Ch.137137. Incineration

‘Back then, why did everyone make such a fuss about defeating just one of the Tetrad?’

This thought naturally came to mind while waiting for Bynessa, the chief of staff of the Demon Lord’s army, along with the Beast King.

I wasn’t suddenly reflecting on my past self who used to check Cordana prices while getting excited about Gwon Heejin’s party’s achievements.

What came to mind, rather unexpectedly, was Commander Waynelight.

The man revered as the Empire’s strongest knight gained his current status thanks to his achievement of holding off Nevanahara, a former Tetrad member, for over half a day in his youth.

Not defeating—just holding off.

Everyone showed respect simply because he faced one-on-one against this powerful Tetrad member who had killed countless knights including a Master. This despite the fact that Nevanahara was actually killed by the Hero from two generations ago.

‘…Right. He certainly deserves respect.’

Yet I couldn’t understand why the Tetrad no longer seemed so impressive now. They weren’t weaklings like Iclit; they were powerful beings who had essentially toyed with the allied nations single-handedly.

Perhaps I too had become as desensitized as the citizens of the Imperial Capital.

“Hero. She’s coming soon.”

The Beast King warned in his gruff voice.

I needed to stay alert, but I felt no sense of crisis whatsoever. Not because I was being careless, but because I planned to work with the Beast King anyway. I could win alone, but there was no need to waste valuable resources.

“Leoneo, I don’t intend to use you just as a guide, as you probably know. If you want to leave for the allied nations as soon as possible, cooperate. Not just here, but in the Demonic Land as well.”

At these words, the Beast King looked at me with his pupils contracted into vertical slits, but soon nodded compliantly.

This was as expected, but the Beast King added an unexpected comment.

“Hero, you may conceal the fact that I cooperated.”

“…?”

“It would be dishonorable for you if it became known that you received my help. When you hold your ‘triumph’ later, you can claim all the glory for yourself. I have no need to be recognized for my contributions by humans anyway.”

He seemed to be making this offer for my benefit.

He probably thought my position would be compromised if people learned I had received help from a current Tetrad member—one who had killed humans by the thousands.

It was surprising that he could make such an assessment on his own. It seemed even beast-folk were getting into politics these days.

However, regardless of the Beast King’s intelligence, his offer had no value whatsoever.

There would be no one to criticize me for recruiting the Beast King to fight alongside me.

Those who had lost family members in battles against beast-folk might feel differently, but I was already someone who had killed countless people’s family members and thrown others into labor camps.

‘But there’s no need to correct his misunderstanding.’

Rather, I could use the Beast King’s misconception to boost his morale. It would benefit me if he fought desperately.

“Leoneo, I have no intention of hiding your assistance.”

“What?”

“The fact that you cooperated with me will help ease tensions for the beast-folk. It will also reduce unnecessary friction during their migration process. Surely you don’t think all those beast-folk can migrate to the allied nations in just a month or two?”

At this, the Beast King revealed his doubts with a “Why would you go that far…,” clearly confused. It was natural for him to be puzzled since he had no idea how chaotic the Empire currently was.

“You don’t need to know why. Just fight with all your strength.”

The Beast King nodded silently.

If his facial muscles were just a bit more flexible, he might have been wearing a solemn expression right now. I almost envied him for being able to feel moved by something so trivial.

***

Even lizards can be useful sometimes.

Bynessa, the chief of staff of the Demon Lord’s army, maintained a cheerful expression throughout her wyvern flight to the realm of these stinking (or fishy-smelling) beasts.

The atmosphere in the Demon Lord’s castle had been relatively somber lately.

Two Tetrad members dying in succession? That wasn’t even the biggest problem. Demons don’t particularly care about death.

The issue was hastily promoting the low-level succubus Iclit to the Tetrad, only to lose her. This was difficult to understand in the Demon Lord’s army, where the logic of power prevailed. What’s worse, Iclit’s pathetic death had weakened the Demon Lord’s control.

However, this situation was about to become a turning point.

Thanks to the welcome news that the lizard—no, Leoneo—had reported via communication magic just a day ago.

– Two hundred humans from the Empire have arrived looking for gold veins. Some are escort forces. Ten knights from an organization called the Royal Order have come. One knight who has connections with the Hero is included.

– To deceive them, I deliberately guided them to an area with quartz veins. They’re currently setting up camp, but once they begin proper exploration, they’ll likely discover there’s no gold.

– Come quickly before the humans notice something strange. If you don’t hurry, I might arouse their suspicion.

– Hurry.

Idiot.

Just recalling the Beast King’s voice begging her to come quickly because he was worried about the humans’ suspicions made her smile involuntarily.

She couldn’t help but sneer. A Tetrad member catering to humans he could easily kill with one finger.

She knew he was concerned about his kind’s safety rather than himself, but it amounted to the same weakness in the end.

‘Of course, it’s that very weakness that allows us to benefit. He probably doesn’t even realize he’s being used.’

He was an admirable creature, but surely it was fine to mock him a little. However, when actually meeting Leoneo, she planned to pretend to respect him—while stringing him along with false hopes of providing accommodations for the beast-folk.

Imagining the Beast King struggling desperately made her laugh again.

Bynessa wasn’t usually one to laugh.

Living in the Demonic Land rarely provided occasions for amusement.

Crushing aggressive high-ranking demons who advocated for all-out war in place of the Demon Lord,

Hunting mindless magical beasts when stress built up,

And when that wasn’t enough, violating decent-looking demons to pass the days.

Bynessa, once the epitome of demonkind, became this sinister because of Iclit, who had once shared her rank in the Tetrad. Her personality changed without her realizing it while toying with the allied nations alongside that worthless creature.

‘Those were fun times.’

Whenever she saw humans in the allied nations betraying and opposing each other just to save their own lives, Bynessa felt a slimy pleasure rising within her.

The most enjoyable memory was witnessing the hollow expression of a human (whose name she couldn’t even remember) who had sold out their precious resource, a Master. She almost wanted to preserve and display that expression.

After completing her mission, she found each day frustrating because she couldn’t give up the pleasure she had discovered—but now she was about to enjoy herself again.

Two hundred humans who had crawled into this barren primeval forest claiming to search for gold veins under the Hero’s orders.

Of course, she had no intention of simply killing them.

It would be nice to make them kill each other while dangling a thread of hope, or perhaps to persuade one of them to become a thorough minion and have them torment the other humans. She had often played such games in the allied nations.

‘It’s hard to wait.’

Soon after, Bynessa landed in a basin in the middle of the forest.

The Beast King himself came to greet her. Thinking that the lizard seemed to understand his place, Bynessa dismounted from the wyvern.

“Where are the humans?”

She asked abruptly, but the Beast King didn’t respond. His attention was focused on the wyverns that Bynessa and her subordinates had ridden.

These creatures had been trained by demons since hatching. The wyvern Bynessa rode was particularly strong, having flown over the sea for days to reach the allied nations.

“Only three? …That’s a bit inadequate.”

“Do we need more forces just to kill some humans? I merely came impulsively to slaughter humans. That way, you can make excuses and ask for understanding from the humans. Consider it a measure taken for your benefit.”

“Regardless, I’ll take care of these creatures.”

“……”

The Beast King remained focused only on the wyverns. He even soothed them while restraining them with magic or putting them to sleep.

‘What is he trying to do?’

Though it was presumptuous behavior, she decided to let it pass. He was probably worried the wyverns might damage the forest.

“Hey. First, about the humans…”

Bynessa was about to urge the unresponsive lizard, but soon had to close her mouth.

An alien energy was approaching her.

It was a force that induced nausea in someone who had lived her entire life in lands teeming with demonic energy—holy power. And at an extremely powerful level.

‘A priest? No, this is beyond the level of an ordinary priest.’

Her time for contemplation was brief.

The owners of that alien energy appeared directly before Bynessa as she was thinking. Several knights, three clergy, and what appeared to be two mages. In the hands of the human at the forefront was a disgustingly holy sword.

‘The Hero, here?’

The Hero looked Bynessa up and down, then turned to the Beast King.

“Only three?”

Sensing that the situation was taking a strange turn, Bynessa drew upon her magical power.

Regardless, the Beast King calmly replied in the affirmative. He added that he hadn’t expected her to bring two subordinates when he thought she would come alone. The Hero nodded and said, “That’s even better.”

The meaning of this exchange was clear.

Betrayal. The lizard had apparently conspired with the Hero to set a trap.

“You betrayed—!”

But Bynessa wasn’t even given the chance to rebuke him.

With a booming sound, a hammer wrapped in aura flew toward her with fierce momentum.

“Kuk!”

She managed to defend herself somehow—but was given no time to catch her breath afterward. Almost simultaneously, the Beast King attacked one of her subordinates, splattering blood. The Hero’s minions also joined in the attack.

A resolute offensive with no intention other than to kill quickly and be done with it.

In the eyes of the Hero wielding the holy sword, there was no trace of competitive spirit.

This was absolutely not a duel.