Chapter 267: Betrayal Unveiled

That was why the Commander of the 10th Corps, who had fled, abandoning even his direct subordinates, was now acting so uncharacteristically.

Because that’s what his superior had said when sending those two madmen to what was supposed to be a straightforward assignment.

“[Take good care of these guys.]”

He called them a communication liaison, but everyone knew that was pointless with communication stones. Gaisitel was sure of it.

‘He doesn’t trust me.’

He thought he’d shown unwavering loyalty. What more did his superior want that he still didn’t trust him?

He was a little disappointed, but it was just a feeling; nothing really changed.

If he completed his mission—keeping these two alive and unharmed—everything should be fine. So, even after they were assigned to him, he continued as usual, and planned to do so today as well.

If only there hadn’t been an attack.

“Damn it, if only I could use magic…!”

One attack had shattered everything.

From the start, they had come with minimal force. They had to move quietly to avoid drawing Sanguo’s attention, and most of their troops were needed to create a diversion at the city walls, ensuring Sanguo wouldn’t even think to look this way.

With various restrictions in place, it was almost inevitable that dealing with determined attackers would be difficult.

The situation was even dire enough to threaten his life.

‘First, survive.’

Just a bit further and he’d be out of the array’s range. If he could use magic, he could deal with these guys in an instant. Fortunately, he had already scouted the quickest route out of the array’s reach, just in case. Without hesitation, Gaisitel pushed off the ground.

Meanwhile, his mind raced, unusually sharp with tension.

‘This wasn’t just encountering a scout; this was a full-blown, planned attack. When had they been compromised? Had reconnaissance come and gone without him noticing?’

According to his calculations, Sanguo shouldn’t have had the resources to look this way. Where had the information leak occurred?

He briefly considered various possibilities, but one stood out immediately.

‘…Could it be?’

A possibility that was common in war, and the most dangerous. Gaisitel’s expression hardened.

‘…Is there a betrayer… among us?’

His train of thought broke there.

He spotted the marker he’d placed earlier. Mustering his last bit of strength, Gaisitel stumbled past it, dropping the two strong men he’d been carrying. Milan hit the ground with a groan, but Gaisitel ignored him.

“Agh… Legion Commander’s gonna kill someone…!”

“Legion Commanders are supposed to catch humans. Shut it, I need to focus.”

“I’m telling the Captain on you. Treating us like this, huh?”

“Shut u-… Why isn’t it working?”

…Something was wrong.

Gaisitel moved a couple of steps further from the marker. The two humans, anxious about being left behind, trailed after him like ducklings, but he ignored them and refocused.

As time passed, his expression hardened further.

‘This… isn’t about concentration.’

He’d initially thought his difficulty using magic in this situation was because he rarely used it, conserving his magic power. He’d assumed his focus was just off. But that wasn’t it.

He glanced back at the approaching pursuers. Then, he scooped up the two humans Sir Deon had asked him to watch over, tucking them under his arms again.

“Huh? What’re you doing?”

“…Shut up and stay put.”

Maybe it was still the array’s influence? He started running again.

“Why the hell isn’t it working?!”

He tried to use magic again and again as he ran.

He was sure he was well outside the array’s area, but still couldn’t cast a thing. He clicked his tongue in frustration—

“Why? Can’t use magic?”

A nonchalant voice asked, completely out of place.

He was already anxious and frustrated. This playful question on top of everything else was infuriating. Normally, he would have exploded.

But he didn’t. Because—

“You know, I’ve been thinking about what Captain’s goal might be—”

An unsettling feeling prickled his senses.

Reflexively, he threw the two humans aside. Despite the rough treatment, Milan seemed to anticipate it, landing nimbly to minimize the impact. Kleter, instead of flying off, grabbed onto Milan’s arm and shoulder, twisting his body with practiced agility to land right beside him.

The unfamiliar sensation that followed made Gaisitel blankly reach for his abdomen.

“Cough—”

His fingers closed around the hilt of a dagger that hadn’t been there before.

…Why?

Milan smirked, reading the question in his eyes, and pulled a charm from his pocket, dangling it.

“Our Captain seems to want you dead.”

When the Lofty Knights first arrived in the Demon Realm, Deon Hart had handed out charms like these to them.

He didn’t know exactly what kind of charm it was, but he clearly remembered Deon saying it was to ‘level the playing field a bit between you lot and the demons.’ Probably something to suppress demon abilities.

Normally, these guys didn’t even look after their own gear properly, but Deon’s words had conveyed his concern for them, so they made sure to carry them at all times.

That’s why they figured—

“Captain wouldn’t have forgotten giving these to us, and he told us not to stray too far…”

“He even added the condition ‘until death do us part.’”

With hints that obvious, it was impossible to miss.

The Captain wanted this guy dead. He didn’t seem to want them to get their hands dirty directly, but if they took a little risk, this way was easier. So, they drew their swords.

Sensing the shift in atmosphere, Gaisitel hastily took a stance. His eyes still swam with confusion.

“Why? Did I somehow offend him?”

No, if he’d offended Deon, he would have been crushed or killed on the spot. Deon was human, protected by Lord Demon King, allowed to get away with almost anything if he had justification. There was no reason for him to do something like this in secret.

Which meant…

“…Why…”

The unbelievable truth dawned on him. Gaisitel’s face twisted in disbelief.

“Why betray me?”

He had clearly received the best treatment. Why?

Confusion morphed into anger. Before he could process his emotions, the two Lofty Knights charged. Reflexively, Gaisitel tried to dodge, but a sharp pain in his abdomen made him grimace. He pulled out the dagger and parried their attacks.

Like a Legion Commander should, he narrowly deflected both swords with a single, unfamiliar dagger and growled at them.

“If I had my way, I’d kill you bastards right now, but…”

The situation was bad.

The attackers, who had approached unnoticed, now watched the internal strife unfold with amusement, forming an encirclement. If he were unharmed, maybe, but the dagger buried deep in his abdomen was hindering his movements and steadily draining his energy.

“The best revenge is revealing the truth, right?”

Survive and reveal Deon Hart’s betrayal. That was the priority.

He kicked off the ground, unfurling his wings. But at the same moment, his ankle was seized.

Thunk.

“……!”

A dagger was embedded in his wing.

He hadn’t even gained altitude, attacked as he was taking off. Losing his balance, Gaisitel crashed to the ground, rolling once before quickly regaining his footing.

He glanced at his injured wing, eyes filled with pain, then fixed his gaze forward. Milan stood there, catching the dagger he’d thrown, a smirk playing on his lips.

“Sorry, turns out we can throw weapons too.”

“Good thing I decided to stand nearby, just in case.”

Though not in the way he meant it.

Kleter, faithfully maintaining the distance Deon had instructed, handed Milan another dagger. Milan took it, tucking it between his fingers. The attackers who had been watching also drew their bows and daggers.

“…Ha.”

Escape was impossible. His best asset was neutralized. For a moment, Gaisitel faltered, but then a furious grin spread across his face.

“Fine, even if it’s a little late, killing you all will be worth it.”

He’d finish this quickly.

He’d hated seeing humans like them hanging around Demon King’s castle anyway. Good riddance. He’d kill these two pests, create some distance, and then use magic. Planning it out in his head, Gaisitel yanked the dagger from his wing.

Now he had two weapons.

Seeing no sign of him fleeing, the attackers lowered their weapons. They had no reason to interfere in internal squabbles between factions.

‘Whichever side wins, they’ll try to kill the survivors.’

They were probably hoping for an easy meal—weakened prey after infighting.

Annoying bastards. Kleter shot a glance at the attackers, cursing them under his breath as he tightened his grip on his sword.

***

Before they started, Kleter signaled to Milan.

Their opponent was numerous. They needed to watch not only the Legion Commander but also the pursuers watching them.

In short, they had to use ‘their method.’

‘Not sure if it’ll work against a Legion Commander, but we have to try.’

At least they were in the Human Realm, and the 10th Corps Commander was known to be one of the weaker Legion Commanders in combat. His only strengths were flight and horsemanship, and even those were just rumors.

‘Even then, that was the 7th Corps Commander saying it in a mocking tone, so it’s hardly reliable…’

But it was all they had to go on.

If it didn’t work, they could always retreat and let the pursuers handle him.

Milan nodded almost imperceptibly and lunged. He parried the incoming dagger and smoothly redirected his blade towards Gaisitel’s neck.

Gaisitel didn’t back down, aiming his dagger at Milan’s eyes. Milan hastily retracted his sword, retreating, but he was still within Gaisitel’s reach due to his longer arms. Just as it looked dangerous, Gaisitel abruptly pulled his arm back. In that instant, Kleter’s long sword slashed through the space between them.

“You bastard…!”

Immediately, Gaisitel’s dagger stabbed sharply towards Kleter’s forehead. Milan pressed down on Kleter’s back, deflecting the dagger. Using Kleter’s back and neck as leverage, he leaped up, flipping over and behind Gaisitel. Ignoring Kleter’s yell of “Trying to break my neck?!” he swung his sword at Gaisitel’s back.

Of course, Gaisitel didn’t ignore Milan floating in mid-air, but before he could react, Kleter threw dirt in his eyes, forcing him to stop.

That brief opening had devastating consequences.

Swish.

Thud.

A wing fell to the ground.

Even the onlookers were stunned. They knew he was only the 10th Corps Commander, but still…! Eyes widened, and a silent tremor ran through the space.

Gaisitel himself was too stunned to speak. Milan casually twirled his sword in the air and murmured in a light tone,

“Guess you can’t run away now, huh?”

From some point, a madness identical to his superior’s flickered in his eyes.

Facing that gaze head-on, Gaisitel’s body froze.

“…You dare, you little—!”