Ch.807The Qualification of the Heavenly Demon

The Heavenly Demon—no, the Heavenly Demon Claiment Persiella.

A Dragonborn raised specifically by Dragon King Cylude, whose physical prowess supposedly easily surpasses even winged Dragonborn like Beherikes or Makaoros?

They say even her close associates know nothing about her except her name since she always covers her face with a mask, but with that level of power, she must be just one step away from transforming into a small dragon.

In other words, her level might be identical to mine.

Of course, that doesn’t mean she possesses power equal to mine.

Even among those of the same level, strength varies tremendously depending on one’s skill, fighting style, powers, blessings, racial characteristics, and equipment.

Just look at me—thanks to various blessings, my divine-blooded body, national treasure-grade equipment, and Hersella’s Karma of Murder, I’ve been demonstrating overwhelming martial prowess against similarly leveled powerhouses.

So, how strong this Heavenly Demon Claiment actually is remains unknown unless I face her directly.

If Bernard Feiler, the only human of the Palace of Heavenly Demon that Makaoros mentioned, is the Fifth Apostle as I suspect… then I can roughly guess the identity and abilities of the Heavenly Demon Claiment Persiella.

A collared female Dragonborn who appears during battles with the Fifth Apostle.

I suspect that Persiella is that woman who looked mostly human except for the scales protruding here and there on her pale naked body, reptilian eyes, and horns on her head.

Tamed like a pet dog, she transformed into a dragon form at the Fifth Apostle’s command and joined the attack.

That means… even if not now, someday the Beast Tamer will betray Persiella and reduce her to his pet.

Hmm, a Simpering Heavenly Demon and a collared female Heavenly Demon? I wonder if “Heavenly Demon” is actually an abbreviation for “Genius Masochistic Female.”

—-

That was all the information I could extract from Makaoros.

Apparently, the Duchy was considering disposal since there was no more information to extract.

Keeping him alive would be useless, and if the mana seal were accidentally broken, it would be catastrophic.

If he were to desperately cast high-level magic as a last resort, the entire underground of Faelrun Castle might collapse.

“What a shame. Taxidermizing a Dragonborn would have been interesting.”

Frider clicked her tongue and shook her head.

She said something about how a specimen might be worthwhile if intact, but not when all limbs have been severed and scales removed. She spoke like a craftsman meticulously selecting clay for fine pottery.

In reality, what she did was a million times less refined.

Anyway, judging by his condition, Makaoros would likely face execution by beheading. Dismemberment was pointless since his scales had already been removed, and quartering was redundant since his limbs had already been cut off.

As for Eirnesia…

“Wait, why is half the interrogation content marked as [CENSORED]?”

I sighed in frustration as I looked down at the documents detailing Eirnesia’s interrogation.

I was personally curious about what happened to that arrogant elf, but about a third of the torture—no, interrogation content had been redacted as inappropriate for reporting to Baron Median.

It felt like being denied alcohol for forgetting my ID, despite being of age.

Since they wouldn’t tell me, they must have conducted some extremely brutal interrogation by their standards… though it was unnecessary concern on their part.

I doubt it was as merciful as inserting needles into human nerves and applying electrical stimulation.

“Unless self-esteem is destroyed, confession will be difficult to obtain. With cooperation from [CENSORED], we [CENSORED], but no change in behavior. Administered [CENSORED] to amplify [CENSORED] by 30 times and retried… What on earth does this mean?”

I understood they applied various tortures to break the elf’s characteristic pride, but with all the words censored, I couldn’t comprehend what they actually did.

“……”

Frider remained silent, either not understanding what it meant or understanding but unwilling to explain.

Well… disappointing as it was, they seemed to have obtained thorough confessions, so I’d have to be satisfied with that.

Unlike Makaoros, who spilled all their secrets once they started removing his scales, Eirnesia apparently endured the interrogation until her psyche nearly collapsed.

Should I call it strong-willed or foolish? Such resistance only increased her suffering without changing the outcome.

Eventually, after her psyche shattered, she docilely answered all questions.

There was a possibility of false information, but Faelrun’s interrogators seemed to judge it likely true, given how well they organized it in their report to me.

Only six Guardians remained, but the World Tree and the Elder Council could replenish them with less capable ones if desired.

To reach the heart of Alvheim, the forbidden area where the World Tree spreads its roots, one needed the elves’ unique ability to control vegetation.

Seven Guardians were deployed in this operation, not six, and one had fallen to the Dragonborn.

They had noticed that Nidhogg’s soul wasn’t dwelling in the resurrected Earth Dragon, so the “World Tree’s revenge” was merely a pretext—their actual goal was to assassinate me.

None of this information was particularly helpful since I already knew most of it. It only strengthened my conviction not to lower my guard against the elves.

Apparently, she hurled insults during the interrogation about how humans should have been exterminated long ago to prevent their resurgence…

I suspect she recalled the nightmare from eight hundred years ago upon recognizing me as an heir of the Great’s Twelve Knights.

For elves, the events of eight hundred years ago were like a trigger for convulsions.

Hearing that I had sliced the sky to bring down the evil god’s arm, she must have recalled the legend of Carlos, who swung his sword to split clouds and cut mountains.

That’s why they went to such lengths as deploying seven Guardians to kill me.

Ironically, the current me couldn’t even meet the prerequisites for Sky Cutting.

Defying Fate – Sky Cutting, a technique that combines the power of time compression and space-cutting to their limits.

To freely wield it, one must personally awaken the method of cutting space.

—-

Eirnesia’s fate would also be decided according to House Faelrun’s wishes.

They offered to hand her over to me if I wanted, but I declined, telling them to handle it as they saw fit—there wasn’t much use for a completely broken elf.

I thought about gifting her to Lacy, Perneisia, or Hush, who might appreciate it… but bringing her all the way to the territory seemed too troublesome.

With her psyche shattered to the point where she couldn’t control bodily functions and needed to be hand-fed, it seemed better to leave her in Faelrun Castle.

Unlike Makaoros, she posed no danger if left alone, so they planned to imprison her until the end of her life. If I ever needed her later, I could always request them to send her.

—-

We continued our journey for several days, stopping at small territories and towns to replenish supplies, bathe, and rest in comfortable beds.

Traveling in a carriage bearing House Faelrun’s crest meant we didn’t need to go through checkpoints, and no fools dared to cause trouble. It was a leisurely journey in many ways.

Except for Frider.

While Lena, Demian, and I could rest comfortably at inns as long as we kept our identities hidden, Frider couldn’t do the same.

Lords who were surprised by the news that a noble lady of House Faelrun had visited their territory would invite her to banquets.

Their intention was surely to curry favor with the Duchy’s lady, but judging by Frider’s exasperated sighs each time she received an invitation, it seemed to have the opposite effect.

What did she say? That she could decline invitations from barons or viscounts by claiming fatigue, but refusing counts would be disrespectful and damage the Duchy’s reputation?

It seemed she had to at least make an appearance, even if she only stayed for a brief meal.

So whenever we visited a city of significant size, Frider would show her annoyance but head to the lord’s castle with a Faelrun knight who was acting as our coachman.

Shouldn’t I, as the Margrave of Landenburg, Baron of Median, and Saint of the Church of Astraea, also receive and accept such invitations?

In principle, yes. In principle.

But the fact that we didn’t need to go through checkpoints meant the lords couldn’t identify who was in the carriage.

Had they known I was visiting, they would have jumped to send invitations, but since I was thoroughly concealing my identity, I could avoid the burden of attending their banquets.

Frider did grumble about how she had to suffer while I rested comfortably.

“What can I do? If people found out I was here, it would cause an uproar. That would make things even more troublesome for you too, wouldn’t it?”

“…You’re so slick.”

Unable to refute my point, Frider could only pay the highest compliment to my wisdom as she reluctantly made her way to the lord’s castle.

—-

Ten days later, we finally returned to the territory.