Chapter 137: Pector and Clanis

Pector was sent back.

He was just annoying.

So I had to send him away.

“Anyway, if you’re done here, just go back.”

“Yeah. See you around.”

“You sure like making promises with no certainty.”

If it were a real promise, I might have actually been surprised.

The Saint was practically handed over to Bernoa like an avatar, and right now, I was under Ashtar’s faction.

In that situation, if Pector entered Ashtar’s territory because of me, that would be a problem.

“Hmm. I don’t know. If you want a fight, I might come. Because the sword you’re holding is connected to mine.”

“What?”

Out of nowhere, he pointed at the sword hanging from my waist.

A sword that not just anyone could wield—the sword imbued with Pector’s power of despair.

“To be exact, no matter where you are or who you’re with, my sword is always connected to yours.”

‘Ughhh, was this guy a bartender or something before becoming one of the Four Heavenly Kings?’

Just by looking at him, I could imagine him scamming noblewomen in some foreign country.

‘It’s too obvious.’

‘Then he probably got stabbed and died, only to be resurrected as one of the Four Heavenly Kings. Yeah, that makes sense. Sounds about right.’

“I really don’t get why someone like you is one of the Four Heavenly Kings.”

“What?”

“Never mind. Just leave.”

He was like one of those slimy, sleazy pretty boys.

Especially considering what was inside him, he was even worse.

“Fine. Ah, and by the way, I’ve heard that the one called the White King is dangerous.”

“Oh, you mean that rising conqueror?”

Every few hundred years, some prodigy would emerge from a small nation, rapidly build a large country, and invade the empire—only to get beaten down in return.

Still, this White King felt unsettling even to me.

“Yeah. Be careful. His blade might be aimed at the empire. The empire has withstood attacks from the Four Heavenly Kings, but I wonder how it will fare against another human nation.”

“…”

“Yeah.”

With that, Pector disappeared.

***

‘Who doesn’t know about war?’ Even if we understand it, the emperor refuses to listen.

The truth is, an invasion from the White King, a fellow human, would be more dangerous than an attack from the Four Heavenly Kings.

Corrupt nobles could easily be swayed.

‘If it were a monster invasion, at least humanity would unite against a common enemy. But if the White King truly was a conqueror, that would be a real problem.’

“Olivia? Where’s Pector?”

As soon as Pector disappeared, Syria entered.

“He’s gone.”

“Hmm. He really is a strange one every time I see him.”

No kidding.

Even I find him bizarre.

“Yeah, he is. Sometimes I even wonder if he’s human.”

“He’s a demon.”

Right. Since he’s a demon, he technically isn’t human.

His appearance wasn’t bad, so I never understood why he always wore a helmet.

From a strategic standpoint, he could easily seduce human women like an incubus if he just took it off.

“Now that we’ve taken care of this, we’ll leave the rest to Kise and head to Crad Castle.”

“Crad?”

“There’s a Crad Castle nearby, and Rokton happens to be there too. It’ll be better to talk in person. Kise can do her own thing, but we’ll be faster.”

Crad Castle was closer than trying to meet up with Kise here.

Technically, as a subordinate, I shouldn’t be acting without Kise’s orders, but special circumstances call for special actions.

And considering how Kise operates, it’s probably better if I just do things my way.

“You’re not calling her ‘Sister’ anymore.”

“There are times for everything.”

Syria clearly wanted me to call her “Sister” no matter what.

I had said no a hundred times, but her mischievous nature wasn’t easy to kill.

“Well, that’s how people are, I guess.”

“What’s with that sly grin?”

She had the most annoyingly smug smile.

I’f I acted just a little more annoyed, she’d probably tease me even more.’

“I just think you’ll call her that when we’re with family.”

“Stop with those weird thoughts.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

That infuriatingly cheerful face…

‘Should I just ditch her here?’

***

Northern Demon Realm

After handling things in Ashtar, Pector headed north, deep into the Demon Realm.

This was his original domain—a place within the northern regions of the Demon Realm, hidden within a dimensional rift.

Even if humans were lucky enough to invade, they wouldn’t stand a chance here.

Pector had been using this place for so long that he couldn’t even remember when he first claimed it.

“Hah! Look at you, acting all important. Since when did the stubborn Pector start getting distracted by a woman and messing up the Demon Lord’s grand plan?”

Clanis watched through the crystal orb set up in the temple, seeing Pector chatting amiably with the Ashtar noblewoman.

It was ridiculous.

A demon meant to destroy humanity…

One of the strongest, possessing the most powerful authority…

‘And he was sitting there, playing neutral and flirting with a woman?’

‘And of all women, a descendant of the wretched Ashtar bloodline!’

“I’m just keeping my promise to Noah. I told him I wouldn’t invade the empire. Ashtar belongs to the empire.”

He sure talked a good game.

But in the end, it was just because he liked that man.

Clanis had plenty to say.

So he glared at Pector as if he wanted to kill him.

“Then why are you interfering when I try to destroy Ashtar? You have no reason to stop me!”

If his plan had worked, he would’ve wiped out the temples in that region, and Ashtar would have been dealt with in the process.

That would’ve weakened the empire drastically.

With Ashtar gone, the nobles who relied on it would rebel, throwing everything into chaos.

“There’s no reason to just let it happen either.”

“What? Hey! We’re the Four Heavenly Kings!”

Pector scoffed.

‘Four Heavenly Kings?’ What a joke.

There wasn’t even a Demon Lord anymore—what was the point of the Four Heavenly Kings and their so-called army commanders?

No, even now, the Four Heavenly Kings were all acting on their own.

If they actually united, they’d be powerful, but looking at this mess, that was impossible.

Pector shook his head.

‘This man is pitiful. I know he holds deep hatred for the empire, but still… pathetic.’

“You planned everything based on what I said, so why are you talking so much?”

“Ashtar is going to be a huge threat to us! Even now, the Demon Realm is on the verge of becoming their hunting ground because of those Ashtar bastards!”

Indeed, the Ashtar bastards had a solid strategy.

“Stationing troops at Crad Castle was the obvious move. But since a military campaign had already been launched, direct action wasn’t an option. Instead, an Adventurers’ Guild was established to keep the demons in check.”

From what he heard, renowned warriors had already gathered at Crad Castle and were clearing out the surrounding demons.

They couldn’t be ignored.

“If that is fate, then there’s nothing we can do.”

“Nothing we can do? Are you even listening to yourself right now?”

“Then what else was there to say?”

‘If anything, he just felt sorry for Clanis.’

Now that he thought about it, he was from the Empire too. He didn’t know him exact status, but with his noble features and refined aura, he was probably the son of a noble house.

At the very least, he wasn’t of low birth.

And yet, he hatred for the Empire ran deep—bone-deep.

He was mildly curious at first, but when he saw his expression, he lost all desire to ask further.

“Then what am I supposed to say? What does one say to a man who was once human but became so consumed by hatred that he lost himself and turned into one of the Four Heavenly Kings?”

“You—! How dare you say that!”

“If that wasn’t the case, then what? If my words are wrong, you’re welcome to kill me. But in the end, you’re just a crazy man.”

He didn’t even kill humans—he captured them and used them as test subjects.

Whenever something involved the Demon King or the Empire, he would lose his mind in a fit of rage.

And his devotion to the Demon King was nothing short of blind worship.

To put it plainly, he was the most unhinged of the Four Heavenly Kings.

‘At least Berna was better.’

‘At least Berna only used her power and sought affection.’

‘She was different from this deranged man.’

Come to think of it, wasn’t Olivia the one who took down Berna? Formerly Noah. She had changed after becoming a woman.

If he had still been human, he might have desired her.

After all, she was the only human who could go toe-to-toe with him.

‘No, wait. She isn’t exactly human anymore, is she?’

‘She was practically a demon at this point.’

‘The surprising part was that she hadn’t fallen into corruption despite her transformation. Then again, maybe the same could be said about him.’

‘If she was part demon, then didn’t that mean they were a good match?’

‘After all, Olivia was now a half-demon. Having a husband would be difficult for her.’

“Even so, your actions are still a betrayal against the Demon King.”

“Isn’t it about time you woke up? The Demon King… No, the Demon King was never the kind of person you think he was.”

“What do you know?!”

His eyes burned with fury.

He didn’t know if all traitors were like him, but one thing was certain—this man was not normal.

He was definitely crazy.

He was the complete opposite of Olivia.

‘Or did Olivia have a side like this too?’ That was something worth finding out.

But for now, he had to deal with the traitor glaring daggers at him.

***

“Let’s assume the Demon King really was what you claim. So what? What difference does it make? The Demon King is dead. Berna is gone. And who even knows what Seto is doing? There’s no one left in command. What do you expect me to do about it?”

“Just you wait…!”

“Hah.”

‘What was there to be afraid of?’

Clanis was no match for him physically.

Pector had only left him alone because he ranked somewhere in the middle among the Four Heavenly Kings.

“Honestly, the Empire will collapse even if you don’t lift a finger. The Seto you despise so much has already laid out the entire plan.”

“Is that so.”

Now he was just spouting nonsense.

‘Was he bored?’

‘If he was, he should just go find Seto or something.’

He wanted to tell him off, but he didn’t have the patience for more of his babbling.

“Inside the Empire, the black mages and anti-Imperial factions are stirring things up. Meanwhile, external forces are preparing to invade. What do you think will happen?”

And what did that have to do with him?

That was none of his concern.

His only connection was with Olivia.

Pector answered indifferently.

“The Empire will handle its own affairs. It has survived until now because humanity’s greatest power stands behind it. If the heavens favor humanity, the Empire will not fall.”

“Suit yourself.”

“Go ahead and try. But don’t think that woman you care about will remain unscathed.”

Well, whatever happened to the Empire had nothing to do with him.

Pector had only one goal—a rematch with Olivia.

Besides, Olivia was the one holding up the Empire.

Even if the entire world turned against it, it wouldn’t fall so easily.

***

After a long and eventful journey, they finally arrived at Crad Castle.

Much had changed since the day he had reclaimed it.

For example, unlike before—when Berna had thrown architectural design to the wind—the castle had been reconstructed using blueprints left behind by Eldakrad.

In fact, it had been built even bigger this time.

They had even constructed a watchtower with stationed mages to prevent another meteor strike.

Of course, if a meteor actually fell, it wouldn’t help much.

Still, the castle’s defenses were now strong enough to repel any demonic siege.

There was even a Crad branch of the Adventurers’ Guild now.

Given its location, adventurers from all over the country were bound to flock here.

After all, Crad was a crucial outpost in the Demon Realm.

There would be no shortage of people seeking to make a fortune using Crad as their base of operations.

‘Not bad. They used their heads for once.’