Crimson Eternal - Book 6 - Chapter 42 (Patreon)

For those of you who are reading this on a website that is not Patreon, please stop. You're reading a pirated version. Instead, if you would be so kind, please click on the table of contents link below and go to my Patreon instead. Or even read it off of Royal Road, which is free.

Discord Invite

Table of Contents

Click the following link for the 1407 word chapter 42:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1n4e7PgCWBQkPELpcd99nC5L2lXeOXM7v3xYiaULW9ug/edit?usp=sharing

Or you can read the unformatted version below:

Right outside of a Reception Room at District Four

Rodney feels like pacing as he stands outside of the reception room taking a deep breath and letting it out again. But he knows that he shouldn’t do that. He shouldn’t be pacing outside of the reception room. It’s not professional, and those inside of the room might hear it.

No, they will easily hear it.

The strange Horseman of the Apocalypse – who Rodney vaguely remembers seeing some sort of notification about centuries ago that confused the Underground as a whole but was never taken particularly seriously – may not be a very high level, but the man with her is. His level is several times hers and could pose a major threat to their district.

Especially because he is the Crown Prince of one of the so-called Grands outside of the Underground.

And the Horseman of the Apocalypse is apparently a princess of one of those as well, which Rodney understands more than the Horseman thing.

Even the third member of their group is a princess of a lesser powerful nation, making their group a gathering of royals.

Don’t pace. Don’t pace. Do. Not. Pace.

Rodney takes a deep breath before letting it out. Then he takes another deep breath before letting it out.

Finally, he reaches for the door knob, only to pause when he hears the Horseman’s voice coming through the door as she says, “It’s perfectly normal to take the shortest route to leave a building. I don’t understand what you’re complaining about.”

Rodney blinks for a moment before tilting his head.

That sounds reasonable. I wonder what they’re-

“How long are you going to stand out here?” Rodney jumps in fright while turning to find the third member of the Horseman’s group of three standing behind him with a confused look on her face. Clearly having been watching his attempts to calm down.

Rodney feels a blush creeping onto his face at the thought of having been watched taking numerous deep breaths outside of the reception room. But he immediately goes into business mode as he says, “Hello, I am the diplomatic representative whose sole responsibility it is to speak and negotiate with foreign parties. My name is Rodney Mudrale.”

The woman in front of him, who has light aqua colored eyes and long hair of the same color, raises a brow at him.

Please just move on.

“It’s a pleasure,” she says with a nod before he escorts her into the room, which is a luxurious hall with a window overlooking the entire Fourth District’s main city. A room built into the wall of the massive cavern containing the city, with a fancy balcony, and numerous comfortable sofas and chairs scattered across the room.

“We’ll continue this discussion later,” the crown prince says to the Horseman, his eyes narrowed into slits for some reason.

The Horseman just waves her hand and says, “You do you,” before turning her focus to Rodney. And the moment her glowing crimson eyes fall on him, Rodney feels a faint tremor deep within his soul. As if his very being is telling him not to mess with her.

Yet he can’t figure out why, since he can clearly see that her level is just barely over a thousand. Which is still a few thousand levels beneath his own level.

He opens his mouth to speak, only to pause in surprise when he sees her level go up by one out of nowhere.

She leveled up? How? What’s she doing right now that could make her level?

His confusion rises even more, but he pushes it down as he says, “Hello, princesses and crown prince, and welcome to the Underground’s Fourth District! IF there is anything you wish to have, please let us know and I will see if it’s possible! But first, I would like to request your assistance with a certain matter!”

“Our assistance?” the man says, not the Horseman. Which leads him to believe that he must be their spokesperson. “What kind of assistance?”

“You are aware that numerous criminal organizations from outside of the Underground like to settle here, attack, and take over various mining sites, correct?” Rodrick states before continuing once he sees the crown prince nodding his head. “We would like to ask you if it is possible for you to clear out the criminal organizations around the Fourth District. If you do that, we will be very willing to reward you.”

Mostly with some mining rights to those mining sites. That’s what everyone else wants, after all.

He doesn’t have much hope in them wanting anything else, so he already begins to calculate just what percentage of the mining rights he can give them.

Only to be shocked when the Horseman suddenly leans forward and states, “Then can I have permission to go explore your Hunter’s Spots whenever I want so long as I periodically clear out these criminal organizations of yours?”

Rodrick freezes in place before staring at her for a second.

Hunter’s Spots? She wants to go to the core of the planet? Why? Does she have a death wish or something?

Then he remembers the fact that she can’t die and feels things beginning to click in place.

Is she after the rare minerals that can be found in the planet’s core since she can’t die?

A part of him feels jealous that she even has the potential to get those, but another part wonders if she’ll even be able to make it that far with her level. Immortality or no immortality.

“Of course!” Rodrick exclaims, feeling a lot more relieved now that he knows they surprisingly don’t want the mining rights. “How about we discuss the specifics?”

After that, he goes over the exact details of their agreement before all of the parties sign it and he gathers together his copy of the documents with a smile on his face. Then he turns to face the Horsemen in her group, only to find the Horseman already standing up and walking towards the balcony.

“I wish you luck in your criminal hunting, Your Highnesses,” he says with a smile.

“Aria, no!” Shirogane, the crown prince, exclaims out of nowhere as he rushes over from the documents towards the balcony as well. Confusing Rodrick, who was just wondering why the Horseman is going to the balcony.

Is she curious about the view? But then why is-

His thoughts grind to a halt again when he sees her waving at Shirogane before jumping off of the balcony with her voice echoing back up to them from below saying, “I told you that it’s normal to take the shortest route!”

All while her voice gradually fades from the distance growing greater.

Rodrick rushes over in shock to look down from the balcony before finding the Horseman already crashing into the ground at the entrance to the building with her legs clearly fracturing. But instead of showing any pain or difficulty standing, she just rises to her full height, steps off of the person she landed on, briefly apologizes to him, and begins walking away with her hands in her jacket pocket.

And a black cat with glowing crimson eyes sticking its head out of the collar of her jacket, for some reason.

Was that cat always in her jacket…?

The crown prince and the remaining princess both sigh before using their own skills to fly out of the balcony and down towards the ground. Leaving Rodrick behind in bewilderment for a while.

There is a door… and an elevator… do the outsiders just not use those?

He stares at their departing figures for a while before suddenly realizing something as he squints his eyes at the man who was turned into the Horseman’s landing pad.

Holy shit, I think that’s my boss!

His eyes frequently turn to the side in a panic before returning to the man who is struggling to climb to his feet in confusion. Then Rodrick just quickly ducks his head back behind the balcony in the hopes that his boss doesn’t see him.

Then he quickly heads back into the room with the documents and out into the hallway.

I didn’t see anything.

All while the Horseman’s words from before he entered the room echo in his head.

The ones about taking the shortest route.

Because he finally thinks he understands what they were arguing about.