Chapter 160: Deon Hart, the Betrayer of Humanity

“You can speak while sitting at this desk.”

The moment I saw it, I understood why the Demon King had gone to such lengths to set this up.

It was to show that the Demon Realm is kind even to humans who betray the Human Realm. As proof of this, the three moons outside the window served as a backdrop, and the luxurious room indirectly showcased their treatment of humans.

He’ll likely use this in his upcoming speech, and the benefits are obvious… so why does this taste so bitter?

Deon slowly touched his lips.

“Let’s start with…”

“Place your hand on this mana stone, and in three seconds, a fist-sized white light will appear before you. Speak into it. When you want to stop, just put your hand back on it. Simple, right? By the way, Lirinel and I made this mana stone together. We haven’t actually used it, but it should work fine.”

“‘We haven’t actually used it’? Didn’t you use it once before?

“I just used my magic back then. It consumes a lot of mana.”

“……I understand for now. Let’s start right away.”

I sat down at the desk.

The Demon King subtly moved away as if to tell me to speak comfortably. Left alone, Deon slowly closed and opened his eyes in front of the mana stone.

‘…….’

In the quiet silence, his eyes, unreadable, lowered. But that was only for a moment. Deon lifted his gaze as if he had nothing to fear and reached out to the mana stone.

A white light appeared a short distance from his face.

‘Right….’

Now then,

‘Let’s make a name for myself in history.’

It’s time to become the worst human who ever lived.

***

Across the Human Realm, tense from the ongoing war, a massive screen suddenly appeared.

As if they had gotten used to it after experiencing it once before, there was less chaos this time. The murmuring died down quickly, and people quietly focused on the familiar face on the screen.

As if to prove it was the Demon Realm, a man with white hair and red eyes, dressed in black clothes, was staring straight ahead against the backdrop of the three moons outside the window.

“……Deon Hart.”

Even if they hadn’t seen him in person, his distinctive features were widely known. Someone groaned under their breath.

Since it was the first time he had shown his face since siding with the Demon King, everyone’s attention was naturally drawn to him.

Whether he knew that the entire human race was watching him with hostility or not, the man on the screen calmly opened his mouth.

– The Empire is selfish.

It was a sudden and blatant statement, making even those who weren’t interested raise their heads in disbelief.

– I don’t understand why humanity rallied around the Empire when I heard the news of the Human Realm’s alliance. No, in fact, I still don’t understand.

The man on the screen tilted his head innocently, as if he genuinely couldn’t understand.

– Are you people incapable of learning?

It was a truly infuriating action and statement.

The gazes that had held casual curiosity shifted to anger, sticking firmly to the screen. Even those who had been working with half an ear turned their heads.

With this, their attention would be fixed on the screen until the end of the speech.

‘Why is he gathering so much attention to say this?’

Sitting at his desk in his office, the Emperor leaned back in his chair, silently staring at the screen. As if wanting not a single person to miss it, the screen had kindly appeared in this room as well.

– The Emperor of the current Empire waged the Eight Years’ War as soon as he ascended the throne. Countless nations were brutally trampled under his feet without even knowing why. And just when it seemed to have finally ended, a mere two years later, war broke out again.

……Ah.

He reached out and pulled the cord.

“……Summon the sorcerer. Tell them to prepare to interfere.”

Another attempt at sowing discord. The Demon King must have tried this already.

Well, internal strife is one of the most effective tactics, so I understand.

Deon Hart on the screen continued to speak without any hesitation.

– The end of the Eight Years’ War was not a truce, but a ceasefire. Only two years after declaring the ceasefire, he overturned his words and started another war! Thanks to that, the Emperor’s true intentions were clearly revealed at that time.

Conquering the continent.

– It’s so blatant that you can’t possibly not know. Yet you still rally around him. It makes me laugh. This is like fish asking a cat to protect them, or sheep making an alliance with a wolf!

Deon Hart thought.

I’m not that smart. Cruel… Hyung praised me for being clever when I was young, but that was just affection and consideration for family. The quickness of my mind is at best slightly above average, and my eloquence is even worse, as he knows.

I spent almost my entire life cooped up at home before constantly rolling around on battlefields. When would I have had time to have coherent and in-depth conversations with anyone?

‘If only I had delivered this without the screen… or if someone else had stood in this place.’

Weak thoughts surfaced.

But I’m the only one who can make this work effectively, and the screen is necessary to draw attention. It’s hard to be sure who’s speaking with just a voice, attention would drop, and it’s harder to find loopholes in statements when focusing on both the screen and the content than just listening to a voice.

‘Let’s be confident.’

This isn’t a debate anyway, but a one-sided incitement.

It’s not about persuading the opponent with logic, but about swaying them with emotion.

There’s no need to talk at length. Jump in, mess with their heads, and get out quickly. Act as if everything I’m saying is right, hold my head high, and manage my expression.

“……Hasn’t the sorcerer arrived yet?”

“I regret to inform you, but the sorcerer says that interference is difficult with their current abilities. The barrier is stronger than before….”

“…….”

The Emperor quietly pinched the bridge of his nose.

– My goal is the Empire. The result of sticking with the Empire will be one of two things for you. Either you’ll be trampled by the Demon King’s army as it advances to strike the Empire, or you’ll safely fend off the Demon Realm only to be devoured by the Empire that pretended to be docile.

In the silent world, only one voice echoed.

– In the end, there’s no benefit to sticking with the Empire.

We need to shut his mouth.

But how?

‘……There’s no way.’

The Emperor lowered his eyes in resignation. He was merely considering how to respond to the somewhat troublesome situation ahead when the screen floating in the air flickered and turned black.

Is it over? It feels a bit sudden. Just as he thought this, the screen brightened and a man appeared.

It wasn’t Deon Hart. A man with an ordinary face, transitioning from boy to young man, was standing against the backdrop of some unknown back alley.

– In the end, it’s just the words of a traitor who sided with the Demon King.

The world buzzed, trying to deduce the identity of the man who had appeared with a completely unfamiliar face.

Deon Hart, who had lost control of the screen, raised an eyebrow in the room, focusing on the man. He had definitely seen that face somewhere before.

‘……Ah, right. That guy who was being educated using the debate between the Demon King and the Emperor as a textbook.’

Ed hurriedly brought a new mana stone. Deon stared at it as it was placed on the desk, but instead of reaching for it, he turned his gaze back to the screen.

Despite his young age, he had quite a firm conviction, judging by his determined expression.

Paul, the leader of the Revolutionary Army who had been working behind the scenes until the major event, stood before everyone for the first time to protect the Human Realm. He ignored the dissatisfied gaze of Ran to his side.

– You’re giving this speech to incite internal conflict in the Human Realm. How are you any different from the Demon King?

As soon as Deon Hart appeared on the screen, Paul had urgently issued orders.

It would be best if the Emperor stepped in to refute, but in case he couldn’t, he had previously summoned a capable sorcerer belonging to the Revolutionary Army. The fact that this sorcerer had a history of placing a curse, or rather an evil spirit, on the Emperor with the intention of killing him was a stumbling block to persuasion.

“……Why should I use sorcery for the likes of the Emperor….”

“The Human Realm needs to be alive for a revolution to even be possible. Thank you for your cooperation.”

In the end, he succeeded in persuading him, so it was a good thing.

Ran quietly soothed the sorcerer while watching Paul, who was speaking to turn back the hearts of those swayed by the incitement, from the side.

And as if to show he wouldn’t just stand by and watch, Deon Hart’s screen appeared next to Paul’s.

– How am I different from the Demon King? Well, it’s because I’m ‘human.’ Aren’t you curious why I, a human, would turn my back on the Human Realm and side with the Demon Realm?

He paused for a moment and grinned.

Just as quickly, the smile vanished from his face. Replacing it was nothing other than bitter hatred.

A voice filled with murderous intent as thick as his expression growled out.

– It’s because there’s no better place to kill the Emperor!

The Emperor originally had many enemies.

So, it shouldn’t have been anything new, but this time was different. The Emperor was strongly etched in everyone’s minds. And unconsciously, a thought arose.

He said his goal was to kill the Emperor. Does that mean this will be resolved if only the Emperor is killed?

– Why else would I have been mentioning the Emperor until now? My grudge is limited to the Emperor. If it’s too difficult, I’ll even settle for just the Emperor’s head.

Deon forced a smile again.

He deliberately didn’t mention the Duke, who was the bigger culprit. In order to incite not only the division of the alliance but also the internal division of the Empire, the noble faction’s voice needed to become stronger. That’s why he aimed all his killing intent at the Emperor.

Since the Emperor was the cause, those seasoned politicians would gleefully seize the weapon they had just gotten their hands on and relentlessly pressure the Emperor.

However, Paul wasn’t one to just let the atmosphere shift in that direction. He had come to the screen today with great resolve. He couldn’t afford to lose without getting anything in return, so he spoke again.

– That’s a ridiculous claim. I know that even if that happens, the Demon King’s army won’t stop its advance.

– Why do you think that? Didn’t you hear what I said earlier?

– That’s ‘your’ story and goal, not the ‘Demon King’s army’s’.

– …….

– Your intentions are obvious. Once you achieve your goal of destroying the Empire, you’ll step back and say, ‘My goal was the Empire, but I never said the Demon Realm’s goal was the Empire,’ and play word games like that. The Demon King’s army would then swallow the Human Realm, which has become an easy target. Isn’t that right?

For the Demon Realm, the Empire is the Human Realm’s strongest barrier.

They haven’t been able to conquer the Human Realm because of that barrier. If the barrier collapses, would the Demon Realm just stand by and watch? They’d devour it without hesitation, as if they’d been waiting for it.

– After witnessing the debate between the Demon King and the Emperor once before, we learned about the demons’ desire for destruction and understood their goals. Did you think we would fall for such clever wordplay? There’s a limit to how much you can look down on people. How foolish do you think we are?

– …….

– And in the first place, if you wanted to kill the Emperor, you should have joined the Revolutionary Army. At least that’s still a human faction. From the moment you went to the Demon Realm, you were already wrong.

Deon quietly swallowed the laughter that threatened to escape.

My goal is the Empire, huh? It seems like I was trying to hold onto my last shred of conscience without realizing it.

‘It’s ridiculous. Since when did I have something like conscience?’

I gave up being human during the Eight Years’ War, so why am I trying to hold onto my conscience now?

His red eyes dulled. Deon Hart smiled faintly at the person on the other side of the screen. Instead of answering the accusations about the Revolutionary Army, he responded to the previous statement.

– What if the Demon Realm promises not to touch anything other than the Empire?