Ouroboros Record ~Circus of Oubeniel~ - Chapter 67: Feast of the Dead (5)

Theodora is the Queen of Polis, a city-state that lost the war against the most powerful empire in the continent.

She is sure that they'll execute her immediately but, somehow, she survives the meeting with the Emperor, and she finds herself... Married?

Tossed in a new world without connections and allies, she has to either accept her fate or lose the chance to help her people once again.

She soon finds out that her new husband knows more about her than she does herself, and that his purposes are often far from what she expects.

A fallen queen that doesn't know how to be anything else. A handsome Duke who's the cause of her ruin. And their efforts to find some happiness in a marriage that's been forced on them.

WARNING: there are contents not suitable for a sensitive audience.

The smut scenes are half-censored at the beginning, but the amount and details will increase after a few dozen chapters (according to the Queen's mood .-. )

***

«I'm sorry for lying to you, your grace...»

«You're a Duchess. No one will dare to consider your words a lie: if you say that you were painting souls, then it's the truth.»

«I will remember it.»

«No, you have to understand it, Theodora. You're not a prisoner, but my wife. I'll protect you when you need it, and I'll help you with any issue you have. You're not just a Duchess in the name. You're my Duchess.»

«It's hard to believe in such a short amount of time.»

«For now, stop shaking like a chicken. I won't hurt you.»

***

Billions of Humans transmigrated to another dimension, each became a Land Ruler at the start and owned a castle. Each Land Ruler would draw a random starting Soldier-type Building, used to arm their castles. Recruit more soldier-types, plunder resources, and dominate the world! Some drew the Sacred Palace of Knights from the start and commanded troops of knights to crush all obstacles in its way, ruling over vast lands. Some drew the Goblin Cave, developed castle trade, and became renowned dirty profiteers. Of course, more people only drew the most unremarkable soldier-types: Goblins, Lizard Man, Skeleton Soldiers…… These people could only kneel before the powerful Land Rulers and serve them as slaves. But Mike was an exception. His starter soldier-type building was, Dragon Nest! Glacial Dragon, Hellfire Dragon, Undead Dragon, Black Dragon…... When one after another dragon egg appeared before Mike, he suddenly felt that…...conquering the World seemed quite manageable?

Japan – National News BroadcastThe polished news anchor sat upright, her gaze sharp as she adjusted the stack of papers before her. The newsroom behind her hummed with quiet urgency, the weight of the moment settling over the broadcast.“Authorities are baffled by a sudden and unexplained surge in sleep-related deaths across Japan,” she began, her voice steady yet tense. “More and more citizens are passing away in their sleep without any prior health concerns. Experts are working tirelessly to determine the cause, but no clear explanation has emerged. Authorities urge the public to remain vigilant and report any unusual symptoms before bedtime.”A graphic appeared, displaying the spike in fatalities over the past month. Behind her, unsettling photographs flickered across the screen—blurred images of individuals found in their beds, their faces frozen in expressions of terror.The anchor’s tone shifted. “Health officials recommend citizens avoid excessive fatigue and maintain healthy sleep habits. More updates will follow as investigations continue.”---United States – Paranormal PodcastIn a dimly lit podcast studio, the host leaned forward, his eyes wide with curiosity. Across from him, a rugged man in a worn flannel shirt, gripping a faded photograph in one hand and a beer can in the other, leaned back in his chair.“So, you're telling me you saw this creature firsthand?” the host asked, clearly intrigued.The man scoffed, shaking his head. “Damn right, I did. Ugly thing had wings bigger than my body—slow but sneaky. Thought it could steal my pigs again, but I was ready this time—camera in one hand, shotgun in the other.”He slammed the table for emphasis, then shoved the blurry image toward the host. The photograph depicted a small, red-skinned humanoid figure with large, bat-like wings, its eyes glowing faintly in the darkness.“Spit, the thing didn’t know what hit it when I fired!” the man chuckled, his voice full of excitement.The host held up the picture to the live chat. “Alright, what do you think? Mothman? Demon? Or is our friend here just seeing things?”The chat exploded with theories—some skeptical, others eager for the investigation to continue.---China – Liangyuan Street MarketSurveillance footage from a bustling night market in China captured a chilling scene. A woman in a red qipao walked gracefully through the crowd, her figure striking in the soft glow of lanterns.Suddenly, she paused. Her body flickered—like a glitch in a video—before vanishing completely, as though she had never existed.The footage zoomed in, replaying in slow motion. In the final frame before she disappeared, her face distorted unnaturally, her eyes hollow and empty.The screen cut abruptly to black.

1. Yan Wei entered a black tower that disappeared into the clouds and accidentally entered a world inside the tower that was filled with all sorts of instances.

In the instances, there were puppets leaning over to kiss a statue, paintings of people without eyes, a pale and dishevelled female ghost with a mouth filled with blood….

Each floor was a level; if you don’t enter, you die. Only those who reach the top can live.

After Yan Wei thoroughly understood the rules, he found that he had a skill called “Half Immortal” —- As long as he was in an instance, he would acquire an immortal body every second day.

Yan Wei: Going wild.jpg

2. Yan Mingguang who was ascending the tower took off his glasses and held a cigarette as he leaned against the wall watching the young man not far away slowly approach the boss.
The young man was calm and composed. With one hand in his pocket, he used his other hand to grab the boss’s hand and carefully examined it. His clear voice carried nonchalance: “Don’t move. Let me see what clues you have on you……Hey, stop struggling. You can’t kill me anyway……..”

The clock ticked past midnight——–

The young man’s calm expression changed immediately. He looked at the boss with eyes filled with fear and turned and ran towards him.
Seeing that the boss was now charging over, Yan Mingguang tossed his cigarette aside, frowned and said coldly: “Let go.”
The young man clung tightly onto him: “No! Save me!!!”
“Not saving.”
The young man’s eyes brightened: “Thank you!!”
Yan Mingguang who found that he had already crushed the boss’s head, “……..”

3. One day, while the instance was being broadcasted.
The players who were watching the broadcast found that the thigh-hugging, weak and useless player Yan Wei had suddenly appeared before the boss all the other players were trying to avoid.
The audience: “??? Is he in a hurry to die??”
The next moment, the young man chased after the boss, shouting, “Stop running, I won’t be too mean!!”
The boss’s face was filled with panic, the audience’s faces were filled with confusion.
This was different from what they had in mind?

*Cold and aloof gong with explosive fighting power who says one thing but does another x sometimes seeking death, sometimes faking cowardice, quick-witted shou

- Description from Novelupdates