Ch.7676. King of the Beast-men

I really want to kill them both.

This was the thought that crossed Leoneo, the Beast King’s mind just before he shouted “Wait!” to the human babbling nonsense through the communication crystal.

The targets of his murderous intent were, of course, the demons and humans.

In Leoneo’s eyes, both groups were contemptible.

He wasn’t sure exactly what schemes they were plotting, but it was clear they were conspiring with the beast people caught in the middle.

Yet the reason the Beast King asked them to wait was simple.

‘I must protect my race.’

The beast people he led were inevitably in a vulnerable position.

Combat prowess?

Of course, a single adult beast was superior to an individual human. Lizardmen who knew how to handle weapons could even hold their own against human knights to some extent.

But in front of exceptional warriors, beast people were helplessly swept aside.

Unlike demons who could at least use magic, most beast people had little to boast about except physical strength and agility. There were occasionally strong individuals who emerged, but they were extremely rare.

The recent tragedy at the border happened precisely because of this.

‘I can’t protect all those beast people alone. Such incidents will likely continue.’

That’s why he had swallowed his pride and requested dialogue with the humans. At the very least, to stop the madness of humans searching for gold mines at the border.

“There are no gold mines in the land you call the border.”

“Considering the size, I think the possibility of there being no gold mines is small.”

“…I’ve read human books, so I roughly know what an open-pit gold mine is. It refers to a mine exposed on the surface, correct? At the very least, there are no gold mines of that type. And I know who spread those rumors.”

“Your Demon Lord’s army spread them, I suppose.”

“It was likely rumors spread by succubi or vampires through humans. Without our consent.”

Leoneo barely managed to spit out these words while feeling his insides boiling.

Perhaps because he had admitted the beast people were alone, the human also couldn’t continue speaking for a while and only let out a sigh.

Leoneo couldn’t believe he was having this conversation with a mere human. But having started, he couldn’t stop now.

“My standing in the Demon Lord’s army is not as high as you think. Many of the actions you suspect me of directing were decided without my input. …A low-ranking succubus in what you call the Allied Nations often devises these schemes.”

“Is that even possible? A low-ranking demon?”

“I don’t understand it either, but it’s the truth.”

These words came from Leoneo after setting aside all his pride.

A silence followed for a while.

Belatedly, the thought “I don’t know why I’m telling a human these things” crossed his mind. The human seemed to be thinking something similar.

“But may I ask one thing? Why are you telling me, an Imperial citizen, all this?”

“……”

“It’s not my concern if the beast people were used. Just as we don’t hold you accountable for killing dozens of holy knights and dismantling the Hero’s party last year. After all, killing each other is what war is about.”

This was an undeniable fact.

The Beast King had killed countless humans even before becoming one of the Tetrad.

There was justification. It was revenge against humans who had taken all the fertile land and pushed the beast people to the ancient forest near the Demonic Land, the so-called border. But he could understand why humans who had lost their kin would harbor hatred toward beast people.

‘Have I sought understanding from an enemy?’

A feeling of loneliness struck him, feeling increasingly isolated between the massive powers of the Empire and the Demon Lord’s army.

That’s when the human made an unexpected proposal.

“Do you perhaps want a ceasefire?”

“A ceasefire?”

“If you give me justification, it’s not impossible. The Empire has been damaged by the operations your beast people carried out, but that doesn’t mean we want all-out war.”

“I don’t have the authority to represent the Demon Lord’s army.”

“Neither do I. But a ceasefire between you and me should be possible. How about we agree to refrain from invading each other’s territories for the time being? At the very least, I can control the forces that infiltrated the border this time. You know what those forces are capable of.”

This proposal was too tempting to refuse.

It was hard to believe that he, who had been advocating for all-out war against the Demon Lord since becoming one of the Tetrad, was now considering a ceasefire. But now that he couldn’t even trust the Demon Lord, this might actually be the wiser decision.

He wasn’t sure what the human meant by providing justification, but it was worth hearing out.

But first, there was something he needed to confirm.

“Who are you?”

The identity of the human he was communicating with.

The Beast King didn’t care about human status, but there was no point in talking to someone without power. They needed to be at least a general or knight commander.

Fortunately, the human had a name the Beast King had heard before.

Erick Wellesley.

One of only three Masters in the Empire and a nobleman. The title of Master alone made him a person of interest to the Demon Lord’s army. Aside from the Hero, Masters were the most threatening.

However, there was something more notable about Erick Wellesley. He was the one who had cracked open the head of the Hero, Gwon Heejin, killing her.

‘No, I think they said he cracked it after killing her.’

It was unlikely that a human would be the culprit who murdered humanity’s protector.

And being a Master, he seemed less likely to devise vile plots like the succubi.

The Beast King knew well how much training it took to achieve a certain level of strength with a human’s fragile body. He probably spent his entire life swinging a sword. Just following orders from above.

After some consideration, the Beast King spoke.

“You said we could have a ceasefire if I provide justification? Then let me hear your conditions.”

After a moment’s hesitation, Erick Wellesley’s condition was, as expected, gold. He said he needed gold to persuade the powerful individuals who had moved with him.

It was truly a statement befitting a race obsessed with gold to the point of madness.

And the amount of gold he wanted was enormous. Or rather, it was impossible to tell if it was enormous. He asked for 30% of the gold currently held in the Demon Lord’s castle. He also frankly expressed his desire to assess how much gold the Demon Lord’s army possessed.

“As soon as the gold arrives at our designated location, we’ll release the prisoners. At least all those captured this time.”

“…I can’t trust just words.”

“Neither can I, so that works out well.”

Having confirmed their mutual distrust, they immediately arranged to meet.

The meeting place was a village on the outskirts of the border where the Hero’s party had once hidden.

It was a village built by humans who had gathered to avoid conscription and taxes, surrounded by a wooden fence. Though it was within an area tacitly permitted by the beast people, they managed to survive as intermediaries through their own methods.

The next day, the Beast King met Erick Wellesley there. He was indeed a powerful individual with considerable ki.

‘He really is a Master.’

They didn’t exchange friendly conversation.

They simply made a pact using the geas Erick Wellesley had brought. A pact to release the prisoners held at the border once the promised amount of gold was delivered, and a pact not to invade each other’s territories for the next three seasons. After all, neither humans nor beast people could challenge each other without exceptionally powerful individuals.

Only after completing the pact could the Beast King feel at ease.

It was because he felt he had made a trustworthy promise for the first time while being helplessly caught between the Demon Lord’s castle and the Empire.

Moreover.

“If I immediately ask for gold, it would raise suspicion, so try this.”

Erick Wellesley even devised a plan for how to naturally bring up the topic of gold at the Demon Lord’s castle. He seemed desperate for the gold.

“I understand. I will keep my promise.”

No further words were necessary.

***

After the negotiation, the Beast King headed to the Demonic Land with only his most trusted personnel.

Normally, he would have ridden a wyvern directly to the Demon Lord’s castle, but this time he landed on the outskirts of the Demonic Land.

This was a harsh land where monsters commonly seen at the border, as well as beasts that were difficult to classify, lived by devouring each other. In fact, most of the Demonic Land was like this. That’s why humans feared it.

“Kill all the magical beasts in the area.”

The Beast King and his close associates began unleashing violence indiscriminately against these beasts.

The Beast King himself participated in the violence. He shattered house-sized magical beasts with a single blow and attacked hesitant ones with magic.

This wasn’t exactly a rebellion.

While the Demon Lord was indeed the ruler of the Demonic Land, there were many species that couldn’t be controlled, let alone tamed. It would be difficult to be punished for killing such creatures.

‘But they can’t ignore this.’

This was following Erick Wellesley’s advice. Though he had no desire to follow it, there was no better alternative.

Indeed, the Demon Lord’s castle responded to his show of force within half a day. A high-ranking demon flew over to request a dialogue with the Beast King.

The Beast King calmly explained why he was using force.

“Many adults have died from human invasion. I’m trying to create dwelling places for some tribes here.”

“…No, how could ordinary beast people survive here?”

“Then will you let them stay in the Demon Lord’s castle? I don’t mind. I am one of the Tetrad, so I should be able to make such requests, shouldn’t I?”

The high-ranking demon looked dumbfounded but couldn’t firmly refuse. Perhaps it was because the Beast King was emitting an ominous aura.

The Beast King looked down at the high-ranking demon for a moment, then announced:

“If that’s not acceptable, then help me recover the excellent warriors currently held captive by humans. The humans are demanding gold in exchange for their release.”

“Gold… you say.”

“Once decided, I will personally supervise the transfer.”

After giving the Demon Lord two choices, the Beast King resumed beating the magical beasts.

A show of force to hasten the Demon Lord’s decision.

Perhaps concerned about the situation where magical beasts, which served as defensive walls by their very existence, were being swept away in large numbers, the high-ranking demon hurriedly cast a communication spell.

‘They’ll probably give gold rather than let them into the Demon Lord’s castle. But this might cause me trouble.’

Negotiating a ransom with an Imperial powerhouse and attacking peaceful magical beasts weren’t exactly duties of a Tetrad member. Being suspected of disloyalty was an inevitable outcome.

But the Beast King decided not to care. He now acknowledged that he had never been trusted in the first place. If that was the case, saving even one more beast person’s life was the best course of action.