The Distinguished Mr. Rose Chapter 115: Chapter 114: The Greatest Evil of All, Heart of Fear

Read chapter 115 of The Distinguished Mr. Rose by QuiteTheSlacker on NovelPedia.

Chapter 114: The Greatest Evil of All, Heart of Fear Lucius had seen many wretched things in his life, from the Thralls of Bone hidden beneath the Paris catacombs to the tormented Jiangshi of China; but the man, if one could even call him that, before the gentleman now was of an entirely different league. His fetid, rank body oozed with years of black grimy liquid, and pockets of flesh could be seen sagging from the rotted remains of what once was his corpse. The disturbing fellow hadn’t been properly entombed. It looked as if they had just thrown his body into a crude wooden casket and forgotten him there, hoping that his name would never again need to see the light of day, and so he emerged into the world in tatters, stuck between a state that was neither life nor death. He was a shambling rancid mess. His every troubled breath released a noxious gas, as if his lungs were perpetually submerged in bile. Yet even so Lucius felt a chill. Even before this creature one tap away from crumbling, he felt an instinctual caution, a warning not to approach at all costs. For this thing, though weakened, was still Pepin: the Greatest Evil of All. >[WARNING! WARNING! RISING DANGER LEVEL!]< The unthinkable has come to pass. Pepin, the Ghoul of a Million Murders and the Herald That Which Cries the End, has been resurrected by the Heart of Fear. This monster is responsible for tragedies far too many to count, his strength forever engrained in history and the tortured memories of the masses. Francia thought him dead. They believed themselves free after decades of his reign of terror… and yet, that very man stands before you now. If you do not slay him, then it will mean the end of everything. As a result, the main quest has been updated. Success: 5000 Cosmic Coins, + 10 Status Points, a Skill Rank-Up Card, an Armor Enhancement Card, a random B-rank skill from the World of Charlemagne, a random B-rank treasure, maxed out reputation with the Empire of Francia, and the opening of this world’s final dungeon: the Mountain of the Demon King. Failure: Complete obliteration of the World of Charlemagne. “Oooh…” the former emperor rasped. “How curious the shifts of fate. Was it a demon who awakened me? Once the son of God, now the heir of the wicked.” A beating, malformed heart laid squarely in his chest, each thump granting this abomination the life to move, to hunger, to plague the nation once more with his indulgent desires. Pepin croaked out a laugh and caressed his new core. It was hideous, yet he cared not for such things. What mattered now was the rumbling of his stomach. He needed to satiate it, to feed. “Ah, the years have withered mine flesh. I am hungry.” With a trembling step, Pepin lurched out of the tomb and basked in the chilling air of the sepulchre. His hideous figure seemed to corrupt all near him. Even the very air was not spared, transforming into a wispy grey smoke that trailed behind him. “Where are my servants? Where are the horns of celebration, exulting my return? Francia, your emperor demands to be served.” Pepin’s bloodshot eye rolled around in his skull, twisting and pulling erratically as he scanned the surroundings. When his gaze fell upon the cowering figure of Ganelon, his molding face contorted into an unnatural smile. “Ganelon.” The High Tribunal flinched and buried his head into his hands. If he did not look at the thing, perhaps it wouldn’t see him. If he didn’t acknowledge Pepin’s existence, then this nightmare would surely end, right? “Ganelon, my loyal Ganelon…” All he had to do was close his eyes. Don’t look at him. Don’t think about him. Then, it will all be okay. Except, this was no dream. No matter how hard he tried to deny reality, the truth was much more sickening. Before the man who once tormented both his waking days and troubled nights, the source of all suffering and the very object of his revenge, Ganelon could only now whimper out of fear. “Yes, this is how it should be.” Pepin slowly shuffled over to