld had been keeping a close watch, fearing that Cain's peace might be disturbed. Fortunately, this country's princess was wise.

More precisely, her actions—choosing not to tell anyone what she had discovered to avoid troubling her benefactor—saved her life.

If she had told someone, the man would have immediately kidnapped the princess, erased her memories, and placed a curse of misalignment so she would never meet Arina again, or, in the worst-case scenario, broken her mind entirely.

Of course, the result would have been King Raymond's fury and the Demon Lord actively searching for the perpetrator, but without evidence, no one could pinpoint him as the culprit.

For Master, he was willing to go to any extreme.

The dark district's greatest fanatic and loyalist of the Death King.

That was the man himself, Oman, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

"......."

Oman stared at the firmly closed castle gate.

He felt piercing hostility from all directions, as though they were on guard.

The meaning was clear—vigilance.

Oman smirked at the sight.

There was no royal guard.

Even on his way here, the only thing he rode was public transportation, like a bus.

Standing leisurely in front of the Elemental Kingdom's castle gate, right in the heart of what could be called enemy territory, he remained utterly composed.

Clatter.

And then, the castle gate, engraved by the Demon Lord himself and layered with numerous spells that even an eight-star superhuman could not easily break, swung wide open.

"I have been expecting you."

Beyond the gate, bowing to greet him, was Enoch Sevrancis, the Head Butler of the royal palace.

Moving with disciplined gestures, he tilted his body slightly and raised his arm to guide Oman into the royal palace.

"His Majesty the King is waiting for you."

"Meeting me so promptly."

The position of a king was not one you could meet simply because you wanted to.

Even envoys from other countries were usually made to wait, both to assert the king's authority and to allow the envoy to recover from their travel fatigue.

But King Raymond could not conceal his impatience and had requested this meeting immediately.

That was proof of how heavy the name of Oman—or rather, the Death King behind him—felt to him.

"Very well. Lead the way."

He stepped into the Elemental castle gate, walking as if it was only natural for someone coming to negotiate—or rather, to make a request—to carry himself with such confidence.

A stride befitting the name Oman, one of the Seven Deadly Sins.

* * *

The Seven Deadly Sins.

The dark district's executives who communicated directly with the Death King and served as his immediate subordinates.

Each of them possessed superhuman-level abilities, and the one currently standing in the Elemental Royal Palace was a being who, in terms of influence, reigned as the second-in-command of the dark district after the Death King.

"......."

The door to the Audience Chamber opened.

Sitting at the highest seat was this country's king, Alex Raymond Elemental.

Beside him was the Demon Lord Ern Benedict, and next to them were the ministers responsible for the nation's administration, all glaring sharply at the man entering the room.

They aimed to overawe him.

A process that naturally preceded any negotiation.

For an ordinary individual, the sight alone would make them falter without realizing it.

Step.

But Oman, just as when he first entered the castle gate, walked straight through with utmost composure and confidence.

He lifted his head fully and stared directly at King Raymond before him.

This was unmistakable insolence.

He stared straight at the king's face.

He did not kneel.

He did not even bow his head.

There was not a trace of respect for King Raymond.

Yes, he was 'arrogant.'

But this was only natural.

After all, he was Oman.

The only person in this world he would bow his head or kneel to was the Death King.

"It is a great honor to meet the great sun of the Elemental Kingdom, His Majesty King Raymond."

The only courtesy he extended to King Raymond was the use of honorifics.

It was enough to provoke anger, yet the ministers surrounding them all remained silent.

The intangible aura pressing down on their bodies.

From the moment Oman had entered the Audience Chamber, the atmosphere had been entirely dominated by his presence.

Even speaking a word was not allowed.

Even breathing felt overwhelming.

Every minute action required his permission.

Their minds went blank, as if they had fallen into a state of brain death, with all thoughts completely halted.

It was charisma taken to its extreme.

"Truly, as expected of someone from the dark district, you are ill-mannered."

In the frozen eternity where one second felt as slow as ten years, the only one granted freedom was not Oman but the Demon Lord Ern Benedict.

With just a simple snap of his fingers, the Demon Lord unraveled the mental restraints Oman had spread.

It was undoubtedly magic, yet not even a trace of the ritual's operation could be felt.

Truly the pinnacle of magic in this era.

Though it was merely a casual trick, it showcased the incredible skill befitting someone who had reached the Realm of the Absolute, like a Master.

"I apologize. As it’s a supernatural power, there are times when it’s hard for me to control it as I wish."

"How ridiculous. If it were a power you couldn’t control, the entire capital would’ve already been thrown into chaos on your way here."

He sure talks big for someone who came here by bus.

At that rebuttal, Oman merely shrugged his shoulders even more shamelessly.

"I suppose it’s because I’m nervous. With so many people glaring at me like this."

Weren’t you the one who started it first?

I’ve done nothing wrong except respond appropriately.

"Shameless."

"Thank you for the compliment."

Ern Benedict frowned.

He wouldn’t back down, not even for a single word.

Standing before the Absolute himself, he showed not a hint of intimidation.

He knew.

That his opponent couldn’t do anything to him.

If he were touched, a war with the Death King would break out immediately.

He was making full use of the weight carried by the name of the Death King standing behind him.

With the Death King supporting him, he could act more confidently than anyone else.

A belief as strong as faith that no one in this world could harm or oppose the Death King.

It was, without a doubt, the appearance of someone the Dark District would describe as a fanatic of the Death King, lacking nothing in that regard.

'I’ve been completely outmaneuvered.'

I had intended to establish dominance from the start, but instead, I was the one subdued.

Refusing to play on the opponent’s board and opting to destroy the board itself—an aggressive strategic move.

As expected, such a nature was perfectly suited to someone named Oman.

'This negotiation is going to be far trickier than I expected.'

Even though he was the one in a position to make a request, his attitude was like that.

He gave off the impression of someone with nothing to lose.

As a result, it became even harder to maintain the proper boundaries.

If I tried to take too much, he might just flip the table and walk away.

And if that happened, the situation would spiral into the worst possible outcome.

Even if the negotiations broke down, the Death King would never abandon his intentions.

He’d likely push forward forcefully, just as he did with the Great Nature Yggdrasil.

And if anyone tried to obstruct him, even slightly, like the Empress had, it would immediately lead to war.

A being who often remained a tyrant in peace and turned into an uncontrollable despot when pursuing his desires.

A leader who was the worst in terms of governance, yet with loyal followers so dedicated to him, he was a terrifying adversary like no other.

And Oman had a clear understanding of such circumstances and was using them to his benefit.

The positions had flipped in an instant, from subordinate to superior.

The actual conversation hadn’t even fully begun, but he was no ordinary individual.

'If there’s any consolation, it’s that the opponent seems to recognize this as a negotiation and is showing at least minimal respect.'

Even earlier, when he unleashed his supernatural power, he ensured that its effects didn’t extend to the King.

A level of precision in control that was uncharacteristic of a Supernatural Power User, who typically lacked such finesse compared to other Ability Users.

And that also meant the opponent had no desire to break this negotiation either.

"Enough, both of you!"

The one who interrupted the fierce clash of auras, like flames crackling in midair, was King Raymond, who had been silently seated until now.

"Duke Benedict. Stop this at once."

"My apologies, Your Majesty."

"And Oman. If you’ve come here seeking negotiation rather than war, change your attitude."

"If I have caused discomfort, I apologize."

And there was yet another piece of evidence that he didn’t want to break the negotiation.

When the King intervened to maintain his authority and stop their confrontation.

If Oman had truly come for negotiation, there was no reason for him to play along with such an obvious display.

The use of honorifics and the bare minimum of consideration toward King Raymond.

"Well then, since neither of us has much time, let’s quickly begin the negotiation."

Yet, as if determined not to relinquish control until the very end, he took the lead in the situation, even before King Raymond could.

It wasn’t just Ern who noticed this, as King Raymond let out a small sigh.

And so, under Oman’s bold smirk, the negotiation between the Kingdom of Raymond and the Dark District began.