Chapter 167: Wearying Times

The training grounds were exactly as before: the Mad Dog Knights, Deon Hart, and Ed were present.

Deon had been thoroughly reprimanding the knights when he spotted Dan approaching and gestured for Ed to intercept him.

Ed shot Dan a disgruntled glare before retreating. Dan arrived before Deon and began to speak.

“Mission accomplished,”

He had already confirmed that they were alone.

He drew a bundle of charms from his chest and respectfully offered them to Deon. After a brief glance, Deon accepted the charms and turned to the knights he’d been berating moments earlier.

“Everyone, gather around.”

“Oh, Captain’s back to his usual tone!”

“Shut it and gather around.”

Of course, he had to say it twice for them to listen.

He shot a brief glare at the knights scurrying around him before sighing and handing out the charms one by one.

They accepted the charm from the Captain, though clueless as to its purpose. One of the knights, examining the yellow paper with a puzzled look, cautiously raised his hand.

“Captain, what are these?”

“Charms to even the playing field a bit when you fight demons. Just a ‘bit’, mind you… From now on, carry these with you at all times. What were you thinking, picking a fight with the 0th Legion without any preparation?”

Thinking about it again, his blood pressure rose.

Deon quietly touched his forehead, feeling his temperature rise.

Right, those mad dogs challenged the 0th Legion without any backup. He’d heard the news late and stopped the fight before it blew up, thankfully. Otherwise, they would have been annihilated without a peep.

‘This is the Demon Realm, after all.’

It wasn’t the Human Realm with all its restrictions. He couldn’t judge the demons here based on those they fought in the Human Realm. And they’d picked a fight with the 0th Legion, elites among elites.

If mad dogs who weren’t even ‘Heroes’ clashed with them, they’d be wiped out in an instant. Deon sighed heavily.

“Why did you do it?”

“Huh?”

“Why pick a fight?”

Creatures honed for survival wouldn’t misjudge the difference in strength between themselves and their opponents.

Despite appearing mindless, he knew they carefully assessed their capabilities against others, the situation, the setting, and even the justification, moving only within the bounds of not dying. That’s why he couldn’t help but question them.

“In the Demon Realm, in the demons’ territory, amidst an atmosphere where you’re barely tolerated despite my name backing you, why on earth…?”

“But…”

A voice filled with resentment escaped.

“But those guys said they were ‘the true subordinates of Lord Deon’! They told us to leave it to them and stay out of sight in a corner!”

“The Captain belongs to us!”

“We’ve served him longer!”

“We’ve fed him, sheltered him, clothed him, and raised him with utmost care!”

Good heavens.

Dan, who had been quietly observing, muttered as if groaning.

“…Just for that reason?”

“Just for that reason? It’s a very important reason!”

“Exactly, very important! That’s why we tried to fight for the Captain’s sake!”

Deon, who had been listening with arms crossed to their quiet grumbles about not being able to fight because he came, surveyed the knights with undisguised exasperation. A voice dripping with the same exasperation spilled from his lips.

“You really did something pointless.”

“Captain, pointless? It’s very important to us…”

Thump. He extended a finger in a gesture of restraint, tapping the forehead of the one about to get heated again, and continued.

“The premise is wrong from the start.”

“?”

“Me belonging to you? You belong to me.”

“…!”

“Isn’t that right?”

There was no reason to fight in the first place.

The knights’ eyes widened.

A brief silence passed, then an explosive reaction erupted.

“That’s right! We belong to the Captain!”

“Oh, we were committing a huge error! To mistake such a crucial and obvious fact!”

“To hear the Captain say such words in my lifetime… I have no regrets even if I die now….”

Dan let out a dumbfounded chuckle, but no one paid him any mind.

Of course, for some, it might be an unpleasant remark. But the members were simply overjoyed.

Captain Deon Hart’s statement was as good as a confirmation that their bond wasn’t just a one-sided feeling from the knight order.

“I never thought the Captain would express it in words….”

“Me neither….”

Affection and consideration could be felt in his actions and casually tossed words, but hearing it directly was different.

Whether Deon and Dan were dumbfounded or not, the members were wiping away tears.

“We love you too, Captain!”

“What nonsense is this….”

“We’re scared, but we love you!”

“How did your thoughts even lead you to….”

“Long live the Captain!”

“Cap-tain for life!”

“Where did you even pick that up… No, never mind.”

He had no idea how the conversation had taken such a turn, but saying more would only wear him out.

Deon, fiddling with his lips in subtle annoyance, took something out of his pocket and put it in his mouth. Dan naturally offered a light, and just as he lowered his head slightly to light it—

“Captain, is that medicine?”

A voice filled with undisguised shock rang out.

“We’re not in battle right now, are we?”

“…It’s my prerogative.”

“Is that even something to say? You’re the one who said you’d stop anyone taking medicine outside of battle, even if it meant chopping off their head!”

“I’m the Captain, so it’s okay.”

“Don’t be unreasonable! That’s an abuse of power!”

Those who had been meekly arguing now swarmed forward and snatched the cigarette from his mouth. Deon’s brow furrowed, but no one paid him any attention.

Candy, they need to give him candy….

The members rummaged through their pockets, their faces falling.

“No candy.”

“Out of candy.”

“No chocolate either.”

They couldn’t exactly chop off the Captain’s head.

Their eyes, having checked their pockets and even pried open the mouths of those next to them just in case, turned to Dan, who had been standing quietly.

“…What is it?”

“Got candy?”

“No… Wait, come to think of it, I do.”

Were all sorcerers like this? He wondered, holding out candy he didn’t even like. Then it dawned on him.

He rummaged out the candy he’d received from the sorcerer before coming here. A knight rushed over, took it, sniffed it like checking for poison, peeled off the wrapper, and popped it into Deon’s mouth.

Deon frowned at the sudden rush of sweetness in his mouth, but that was all. Instead of getting angry or scolding them, he rolled the candy around in his mouth a few times and turned to Dan.

“You probably handled it well on your own, but I still need to hear the explanation… Let’s go back to the room.”

….

Click. Dan closed the door and took Deon’s coat, hanging it on the coat rack, before casually opening the conversation.

“The distribution channels for charm paper are successfully established. We’ve secured cooperation from many sorcerers.”

“Finding sorcerers must have been a task, you worked hard.”

“No, well… with money, anything is possible. Information guilds are everywhere, after all.”

What was more difficult was obtaining a bundle of charms that suppressed demons’ abilities.

“…Ah, I also ran into the butler.”

“Rememver? Did you visit the mansion or something? Why there…?”

“No, I bumped into him on the way to the information guild.”

Dan recalled the old man greeting him with a casual ‘Long time no see’ as if nothing was amiss, and spoke with a slightly dazed expression.

“I received a lot of help. Probably half of the sorcerers we connected with were through the butler. Some of them were former Imperial Court sorcerers.”

Of course, he took a brokerage fee, but considering the results, it was an immense help.

He even knew that Dan had followed Deon Hart. Far from reporting it, he actually helped, so aside from the profit, Dan couldn’t shake off a sense of unease.

Deon frowned as well, seemingly feeling the same way.

“Just what is that old man’s identity….”

“So even Master doesn’t know?”

“No idea. He’s been the butler ever since I received that mansion, as if it were the most natural thing.”

“I see.”

Dan replied listlessly, having somewhat expected that answer, and picked up the vase by the window, which was strangely fresh despite the long time that had passed, checking the water level.

…Surely Hien said he’d plucked flowers from the Human Realm.

‘Not even Demon Realm flowers, and they’re this fresh without sunlight or water?’

He checked the bone-dry interior and refilled it with water, staring intently at the flowers as if in a silent standoff.

But far from feeling dangerous, the flowers seemed harmless, even gentle. Dan chuckled wryly and placed the vase back on the windowsill.

It was a coincidence that his gaze landed on the Killer Knights in the training grounds outside the window during this process.

He saw them tucking charms here and there on their bodies. Dan slowly spoke, watching one of them drop a charm he was putting into his pocket onto the ground.

“…They don’t seem like they’ll keep those charms on them all the time. Wouldn’t it be better to put them in epaulettes and have them wear them? If we say it’s proof that they’re humans belonging to Deon Hart, everyone will understand.”

“That’s good. Can’t ask other demons to do it, so you do it.”

“……”

“Or should I do it?”

“…No, I’ll do it.”

Is he really clueless?

He’d deliberately mentioned epaulettes, but there was no reaction. Dan decided it would be better to ask directly and cautiously broached the subject.

“By the way, how did you know about the existence of such charms?”

“Huh?”

Deon, who had been lying sprawled on the bed with his eyes covered by his arm, rolled over to his side and looked at Dan.

“The Demon King told me at the legion commanders’ meeting. He said that besides ‘Jin,’ there are also ‘charms’ that suppress demons’ magic.”

“…Huh?”

“Huh?”

“…No, wait… charms that suppress ‘magic’? Not ‘abilities’?”

“Isn’t it the same thing?”

“…Good heavens.”

What kind of pointless hardship did I go through? No, in the end, I learned about and even obtained a much better charm, so it wasn’t pointless… but still, it’s frustrating.

Dan covered his face with both hands. Deon sat up with a sullen look.

“What’s wrong, why are you like that?”

“……”

“And what’s with that insolent look?”

“No, it’s just… I’m a bit frustrated….”

“?”

The sight of him tilting his head with a question mark floating above it was truly infuriating.

No, he really doesn’t know. At least keep your judgment in check. Dan sighed deeply and muttered in reply.

“Those charms aren’t the kind that suppress ‘magic’ as you think of it, Master.”

“…Then what are they?”

“I’d say they’re ‘charms that impose the same restrictions on demons within a 3-meter radius as they would experience when crossing the border into the Human Realm.”

“…It might be useless in the Human Realm, but isn’t it much better here? How did you know about something like that and even get it?”

“That’s what I’m saying…. Even I think I’m amazing.”

Dan continued shamelessly, regardless of Deon’s face turning sour.

Honestly, it was justifiable to be proud.

“So I hope you understand. These charms have a much better function than the ones you mentioned, Master. And for your information, finding out about their existence and obtaining them wasn’t easy at all.”

“Oh… okay… good job….”

Anyway, with that, he could worry less about the mad dogs dying.

Restrictions identical to crossing the border into the Human Realm…. So, these charms double the magic power required for the opposing demons’ magic, but they don’t completely block magic.

…If possible, it’s better to be fully prepared.

“It would be good to put the Human Realm restriction charm you mentioned in one epaulette and a magic-blocking charm in the other, and have them wear them on both shoulders.”

“I’m just glad I procured those magic-blocking charms just in case, or what would have happened?”

Dan grumbled but nodded.

Confirming his agreement, Deon couldn’t overcome his fatigue and closed his eyes. A slightly languid voice slowly trailed out.

“Put the Human Realm restriction charm you got in my epaulette too.”