Chapter 318: Welcome Back, Mary

Mark studied the translucent window floating in front of him, and couldn’t help a smile spreading across his face.

After being stuck for so long, so painfully aware of his own weakness, things were finally starting to move forward.

Now he had in his hands the tools to grow stronger on his own, without endlessly depending on someone else’s power.

It was, without exaggeration, one of the best days he could remember since arriving in this world.

Mark was still savoring that satisfaction when Alice and Bayle approached him.

And they weren’t coming alone.

Behind them came the half-human generals, heads bowed, shoulders hunched, completely subdued.

Just a little while ago, they’d been begging Focalors for the privilege of tearing him apart with their own hands.

Now they didn’t even dare lift their eyes.

The moment they got close enough, they dropped to their knees before him, trembling as if a single wrong word could cost them their lives.

"Oh Great Emperor of Death," one of them said, not daring to raise his gaze. "We have witnessed your power with our own eyes. You defeated the great Focalors, the one we never believed anyone could beat."

The general swallowed before continuing.

"Now that we no longer have a leader, we can only beg you to accept us as your subjects, and in exchange our lives and our weapons will belong to you."

Mark watched in silence as the half-human generals remained kneeling, waiting for his answer.

"Works for me."

They let out a sigh of relief.

"And even though I know perfectly well you’re not swearing loyalty to me out of respect or admiration," Mark said, looking at each of them in turn. "That’s fine by me. I’d rather have a servant who understands how things work than one who fakes feelings that aren’t there."

"..."

"Serve me well and you won’t have any problems. But betray me... and you’ll find out exactly why they call me the Emperor of Death."

"Yes, great lord!" the generals answered in unison, pressing their foreheads to the ground.

Mark let out a small smile.

It had been a perfect day.

But just as he thought he could finally relax, something changed.

The world stopped.

There was no sound, no sign announcing what had happened. In an instant, everything simply stopped moving.

The generals stayed frozen mid-bow. The dwarves in the distance froze, still caught mid-celebration.

Alice and Aria, who had been chatting animatedly just a moment before, went silent mid-sentence.

Bayle too, completely motionless.

Even the smoke rising from the battlefield had stopped moving. The wind vanished. The dust hung suspended in the air.

Only silence remained.

And in the middle of that frozen world, only one person was still moving.

Mark.

"What the hell...?" he muttered, tensing instantly.

This wasn’t normal.

He waved a hand in front of his wives’ faces, called out their names, gave them a light shake.

Neither responded.

It was like he’d been trapped inside a photograph.

And then he understood. He only knew one person capable of something like this.

"Congratulations, sweetheart."

The voice echoed from everywhere at once, in every direction, soft and warm, impossible to pin down.

"You did wonderfully. I’m so proud of you."

"Hey... Mary."

And the moment he spoke the name, Mark felt a presence materialize right behind him.

Before he could turn around, a pair of arms wrapped around him from behind, pulling him into an embrace.

And since she was a little taller than him, that unexpected hug ended with Mark’s head firmly trapped against the Demon Lord’s huge breasts.

"You have no idea how much I’ve missed talking to you," Mary purred, holding him close with obvious affection.

Mark struggled just enough to free his face and catch his breath.

"What are you doing here?" he said, a mix of surprise and confusion in his voice. "Do you seriously think it’s a good idea to be strolling around outside your dungeon like it’s nothing? If someone sees you—"

"Awww, are you worried about me, sweetheart? You’re so cute." Mary let out a delighted little laugh, not loosening her hold one bit. "You really didn’t have to, but I appreciate the thought."

She rested her chin on top of Mark’s head.

"And don’t worry, I already made sure no one but you can see me."

"That’s not what I asked," Mark protested. "What are you doing here, exactly?"

"Oh, that’s very simple," she replied, and Mark could practically hear the smile in her voice. "I came to take you with me."

Mark frowned.

"Huh? Take me whe—?"

He never got to finish the question.

Because right then, Mary tightened the embrace, wrapping around him completely, and a strange energy began swirling around them, engulfing them both.

"Shhh... You’ll see. It’s a surprise," she whispered, right by his ear. "Hold on tight, sweetheart."

Before Mark could get out another word, the world went dark around him in the blink of an eye.

And an instant later, time started flowing again.

The smoke started moving again. The wind picked back up. The dwarves resumed their cheering right where they’d left off, and the half-human generals finished their bows.

"—was really amazing, my lord..." Alice was saying.

But then she realized she was talking to herself.

She blinked, confused, and looked around. The spot where Mark had been standing, just a second earlier, was empty.

And there was no trace of him anywhere.

"...Master?" Aria said, turning her head in every direction.

Bayle, beside her, reacted too. His enormous eyes swept the area with growing alarm.

"Master?" the dragon growled, sniffing the air. "Where... where did he go? He was right here a moment ago."

The half-human generals raised their heads, thrown off.

And in the distance, some of the dwarves also started noticing that the man they’d just crowned as their hero, the Emperor of Death, was simply gone.

"Master!" Alice screamed, real panic in her voice now, running back and forth. "Master, where is he?! Bayle, search from the air! Aria, do something! He couldn’t have just vanished like that!"

But no matter how much they searched, no matter how loudly they called his name, they got no answer.

Mark had vanished without leaving the slightest trace.