Chapter 271

Chapter 271

Otherworld Demon King Survival Guide.

Episode 271: This Castle Is Now Mine (10)

“Brother Kyuse, you’re doing so well!”

“Right?”

Since I took over the barony, Karuti’s movements had become much more comfortable. Karuti’s Evil Eyes were actively moving around, collecting information.

For now, Karuti’s report indicated that there were no immediate threats nearby.

“But Karuti, how’s the situation in the Demon Realm?”

“It’s somewhat stabilized. But the demons are still fighting among themselves. Other than us, no one cares about the Middle World or the High Heavens.”

“Useless fools. But is there a chance one of them might secretly come to the Middle World?”

“We’re keeping an eye on that as well. But the likelihood is low. The gap has widened too much, and if they allocate resources there, they’ll fall behind.”

It meant only someone at the level of the Duchess could handle it.

ㅡpoke poke.

As we were talking.

“Sha.”

Sharan poked the Evil Eye with her finger.

“Master, what is the Demon Realm like?”

“It’s a dark and gloomy place. Not a nice place.”

“Brother Kyuse? That’s because you lived in a bad part. If you ever come to the Demon Realm, you could live even more luxuriously than now.”

“Really? But my memories of living there aren’t great…”

“Wah! Don’t worry! You’re Brother Kyuse, favored by the Duchess! You’ll be treated accordingly!”

At my words, Karuti shouted in panic. She’s probably trying to promote the good side of the Demon Realm.

But for me, I liked this world the most, as long as I was with my family.

“Hehe, well, anyway, thanks for the report, Karuti. Keep working hard.”

“Yeah, since Brother Kyuse is working so hard, I’ll make sure to support you here. Hurry up and strengthen our forces. We need to deal with the angels to take over the human world.”

However, after dealing with the angels, we’d have to fight the humans. With the power vacuum, everyone would be trying to seize power.

Lots to think about.

“Lord Kyuse.”

Sister Angelica, the head of the convent, came to see me.

Had she completed her task?

I had assigned her a job.

“Yes, Sister Angelica. Did you gather the information?”

“Yes, it wasn’t particularly difficult.”

“Then please tell me.”

The task I entrusted to Angelica was simple: to investigate the opinions, concerns, and complaints of the humans living in this barony. As a well-known head of a convent, she had the ability to gather such information easily.

“Overall, they are expressing anger toward the angels. But there remains a major question.”

“What is it?”

“It concerns the annihilation of the baron’s army.”

As expected.

It’s a natural question.

The annihilation of the baron’s army—very few people knew the full details of what happened. Currently, rumors were swirling around the barony, claiming that a monstrous creature of unimaginable strength appeared, or that a monster army was responsible.

Of course.

The baron’s army consisted of the families and friends of the local residents. Now that they had all been wiped out, it was only natural for their anger and curiosity to grow. While their rage was currently directed at the angels, it would need to be resolved soon.

“The baron’s army was wiped out… and only the angels who went with them returned. And it’s known that the baron collapsed after being cursed. Many people are curious about this.”

“I understand. You’ve investigated well.”

This situation had been perfectly set up for propaganda.

Not only would we answer their questions, but we could also use this as an opportunity to further solidify our power. Excellent. This would be the theme of the next speech by the Saintess.

“Please bring the Saintess here.”

“Ah!”

ㅡswish.

I gave Sister Angelica a slight pat as she left, causing her face to turn red. Soon after, the Saintess entered the room.

“I have already heard the details. I’m aware of the situation regarding that issue.”

“Then, let’s discuss it. We will need to distort the facts.”

What we needed now was distortion.

Let’s organize the situation.

There were monsters in the uncharted territory.

The army sent to subjugate them was defeated.

The angels joined the fight for another attempt.

The army was wiped out, and only the defected angels returned.

Looking at it this way…

“What exactly is in the uncharted territory, and how was the baron’s army wiped out? What did the angels do?”

These questions naturally arose.

“An accurate summary. Everyone is curious about that.”

“Indeed. So, we’re going to distort it from here.”

“How would you suggest we do that?”

The Saintess leaned in close to listen.

“Listen closely.”

ㅡwhisper whisper.

I began explaining it simply.

“Hoho, quite the effective distortion, isn’t it?”

“Hehehe, it certainly seems like it will work.”

The Saintess nodded and smiled after hearing my explanation.

After all, this was distortion and propaganda. If we just announced it outright, there’s a high chance some people wouldn’t believe it. But the Saintess had already built up goodwill, and by now, there were even fanatics devoted to her.

In this state, if she made any sort of declaration, people would blindly believe her without even questioning its truthfulness.

“Don’t you think so?”

After explaining it simply, the Saintess smiled.

“It seems we are well-aligned. You’ve read human psychology perfectly. As you said, if we provide a reasonable explanation at this stage, it will become the truth, regardless of whether it’s factual.”

“How about you summarize this and use it in your next speech? It could ease the worries and questions of the residents while amplifying their hatred for the angels.”

“Leave it to me!”

ㅡclap!

The Saintess confidently placed her hand on her chest.

“I trust you!”

Hooray for the Saintess!

Distortion.

Distorting the truth was simple. You mentioned a few undeniable facts and then subtly slipped in false information. It took a lot of evidence to refute a distorted truth.

But who in this medieval land could gather such evidence? And the one delivering the distorted truth was none other than the Holy Maiden.

Could anyone really refute her?

“Listen, all of you faithful.”

The Holy Maiden, standing on the platform, spoke with gravity.

ㅡ…

With that, everyone gathered in the square fell silent.

“You all know well that the baron’s army was annihilated in the past. It’s a very sad and terrible event. The soldiers were all your family and friends. Losing them… must be truly horrific.”

ㅡrumble rumble.

The annihilation of the baron’s army.

This was the first time it had been publicly announced. Naturally, people started to stir.

“Today, I will reveal the truth.”

“T-the truth…?”

“What in the world!”

“Was it true that there were monsters in the uncharted territory?”

Addressing the agitated residents, the Holy Maiden began to explain.

“You must already know that a group of monsters appeared in the uncharted territory. Contrary to initial expectations, their numbers were large, and the army struggled. As they were preparing for another subjugation, the angels arrived.”

Here, the Holy Maiden lied about the number of angels.

It wasn’t the five present here. In truth, there were over 30. However, these angels did not share the same ideology.

They were divided between the evil angels who came to carry out the orders of the High Heavens, and those who were disgusted by this evil and sought to defect.

“The angels initially claimed they would help the baron. They said the monsters in the uncharted territory were all the work of demons and offered their support in subjugating them.”

“Demons’ work…!”

“Thus, the baron’s army marched forward with the angels.”

After saying that, the Holy Maiden paused.

ㅡflash!

Suddenly, she opened her eyes wide and shouted.

“But at a certain point during the march! The angels suddenly turned on them! They flew into the air and began shooting the soldiers!”

ㅡGasp!

“Angels…!”

“W-what is this?!”

The humans were stunned into shock by the explosive revelation.

“That’s right! The angels’ true purpose was to gather the baron’s army in one place, annihilate them, and take over this barony for themselves!”

ㅡScreeeeech!

Screams erupted!

ㅡAhhh!

ㅡArgh!

Everywhere.

The angels had deceived the baron’s army and slaughtered them. Screams were inevitable.

“The soldiers were dying, and chaos ensued. But at that very moment! The angels you see here rose up against them!”

ㅡShwaaa!

The Holy Maiden pointed to Lilriel and the other angels. They stepped onto the platform, spread their wings, clasped their hands together in prayer, and closed their eyes.

“They, too, have families! They have loved ones in the Celestial Realm! If they defect, their lives are in danger… But! They couldn’t stand by as they watched the baron’s soldiers being massacred before their eyes!”

The Holy Maiden’s charisma exploded!

“And so, these angels before you! They attacked the angels who were bombing the soldiers! They betrayed the evil angels and defected!”

“Ooooh!”

“O-ohhh!”

“Ooooh!”

The crowd immediately burst into cheers. The humans were practically worshiping Lilriel.

“It was a tremendous battle! These heroic angels before you risked their lives fighting against the evil angels! As a result, more than half of them were killed!”

The Holy Maiden continued to explain.

“Hehehe.”

Even I thought this was an excellent distortion. Not only were the people now blindly devoted to the Saintess, but we also had vivid eyewitnesses. If you didn’t believe this, you were a fool.

Anyway, once the distorted truth was revealed:

ㅡRoooaaar!

ㅡAaaargh!

“Those angel bastards!”

“We have to wipe them all out!”

“Ooooh!”

With cheers, anger erupted.

The members of the baron’s army were all family and friends of the people here. Those soldiers had been cruelly murdered by the angels.

Of course, they would be furious.

“Well, that went smoothly.”

The truth was, I was the one who killed them, and it had nothing to do with the angels. But I felt no guilt in deceiving them.

This was war.

A war that they started by invading. There’s no point in attaching elaborate reasons or excuses to it.

Now, this has become the truth.

The angels of the High Heavens killed the baron’s army, and the angels present here betrayed them and returned to stop it. That was the story’s final conclusion.

The Holy Maiden even added that the scattered forces were later attacked by monsters, further sealing the propaganda.

The anger toward the angels grew even more, and people showered praise on the Holy Maiden’s faction.

“How do you like the taste of propaganda?”

Should I turn the entire barony into something resembling a totalitarian state? The cohesion of fanatics was beyond imagination. Just look at the worst war, World War II. Ultimately, what bound people together came from ideologies born out of hatred and fear.