episode_0015
by fnovelpia“Hehe… Hehehe… Hehehehe.”
The joy of victory dulled Aurela’s brain. It was an exhilarating feeling. After a week of intense fighting, they were able to cut down all the southern bastards and take a lot of loot.
While carrying out her duties as governor, a gold coin that had never been seen before came into her hands.
This was also weak when looking into the future. Since supplies were planned to be conscripted from various tribes in the southern continent, the resources that would fall on Lactelun were enormous. From the moment they received the rights they deserved as winners of the war, they were able to enjoy an abundance that was incomparable to before.
The time has come to make the cradle of southern civilization bloom once again.
If all this glory were to be given to the great regent, Durin the Bonebreaker, it would certainly be a great favor… .
“Noisy. Aurela. Don’t be foolish and move quickly.”
Unlike the excited Aurela, Durin did not take the joy of victory. My workday was actually busier due to the post-war processing. It was a battlefield where warriors, demon kings, and rebels erupted all at once. Reports were coming in every day, creating a lot of work.
[We have captured a group of defeated soldiers who fled to the northeastern tribe. We will execute all those who caused the disturbance.]
[The barbarian capital has sent a formal unconditional surrender. It is said that the son of the warchief will come personally as an envoy.]
[A shaman dispatched from the center is requesting that demonic laws be reestablished in the south.]
It is a continent that has been separated for 1,000 years. As it had a different culture and system due to the time it had been away from the center, it took a lot of effort to integrate it into the castle order. There was a strong feeling of starting from scratch.
“Hehehe. sorry. I’m so happy about this victory… .”
“Aurella. It would be better to do it in moderation and stop. Come on and be polite.”
At the center was Verdia. The childish appearance he had when we first met has been greatly diluted. As she took her place as a legionnaire, she was once again showing herself as the daughter of a warchief. Verdia looked at Aurela, sighed, and bowed his head to Durin.
“Your Excellency. It is said that a group of barbarians have arrived at our military barracks. First, go out and meet in person.”
It was a welcome sound while I was waiting. The final task to solidify his control over the castle awaited him.
Durin went out of the barracks without delay.
Dozens of barbarians were gathered together under a sky where crows were chasing corpses. Instead of having the strong and rough spirit of a warrior, he seemed to have a soft side like a nobleman from Lactelune. The skinny devil in the lead stumbled and fell to his knees.
“Lord of the center. I was waiting.”
The warchief’s son. Due to the nature of the South, where commanders went directly to the battlefield, he was not a legitimate heir, but a surviving relative. All of the children who were recognized as warriors looked at them as if they were the heads of skewers, so in a way, they could be seen as a lucky case. They were given the opportunity to continue their generation by surviving on a lifeline in place of their family members who died first.
As if he didn’t want to miss the opportunity, the warchief’s thin son humbled himself.
“My name is Haral. I beg you to be free from the sins of Gulan, the blasphemous one. We will live according to the demonic laws for the rest of our lives, so please place us in your shadow. I will follow the order of the castle.”
My trembling throat barely managed to spit out the oath of allegiance. But Durin’s reaction was sour. As the Great Devil just stared down, a frozen atmosphere oppressed the nobles. Even the demons of Lactelune, who were fellow allies, swallowed their saliva.
“Is this what shamans tell you to say?”
“To be exact, this is a phrase ordered by the judges of Lactelun. I heard that words are needed for the law to take effect.”
“It’s a saying… .”
“Because the rebellion occurred for the first time in 300 years, I looked up the law code with the governor. It seems that the word of domination is considered to be properly exercised only if the author says everything he said without making a single mistake.”
“The demon king who ran away also said that on the day of his coronation. But what happens now?”
No one could answer. Because they were living witnesses. Durin hated lip service. I no longer believed in the voices floating in the air.
“The law is a guideline to follow and does not make everything certain. It must be imprinted on the skin for it to be implemented properly.”
Cheer up!
While saying that, Durin threw the dagger on the floor.
The barbarians, startled by the loud noise, retreated back. The thin Harald, who could not be removed as their representative, was just trembling. Not even daring to make eye contact, I held the dagger with a trembling hand.
Durin said while looking at him.
“Engrave it directly on your arm. The sword has my magic, so you can feel the oath.”
“Your Excellency?”
“The pain won’t be very long. Rather, you can be happy because it is an opportunity to properly accept the castle’s magic power.”
“Your Excellency.”
Harald, embarrassed, called Durin, but there was no answer. It meant there was no choice. He looked down and saw a rusty dagger. A red magic energy hovered over the faded day. You have to stick that sharp thing into your arm.
A fear that a warrior should not feel tightened around Harald’s neck. My body didn’t move. Despite the regent’s instructions, he only trembled.
“That, blasphemous.”
“Your Excellency. I will step forward.”
Several southern nobles, who could not stand by and watch this, stepped forward. It seemed like he thought this was an opportunity to prove his loyalty. Durin thought this was right and nodded.
“Good. Get it engraved properly on his forearm.”
“Please just leave it to me!”
With the regent’s permission, the nobles surrounded the barbarians. The shadow weighed them down. Durin’s dagger, carefully raised by a nobleman, slowly approached.
“Nu, sister! Sister!”
An urgent scream was directed at Verdia. The footsteps stopped for a moment. Everyone looked at the daughter of the rock. The question was what to do with it since it was a painting that appealed to the feelings of kinship.
“It’s what my father did! I have never dreamed of treason! Why, why do I have to go through this!”
“… … .”
“Sister! please. please! Please help!”
It was an earnest request. Tears flowed from his distorted face.
But Verdia’s expression did not change at all. It was grave. To put it accurately, I wasn’t interested.
She took a step and headed towards the skewer. My father’s painful face, which he had cut with his own hands, came into view. When I touched my hardened cheek, I felt a cold sensation. Verdia’s thoughts were similar.
“Engrave.”
“Who, sister?”
“If you resist too much, it’s okay to kill him. Because the warchief still has a lot of blood.”
“Okay.”
Harald struggled in front of the decisive sentence, but it was no use. At the crossroads of life and death, nobles’ hands reached out from all directions to secure a better position for him.
Argh-!
A scream rings out. The sound of skin being torn was heard continuously.
The weak people who could not bear to look at this scene avoided their gaze.
“… … .”
Among the southern barbarians, only Verdia followed Durin and watched the scene.
It was with rare joy.
#
“It’s barbaric. Is it really the devil’s army?”
Beyond the slightly gaping door of the barracks, the devil’s terrible deeds continued. It seemed likely that he would meet the same fate if he behaved incorrectly. It was a moment when the will of the dwarf warrior, who tried to move as soon as his body felt better, weakened.
“I don’t think there’s anything we can do until that side comes first. Ugh. I can’t help it.”
Durin the Bonebreaker. They had to stay here as long as he had his red eyes flashing.
“Yes. It would be better to wait until your body gets better.”
The dwarf warrior Turan slumped down in his chair. In front of him, he saw party members recuperating in bed.
A one-armed warrior who is breathing hard and an elf whose pale complexion cannot be erased.
The other one… . When I thought about it, the first thing that came out was a sigh.
“That… How were we able to survive?”
Elf Elijah asked, looking blankly into space. It was a question that had been on my mind since last night when I came to my senses.
The warrior party invaded the demon world and stole their king. No, to be exact, the bitch followed him, but it was of no concern to the demons.
Since we were faced with such a worst relationship, it wasn’t strange if we killed the entire party. To be honest, the elves who were able to survive thanks to the protection of the World Tree were even prepared to face their companions whose limbs were disintegrated. Only one person died… This couldn’t be said to be good, but it wasn’t the worst.
“Turan. Were you awake at that time?”
“Me? It’s a shame to be awake. While trying to catch the demon lord who was trying to run away, I almost died from a single point.”
“… It’s amazing to be alive.”
“Khaha. If this is an achievement, wouldn’t it be called an achievement?”
“I envy you because you feel comfortable even though you are captured in the Demon King’s army camp. I think I need to live positively to come to my senses. Ugh.”
The pain felt in the chest cut off the elf’s words. When I looked down, a long torn black scar remained. It was barely holding on with the power of the World Tree. Of course, there is no problem with life itself, but you will probably have to live with this pain for the rest of your life.
“But Kael is still alive, so we have to hold on. I have to take this guy out.”
“Can I take you out? Like all the other devils out there, we could end up like that.”
“… I hope that’s not the case.”
It was an irresponsible statement, but there was no way to refute it. In fact, their fate was completely passed over, so they were like prisoners on death row awaiting disposition. It was no wonder that they were struggling in despair because they could not reach power, weapons, or even heaven to help them.
Flap!
As the directionless conversation between the two continued, the tent door opened.
A rough hand interrupted the flow. After the rough energy of the Dullahan passed by, what came in was a demon with red horns.
“You were born alive. Definitely not the culprit.”
A grinning voice scratched both the dwarf and the elf at the same time. Seeing them with their arms crossed made me feel relaxed.
Turan remembered her face. It was a strange demon who was tearing apart beside Durin. When I looked at it mentally, I realized that it was not a good idea to let it go smoothly.
“Do you have any business?”
“You came because it was there, right? Hurry up and get dressed. Because I have somewhere to go.”
The devil taps! and threw a black hood at them. The two looked at the rags on their knees and then turned their gaze to the warrior.
“Are we going alone? Who is the hero?”
“I’ll take care of it here. Hurry up and get moving. It is an order from the regent.”
regent. It means Durin.
Elijah and Turan had no choice but to endure the rising questions. This is because it reminded me of a battle scene that was like a nightmare.
It was a great evil that played with the hero and even took his left arm. It could be said that it was a miracle that there was still a lifeline attached.
“Why on earth… .”
He covered his face so as not to attract attention among the demons. There were a lot of things that weren’t resolved, but for now, we just moved along as they wanted.
You will probably be able to find out what you want to know when you meet face to face.
“Follow me. If you look away, you could die, so be careful.”
#
“Your Excellency. A group of warriors are now moving to meet the witch of prophecy.”
Aurela reported. Durin listened to her voice in his office.
“Shaman dispatched from Lactelune will warp them to the Rock Shrine. The Golden Guard decided to take charge of the security themselves, so there shouldn’t be any major problems.”
“You can trust them. Has there been any word on when the face-to-face meeting will end?”
“Sorry. No separate information was received.”
“Then it doesn’t matter. Let me wait.”
“Yes. Then, let’s take a step back.”
The governor retreated in a hurry. By handling this matter, all the issues raised in the report have been dealt with. I checked the time and it was well past midnight.
Durin got up from his seat and went outside.
The barbarians ruled through fear and the southern nobility oppressed with authority.
Instead of feeling anxious about missing the Demon King, the castle’s royal guard gained a firm belief.
The shaman and his minions share and carry out the work that Durin had to do alone.
The castle’s army was showing its legion-like appearance under the dark night. They have built up confidence through victory, so even if the next rebellion breaks out, they will move forward without wavering. In addition, the interior of the castle was probably well-kept by Ludmilla, the highest shaman, so it could be said that he had little to worry about.
“… … .”
I’m sure it should be that way.
In the distance, I saw a devil running eagerly outside the barracks. It was not a messenger announcing urgent news. It was a shaman from Lactelune wearing a black robe. Since the shaman who was supposed to work with the judges to apply demonic laws to the southern continent was coming this way, I couldn’t help but notice.
There is only one case that comes to mind.
“Your Excellency. Emergency communication has been requested from the center.”
The voice coming from outside the tent was breathless. The shaman’s sense of crisis coming from the word ‘emergency’ was great. Durin went straight outside without asking about the situation.
“Where do you communicate?”
“I set it aside. Please move.”
Durin walked according to the shaman’s guidance. The destination was a small tent a bit away from the commander’s barracks. The golden guard, transformed into a statue, was tightly guarded, blocking anyone else’s access. After sending the shaman away, Durin opened the door of the tent and entered.
“… … .”
Ludmilla was sitting inside, where only a blue lantern was lit. It was just blurry. It was an image realized through communication magic.
Acting Regent Ludmilla, who was supposed to control the center, urgently called Durin. It was said that there was an agenda waiting for him that even the highest shaman who had taken over the Demon King’s seal could not do lightly.
“Durin. I want to share the joy of victory with each other, but the situation is too urgent right now. First, let’s get straight to the point. Are you okay?”
Although he was speaking calmly, there were traces of biting his lip in between. Ludmila was nervous.
“I roughly received it from my teacher. I thought they were just going to catch the hero, but what else are they planning?”
It was closer to a request than a question. I wanted to hear the answer first. Since it wasn’t something that needed to be hidden, Durin nodded obediently.
“Yes. As you said, the witch of prophecy showed me the path to take. You don’t have to worry because you have captured the hero and made sure to do it.”
“There are very few devils who speak with confidence like you. Most of the time, there are people who make a fuss about fighting, but then they just waste time and die. There were very few cases where it was done.”
His tone of voice was cautious. As a shaman, she too was measuring the size of her destiny. Ludmilla was warning not as a political opponent but as a shaman who had glimpsed the future.
“So it seems better to be more careful. You have had a huge impact on the flow of the world. Only Master will know the result, but… First of all, it looks like it’s okay, seeing as he doesn’t say anything.”
“Did you contact me to inform you of that?”
“No. The castle’s circumstances are not so generous that it is necessary to use this expensive communication magic. But…”
Ludmila said with a bitter smile. It was a remark mixed with self-deprecation and mockery. However, the content that followed did not lighten the mood.
“It’s not something that should be saved. The angel made a move. It is estimated to be the time when the Demon King left the Demon World and you captured the hero.”
“……”
“I really don’t have much time now. Hurry up.”
0 Comments