Chapter 173: He Cherished Him

Given their combat style, they wouldn’t be easily caught, capable of chipping away at our forces. If the damage accumulated is significant enough, Stigma will have to descend to take responsibility for his actions.

In other words, it’s entirely possible for Stigma to head south.

Instead of returning to the Demon Realm, Deon stopped by Paras Territory. Greeted by the surprised welcome of the Demon King’s army, he took the best room available. From nearby, he called Dan, who had been observing the room’s interior.

“Find the Barbai survivors and stir them up a bit.”

“Pardon?”

“The reason they ended up like that is because of Stigma.”

“…Ah, I see.”

Understanding dawned quickly. Dan, who had been idly tracing the empty windowsill with his fingertips, grinned.

“I’ll also provide appropriate support to ensure they’re not easily caught until the Second Hero arrives.”

“The most important thing is not to get caught, understand?”

“Of course.”

About two weeks later, the Barbai began to run rampant in the Primiero Territory.

It was the result of Dan personally going in disguise and instigating them.

[How long are you going to live cowering like this?]

[If you’re going to go down, shouldn’t you at least get revenge so you don’t feel so wronged?]

[Stigma looks down on you as less than insects. He thinks you’re not even worth his attention. Aren’t you angry? The one who trampled on your tribe is focusing on other things, completely ignoring you.]

Dan knew how to wield his tongue against his opponents.

He skillfully provoked their emotions, subtly injecting the actions they should take. He raised his voice to fan the flames of their anger, then lowered it to a whisper like a serpent, drawing their attention even more.

As his words continued, the wariness towards the unfamiliar figure whose face was hidden quickly dissipated. Other emotions pushed aside the caution, and the purpose the stranger presented was even more compelling.

[Take revenge on Stigma. Show him the price of messing with the Barbai. Let’s leave a clear precedent, one that will be etched in the Empire’s history books.]

[I will support you. You’re short on funds? No need. I also harbor ill feelings towards him, so your rampaging is reward enough for me.]

Harboring ill feelings towards Stigma? What a joke. He wasn’t some public enemy of the Human Realm like the Master, and he’d never even met the man. How likely was it to hold ill feelings?

But it didn’t matter as long as they didn’t know.

Dan secretly smiled, watching the Barbai’s eyes burn with fervor.

In the end, swayed by Dan’s instigation, they moved. Employing hit-and-run tactics, they were difficult to capture. They persistently inflicted considerable damage on the Primiero Territory, and finally, they made Stigma move, just as Deon and Dan intended.

Because it was solely his own fault, his own karma, Stigma had to prioritize resolving this to minimize the blemish on his honor.

Grabbing his sword, Stigma smiled.

“My junior has a good memory.”

He had expected Stigma to find a way to avoid fighting, but…

“To think you’d use even the vermin I had forgotten about.”

Is this what they call recycling? A word not found in the nobles’ dictionary.

No matter how quickly he reacted, it was inevitable that his honor would be tarnished by this incident. One would expect him to be upset, but Stigma was simply impressed by Deon Hart’s broad range of applications, not missing even the smallest details, and gave his orders in a cheerful mood.

“Leave two-thirds of the knight order here.”

He wasn’t upset, but since his junior had tarnished his honor, he should at least show this much pettiness, shouldn’t he?

Vermin like the Barbai could be easily dealt with by just one-third of his knight order’s forces. Especially since they were just a group of survivors, not even a complete tribe.

Leaving behind troops capable of sending reinforcements anywhere nearby if needed, Stigma led the remaining forces south.

With this, the possibility of Stigma Primiero ‘directly’ moving had vanished.

***

The ‘baby’ is dying.

Its complexion turned pale blue, then flushed red, repeatedly. Its small body, already warm, now radiated even more heat. It had cried loudly as if it would never stop, but now it was quietly silent, a clear sign that things were not good.

‘What should I do?’

Oel fidgeted, constantly peering into the basket containing the baby.

It wheezed, its voice hoarse and weak, letting out faint whimpers. It looked like it could stop breathing at any moment if he let his guard down, making it impossible to look away.

‘If only I could use magic.’

The magic ban was still in effect, so using it would immediately result in interrogation by the Lord Demon King. If that happened, the existence of the human baby would surely be revealed.

There was no way the Lord Demon King would let a human baby live. He would probably even be punished for hiding it.

As anxiety surged, Oel called out a familiar name out of habit.

“…Derniban.”

“Yes, Lord Oel.”

“My ‘blessing’… is dying. Do something about it.”

“…”

A desperate gaze landed on him. Derniban met Oel’s eyes and paused for a moment.

According to protocol, it should be killed. If he turned a blind eye, covered his ears, and kept his mouth shut now, the matter would be resolved quietly.

But he had never once been able to win against his superior.

“…Give it to me.”

This time was no different.

…

“Uh… so…”

Milan, a knight of the 0th Legion’s direct command, pointed at the baby in Derniban’s arms with a perplexed expression.

“You want us to save it…?”

“Yes.”

Derniban, who gave the answer, also looked unconvinced.

However, there was no other way. The only beings in the Demon King’s castle who would know about human babies and remain silent would be ‘humans’, and the beings who knew ‘humans’ well would also be ‘humans’. Deon and his attendant ‘Dan’ were out in the Human Realm and not here.

If the baby in his arms hadn’t looked like it was about to die, he would have taken some time to contact them.

“If you save it, I will certainly repay you.”

“Well… let’s take a look first.”

I don’t know much about this, and it’s better to have someone smarter look at it. Milan scratched his head and winked at Kleter.

Muttering, ‘I’ve never handled a baby before either,’ Kleter obediently took the baby and examined its condition, letting out a groan.

‘It’s almost dead.’

Even at a glance, it was clear the baby was exhausted and couldn’t even cry. Moreover, it was skin and bones.

Without even needing to rummage through his memories for information he’d heard on the streets, questions came out immediately.

“Did you… feed it?”

“It wouldn’t eat anything.”

“That’s impossible….”

To be this emaciated, it must have tried to eat something.

“What exactly did you give it?”

“Meat, fruit, bread, any food that exists in the Human Realm, I got it and tried to feed it.”

“…And the result?”

“It threw up everything.”

Well, of course, it would.

It was amazing it wasn’t dead. If it threw up everything, it probably didn’t even get proper hydration. Sighing, he gestured to a nearby comrade to bring some barley tea.

“Ah, the stuff we drink during training?”

“Yeah, don’t just bring it, warm it up to lukewarm. And you, bring a basin of warm water and a towel to cool down its fever.”

He couldn’t get formula right away, so he had to make do with temporary measures.

Having ordered everything he could, Kleter turned his head. He met eyes with the wolf-eared demon who had been watching the situation all along.

His indifferent gaze was a bit unsettling, but he still had to say what needed to be said.

“Babies eat breast milk or formula. Feeding them anything else is a big problem.”

“I see.”

A dry voice returned, clearly showing his lack of interest. Kleter’s eyes narrowed.

It seemed this demon had no interest in the baby….

“Can you save it?”

Judging by how he was only interested in its ‘life or death’, it seemed the person who wanted to save the baby was someone he couldn’t beat either emotionally or in terms of status.

Did that person have interest in the baby but not know what it ate?

‘Well, he is a demon after all.’

There are humans who are charmed by the cuteness of animals and impulsively bring them home, but know nothing about how to raise them. Demons probably aren’t any different. He must have just picked it up on a whim out of curiosity.

…Could it be kidnapping?

‘Nah, no way.’

It’s a time with many orphans. There are parentless children all over the streets, he must have picked one up from among them.

Kleter hastily shook off the stray thoughts and said.

“…Its condition is too serious, so I can’t guarantee anything, but I’ll try my best.”

“I’ll say it again, if you save it, I will certainly repay you.”

“Repayment is fine, just take good care of our captain.”

“Yeah. Maybe it’s because he’s been through so much, but our captain’s eyes look a little lifeless lately.”

“Could it be that you’ve been bullying him here?”

“As expected of wicked demons…!”

The adjutant of the ‘wicked demons’ lair’s executive’ was right here listening.

Kleter, who had been interjecting with a word or two here and there, then saw them trembling among themselves, massaged his forehead, shook his head, and glanced sideways at the demon who had brought the baby.

He had been watching and listening to all this from the beginning, yet he didn’t show a hint of agitation, only blinking once before turning his head away as if uninterested. On the surface, his attitude seemed to dismiss everything said.

‘But he mentioned repayment with such sincerity, so he must have remembered it.’

Take good care of the captain, the 0th Legion Commander.

So, if not taking good care, at least he’ll help out once at a crucial moment.

Instead of worrying about whether the other party ignored or dismissed him, Kleter focused on examining the baby.

***

Deon Hart did not return to the Demon Realm.

He chose to stay in the Human Realm with Dan and command the Demon King’s army by observing directly, rather than receiving reports via documents in the Demon Realm and issuing orders based on mental images.

The former had many procedures and lacked accuracy, and more importantly, he wanted to kill the Emperor with his own hands.

‘Actually, Dan just followed along without permission.’

Anyway.

Once Miller Territory is breached, the capital is not far. There were various territories in between, including the territory where the current Hart family head resided, but all of them were insignificant. He vividly remembered witnessing the incompetence of the distant relative who became the family head before, so there were no worries.

In short, Miller Territory was the final barrier leading to the capital.

‘…Is that why?’

The resistance is very fierce.

Red eyes scanned the slow progress. They hadn’t even reached the city walls yet, but the troops were already exhausted.

There hadn’t even been a proper battle.

‘They suddenly pop out to attack and retreat before we can even counter.’

If it had been a frontal battle, they wouldn’t be this tired. As if desperate to slow down their advance, they were relentlessly employing guerrilla tactics.

Combat making full use of the forest’s terrain.

They were probably still hiding somewhere in that forest, waiting for the right timing. An ominous feeling kept rising in his mind that if things continued like this, when they reached the city walls, they would be in no condition for a proper battle.

‘Physical strength and mental strength are separate.’

Body aside, their minds would have been significantly worn down in the current situation. Even considering the restrictions of the Human Realm, demons’ physical strength was good, but in this state, they couldn’t properly utilize their good stamina.

Deon, with his arms crossed, tapping the unlit cigarette in his mouth, glared at the forest раздраженно and spat out his command.

“Retreat back to outside the forest.”

“Yes?”

“Be wary of rear ambushes.”

They had come this far, enduring damage, yet now they were retreating without gaining anything.

Moreover, there was no guarantee that the enemies wouldn’t ambush them during the retreat. Even now, the retreat order included the phrase ‘be wary of rear ambushes,’ didn’t it?

It was right to obey the commander-in-chief’s orders, but….

The generals hesitated, concerned about the soldiers’ morale dropping. Deon reacted sharply immediately.

“Does my word sound like nonsense to you? You should know what happens when you disobey a superior’s orders in war.”

“No, sir!”

“Change direction! Retreat outside the forest!”