Chapter 84: Turbulence

Deon Hart, the Empire’s third hero.

Stigma openly displayed his favor, posing a question.

“Is my junior coming to this war?”

“If it’s the Honorable Count Deon Hart, I believe he will join the war, even if belatedly.”

Indeed, there’s no way the Emperor would keep such a strong card hidden.

“I look forward to meeting him.”

Stigma liked him.

When rewarding war heroes, the order was based on when they rose to prominence.

That’s why Stigma, unlike Nemesius who answered before the Emperor even asked what he desired, simply said he had no particular wish and received the title of Marquis, vast lands in the south, and a considerable amount of money and jewels.

At the time, he was satisfied.

That is, until he learned what Deon Hart, in a private audience with the Emperor, had requested.

‘To be allowed to destroy his own family with his own hands.’

It was like being struck by lightning. How could such an idea even occur to someone?

It was a feeling that transcended shock and bordered on exhilaration.

At the same time, a fondness for Deon Hart, a man he’d never even spoken to, began to bloom.

Of course, there was a slight regret. If he had known there was such an option before stating his reward, things might have been different.

“But isn’t the Honorable Count Deon Hart not your junior, Marquis? I heard he lived in his mansion from childhood until the war.”

“We’re both heroes. I’m the second, and that kid is the third.”

Chuckling softly, he used his embedded sword as a support to rise from his seat.

As he stepped onto the uneven ground, a faint tremor ran through his feet. Stigma’s gaze flickered downwards.

“Oh, dear.”

Still alive, were they?

Just in case, he glanced around and noticed a few guys still clinging to life.

No wonder the chair felt uncomfortable.

He pulled the sword from the ground—no, from someone’s abdomen.

As he pierced the writhing guy’s neck, Stigma coldly ordered.

“Find and kill anyone still breathing. Or, since there’s also the issue of disease… it might be better to just set everything on fire.”

“Yes, sir.”

Well then, since it’s a war after all, shall I go and prepare? Not that there’s much to prepare when combat is your daily routine.

With blood dripping from his sword, Stigma walked away.

Behind him lay a mountain of corpses.

From the chair where he sat… a blaze erupted from the pile of bodies. Soon after, flames began to spring up here and there.

Stigma Primiero.

The Empire’s second hero, bestowed with the title of Marquis.

The territory he received was the Empire’s southernmost region, where they fought the barbarian Varvai tribe daily.

It wasn’t granted because the Emperor disliked him. Stigma, who hailed from the southern Empire and harbored deep resentment towards the barbarians, had requested it.

Under the Emperor’s tacit approval of the slaughter, how powerful would his forces have grown while fighting disease and barbarians in the humid and harsh south?

Stigma, who had already formed a military faction in the south, gleefully ordered war preparations as if he had been waiting for this moment.

***

Uh….

I stared with a reluctant expression at Develania, who was waving her hand from the carriage, urging me to get in, and then looked back at the Demon King seeing me off.

His ever-smiling face… for some reason, it felt like the Demon King’s… oh, right, he is the Demon King.

“So, backing out is…”

“Absolutely not allowed.”

“Resigning is…”

“Don’t even joke about it.”

Damn it.

With the feeling of a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse, I forced my feet, which seemed rooted to the ground, to move.

As if foreshadowing a troubled future, the mana stone necklace around my neck swung back and forth, asserting its presence.

……

I felt a sense of unease about thirty minutes before departing for the Second City.

It was when Ed, being the diligent adjutant, was conducting the final pre-departure check.

“The 2nd Corps Commander intends to go with the 2nd Corps. Lord Demon, are you still not planning on taking the 0th Legion?”

For some reason, Ed, who was fully arming me, tightened the knot of the dagger sheath near my thigh as he spoke.

“Yes, it’s more than enough that the 2nd Corps is coming along.”

No, it’s an overkill. We’re just going to buy clothes, yet a whole legion is acting as escort….

Furthermore, there’s no reason for Develania to try and kill me, so there’s no need to bring the 0th Legion, whose presence alone drains my mental energy.

If this were the Human Realm, I wouldn’t be so sure, but this is the Demon Realm… no, Demon King’s castle.

Unlike humans who, even under the same ruler, are divided between those who follow and those who don’t, constantly vying for power, demons, especially the Demon King’s legion commanders, only obey the Demon King.

Therefore, they refrain from foolishly weakening the Demon King’s forces by killing fellow commanders.

Of course, when they get angry, they might not kill you, but they’ll push you right to the brink, which is why I can’t relax…

‘I happened to witness a fight between legion commanders once, and it was incredibly brutal.’

If they attacked me like that, I’d definitely die.

That’s why I’ve always been cautious in my actions, and I haven’t provoked Develania, nor will I create such an incident. So, there’s nothing to particularly worry about…

But why?

“Is that so… so the 0th Legion is just a hindrance to you, Lord Demon.”

“…Pardon?”

“So much so that it would be easier for you to go alone….”

“…?”

“We’ll have to increase the intensity of their training.”

Why is Ed reacting like this…?

“Of course, they still won’t be able to catch up to you, Lord Demon, but at least they won’t hold you back….”

……

This was the first ominous sign I noticed.

The second was Lirinel.

Holding a familiar-looking necklace in her hand, she came to my room with sparkling eyes and excitedly started talking.

“Lord Demon, I heard you’re leaving the Demon King’s castle again?”

“Yes, I’m going to the Second City.”

But why is that…?

“Why only mention that? I heard you’ll be taking a detour through the outskirts.”

“Yes….”

So, why is that…?

“As the leader of the Demon Church, I can’t just stand by when I hear such news! So, I prepared this!”

The familiar necklace was thrust before my eyes.

Wait, before that, I think I heard something strange…? What church?

This definitely needs to be addressed. If I ignore it, I’ll definitely regret it.

Following the warning of my instincts, I was about to speak, but Lirinel was faster.

Without waiting for the few seconds of silence I needed to process the absurd words that had blanked my mind, she placed the necklace in my hand and proudly declared.

“It’s a necklace with protective magic engraved on it, just like last time! It’ll react to attacks that threaten your life, and what’s more, once you wear it, it automatically recognizes the owner and will return on its own even if you take it off or lose it!”

“Thank you. But about just now….”

“Oh, and I was going to add a function that automatically summons me if the necklace breaks….”

Wow….

I must never wear this.

“…but Lord Demon scolded me for wasting magic and power, so I couldn’t. I’m sorry….”

“That’s a relief… I mean, this alone is enough. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome! Come on, try wearing it!”

I hesitated for a moment, but only for a moment.

It seems she thankfully didn’t add the unpleasant function, and there’s no reason for Lirinel to harm me… I immediately put the necklace around my neck.

The necklace, recognizing its owner, glowed briefly before settling down. Finally finding an opening to speak, I rushed to open my mouth before she could steal my words again.

Lirinel’s remark from a little while ago was still lingering in my mind.

I missed the timing to address it during our conversation, but it was so striking that I couldn’t possibly forget it.

“More than that, what was that about… the leader of a church… what is that….”

“Ah, the Demon Church?”

“Cough.”

Good heavens. I didn’t mishear it! Demon Church, even the name screams a connection to me!

To calm down, I took the glass of water Lirinel hastily offered. Taking a sip made me feel a bit better.

“Are, are you alright?! Should I call the physician!”

“No, I’m fine. More importantly, that Demon Church….”

“It’s an organization created to worship Lord Demon!”

“Puh-”

It was only for a moment.

The water I had just put in my mouth, hoping to drink more, came right back out.

Damn it. It went down the wrong pipe.

“Cough, cough, cough!”

“Oh, oh no! What should I do! The physician!”

“Ah, cough, no, it’s… cough, cough!”

Damn it, the coughing won’t stop easily. I need to calm down….

Lirinel, terrified, quickly moved to call the physician, but I hastily reached out and grabbed her clothes, stopping her. After coughing a few more times, I finally calmed down and looked at Lirinel.

For some reason, she was looking at my hand gripping her collar with tearful eyes.

…Must be my imagination?

“Lirinel?”

“Yes? Ah, yes! Are you feeling better now?”

“Yes… anyway,”

Demon Church… there might not be many fools who believe in such a bizarre religion with such a strange purpose.

Unlike my head, which thought it would disappear soon, I couldn’t ignore my uneasy instincts and curiosity, so I finally cautiously opened my mouth.

“How many… people believe in the De, Demon Church?”

“Well, almost all the servants in the inner section believe, and about a third of those in the outer section too.”

That’s more than I thought! A baseless religion is taking over the Demon King’s castle, and what on earth is the Demon King doing?

“Actually, the Demon King showed some interest.”

Well, of course.

What kind of ruler would just sit back and watch a pseudo-religion gain power?

As expected of the Demon King. He wasn’t just standing idly by….

“He asked if there was a vice-leader position.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

“Pardon?”

“Nothing.”

He definitely wasn’t just watching. He was doing something insane.

So, surely the Demon King isn’t the vice-leader right now…?

To prepare for the impending shock, I carefully placed the water glass on the table. No need to drop it and cause another commotion.

“But if the Demon King joined, the Demon Church would become an official organization with political significance, so he eventually had to give up. He was very disappointed.”

Well, uh….

Contrary to what I expected, the shock wasn’t that great….

‘…….’

I gave up on thinking.

But I shouldn’t have.

I should have thought again about why Lirinel specifically mentioned going through the outskirts when she gave me the necklace.

And the third ominous sign I felt was when I learned that Ben would be accompanying us.

More specifically, when I saw Ben, who had joined to accompany us on the Demon King’s orders, arguing with the 2nd Corps Commander Develania.

When the time came, I arrived on the first floor and saw Develania standing in front of the carriage entrance with her arms crossed, and Ben looking up at her with a disgruntled expression.

“I thought I was going alone with Lord Demon-”

“Those are the Demon King’s orders. And it’s not like you’re going alone. What about the 2nd Corps?”

“Anyway, the plan was for just the two of us in the carriage.”

“Is that so? How unfortunate. But considering Lord Demon’s unpredictable health, my accompaniment is essential. Especially since we’re not going directly to the Second City but detouring through the ‘outskirts.'”

Again, with the ‘outskirts’.

What’s the big deal about detouring through the outskirts that everyone keeps mentioning? Isn’t it just going to take a little longer?

I glanced down to check the state of my armament beneath the roughly draped robe.

Ed had armed me thoroughly, as if sending me to a battlefield, with six daggers securely fastened.

‘Something feels off…?’

It definitely doesn’t seem like we’re just going to buy clothes. Should I back out now?