Chapter 62: Interlude – The Story of Raizein

“Tartarus has collapsed?”

Raizein Astaroth, the Legion Commander of the Pride Legion in the Demon King’s Army, widened her eyes in shock as she received the news.

Normally, she didn’t care about things that weren’t of personal interest, but this was different.

Tartarus was the foundation of the Demon King’s Army.

It was the source that allowed pureblood demons, who would otherwise wither just by existing in this world, to function at full strength.

It was essentially the life-support system for the entire organization.

And now, it had collapsed?

What would happen to them now?

“What… What was the cause?”

“We’re still investigating the exact cause, but it appears there was an issue with the bloodstone manufacturing process.

The entire base literally imploded, and such a large-scale explosion could only have been caused by a mutual annihilation reaction between magic and divine power.

Given the scale of the destruction, we assume everyone stationed inside the base has perished. The commander’s body has yet to be found, however.”

“Ha…”

Raizein leaned back into her chair, utterly exasperated.

So, Tarkus had managed to make a complete mess of things in the end.

“A truly fitting conclusion for an Abyssal Fiend. All they ever do is flaunt their strength like fools. Honestly, it was a mistake to entrust the management of such a vital supply base to a brute like him…”

She clicked her tongue in disdain.

“So, how do you plan to fix this? I hope you’re not going to tell me that you’re unprepared for such a situation.”

“Of course not. You can rest easy; the supply of bloodstones will continue uninterrupted.

We anticipated a situation like this and have stockpiled enough reserves to last the entire Demon King’s Army for up to 30 years.

Rebuilding the base is simply a matter of constructing it elsewhere.”

“Well, that’s a relief. At least we won’t have to degrade ourselves into mere humans to survive.”

Now that her biggest concern was alleviated, her curiosity piqued.

“But why are you delivering this message in person? For something like this, sending a subordinate as a messenger would have sufficed.

You can’t be so idle that you have time to run errands yourself, can you?”

Raizein glanced at the man before her.

His reddish-brown skin, triangular head, and thick hooked nose were immediately noticeable.

He wore a neatly pressed suit and black-rimmed glasses.

Although he looked similar to a creature commonly referred to as a goblin in Elpidion, his tall and imposing stature set him apart from the child-sized goblins.

It was this resemblance that had earned him the nickname “Hobgoblin” among humans, a lower-class demon species.

However, unlike most hobgoblins who ended up as mere foot soldiers, this man was not someone Raizein could treat lightly.

He was the chief strategist who had earned Sien’s deep trust during the Great War 500 years ago, and now served as the irreplaceable brain of the Demon King’s Army.

This was Igor Stam, the acting head of the entire Demon King’s Army.

“Don’t tell me you’ve come to ask for an excuse to suspend research in light of this incident? If that’s the case, I won’t accept such nonsense, so you might as well turn back now…”

“Haha, no, of course not. I wouldn’t dare overstep my bounds and deceive you, Raizein-sama.”

Igor gave a calm smile, causing Raizein to frown.

“No, I’ve come to ask you for a special favor this time.”

“A favor?”

“Yes.”

Raizein’s expression darkened.

“You have some nerve. You’re no better than Tarkus in this fiasco, and now you come to me asking for favors? Do you think I’ve forgotten the outrage from 15 years ago just because time has passed?”

“Perish the thought. I am still ashamed to this day for that failure. However, I believe I may have found a clue that could resolve that issue.”

“A clue? Really?”

Raizein’s interest was piqued.

“Then speak. I’m not fond of wasting time.”

“Of course. I was considering how to explain it, but…”

Igor opened the magical bag by his side and pulled something out.

It was the horribly mutilated body of a low-ranking soldier.

“…What is this?”

“A corpse excavated from the collapse site of Tartarus,” Igor explained, holding the mangled body before Raizein.

Raizein’s frown deepened, her eyebrows knitting closer together.

Though pureblood demons like her weren’t particularly averse to death, the sight of such a grotesque, bloodied corpse still brought a sense of distaste.

Even among demons, dragging a bloody corpse into a formal discussion was far from appropriate.

Igor, of all people, should know better than this.

Sensing her displeasure, Igor cleared his throat and continued.

“Please take a look here, at the wounds on the artery. See the clear bite marks? The marks left by sharp animal teeth?”

“I see them. And? What’s the point of showing me this?”

“Don’t you find it strange? According to reports, the collapse of Tartarus was caused by the explosion of bloodstones.

So, why would a corpse from such a disaster have bite marks from a beast? There should be no reason for such marks to exist.”

“Hmm… interesting.”

The more Raizein thought about it, the more it made sense.

If the base had collapsed due to an explosion, the bodies would have been crushed or incinerated, not gnawed on.

It wasn’t as if scavengers had dug up the bodies from hundreds of meters underground just to have a meal and then carefully buried them again.

In other words…

“So, you’re saying this was some kind of attack, and the explosion was just a cover-up?”

“That’s my belief,” Igor said, pushing his glasses up with a cold glint in his eyes.

“I found it strange from the beginning. We’ve emphasized the dangers of bloodstone for the last 500 years and established strict safety protocols to prevent accidents.

Thanks to that, we’ve had two centuries of perfect safety.

Aside from a few minor incidents due to mishandling, nothing major has ever occurred.

And now, suddenly, not a small incident but a large-scale explosion that wipes out the entire base? Doesn’t that seem suspicious?”

“That… does make sense.”

Raizein crossed her legs and folded her hands thoughtfully.

“Then who’s the culprit? Could it be the Inquisition? Did they catch wind of this?”

“No. We haven’t detected any large-scale movements around the base, nor would they be inclined to use beasts.

If it had been a full-on assault, we would’ve received word, not to mention the fact that the entire legion would’ve put up some form of resistance before being annihilated.

There was no communication at all.”

“That’s true…”

Besides, if it were the Goddess’s Church, they would’ve announced the discovery of Tartarus to the world and issued warnings.

They wouldn’t have quietly buried it by causing a bloodstone explosion.

Other human forces with similar power would likely act the same way.

But then, who could it be?

“Raizein-sama, you’re approaching this from the wrong angle.”

“The wrong angle?”

“Yes.” Igor raised a finger for emphasis.

“Instead of trying to deduce who the culprit is, think about what conditions they would need to meet to pull this off.

First, they would need to be able to avoid the detection of the Gluttony Legion’s surveillance system, either through a small, covert group or extremely high stealth capabilities.

Second, they would need enough strength to wipe out the entire stationed force, including Commander Tarkus.

Third, they would need an understanding of the bloodstone’s composition and how to manipulate it for such an explosion.

Fourth, they would need a strong motivation to keep their presence hidden from the continent.

And finally, they would need the ability to summon or control beasts capable of leaving these bite marks.

Who do you know that fits all five of these criteria?”

It was a difficult question, and Raizein couldn’t think of anyone offhand who fit those conditions.

Especially the second one.

Regardless of what she thought of the other commanders, Tarkus wasn’t just for show.

Although Raizein’s pride often led her to look down on the other commanders, she had to acknowledge that Tarkus had his strengths.

And his greatest strength was his combat ability.

“You mean… Father!?”

Raizein leaped to her feet, her voice filled with shock and realization.

“There’s no one else who could have done this! Even Tarkus, that muscle-bound pig, would be like a docile lamb in front of Father!

Those bite marks must have been left by a beast summoned through his magic. Am I right?!”

“You see right through it. As expected of you, Raizein-sama.”

Igor gave a faint smile.

“One of the theories about why the necromantic ritual failed 15 years ago was that ‘he had already returned to the mortal realm and was living his second life.’

That theory might have been correct after all. Who else but the Demon King could have caused such a catastrophe?”

“My gods, my gods…!”

Raizein’s face lit up with excitement.

If this were true, it would be the greatest news she had received in this century.

The collapse of Tartarus no longer mattered in the slightest.

Who cared about the lives of those lowly soldiers?

If Father had chosen to act, their fates were irrelevant.

Her shock quickly gave way to an overwhelming joy as Raizein began frantically moving around the room.

“There’s no time to waste! We must prepare to welcome him immediately.

Oh, how I’ve longed for this day for 500 years… Where did I put my ceremonial dress…?”

“Apologies, Raizein-sama.”

Igor cleared his throat, trying to bring her back to reality.

“Please, calm down for a moment. Even if it is true that the Demon King has returned, things are not as simple as they seem.”

“What?”

Raizein turned her gaze toward Igor, her eyes filled with a murderous glint.

The playful excitement from moments ago was gone, replaced by an ominous glare.

“What else could be a problem? What could possibly hinder a touching reunion between a father and daughter?

Be careful with your words, Igor. If you dare say something like ‘the timing isn’t right,’ I’ll rip your tongue out myself.”

“That’s not it at all. I wouldn’t dare obstruct your plans, Raizein-sama. But there’s a more… tangible problem.”

“A tangible problem?”

“Simply put, we don’t know where the Demon King is.”

Igor shrugged.

“No witnesses. No remaining traces.

We found nothing at the site that could confirm his identity or his whereabouts.

And to make matters worse, the leader of the Gluttony Legion, the only one who might have seen something, is missing—possibly dead.

It’s hard to believe that the wise Demon King would attack us without knowing who we are, so it’s almost as if he’s declared he has no intention of reconnecting with us.”

“…Are you saying that Father has betrayed us?”

“Well, it’s still too early to make such a definitive conclusion,” Igor said calmly.

“If the Demon King had truly defected to the human side, he would have publicized the existence of Tartarus to alert humanity. That would be the logical course of action.

But instead, he buried the base with an explosion, effectively helping to conceal the Demon King’s Army from being exposed.

In a way, this could be seen as a gesture of consideration on his part.”

“Hmmm…”

Raizein pondered over his words.

Neither returning to the Demon King’s Army nor joining the humans… Then what could Father’s intentions be?

Was he planning to quietly live out the rest of his days in hiding?

But that didn’t sound like the Father she knew, the one who always aspired to reach the highest of heights…

After a moment of deep thought, Raizein shook her head.

“I have no idea. I suppose the only way to find out is to ask him directly.”

“You think so too, Raizein-sama? I agree. My humble mind cannot begin to grasp the vast plans of the Demon King.”

“But you said we don’t know his location. How do you plan to find him?”

At Raizein’s question, Igor gave a sly grin.

“And that, Raizein-sama, is the very reason I sought you out today.

Now that I’ve explained everything, I would like to make a request. Could you lend me the Spirit Hounds under your control?”

“…Ah, I see.”

With just that, Raizein nodded in understanding.

The Spirit Hounds, synthetic beasts personally created by Sien, possessed unmatched loyalty and an extraordinary ability to detect souls.

Using them could indeed help locate Sien’s whereabouts. With no other solid leads, it was the best option available.

“In that case, sure. I’ll lend them to you. But I expect results by the end of this year. If you fail, you’ll have to take responsibility with your life.”

“I am deeply grateful for your mercy.”

Igor bowed respectfully.

Though he held the grand title of “Acting Head of the Demon King’s Army,” Igor’s position within the military hierarchy wasn’t particularly high.

In the Demon King’s Army, ranks were determined by personal combat ability, and as someone whose strength lay in intelligence, Igor should have been relegated to the lower ranks.

The fact that he had maintained his leadership role was not only due to his careful demeanor but also because the woman before him supported him.

Raizein Astaroth, the Legion Commander of the Pride Legion.

The Lord Vampire. The White Calamity. The Supreme Lady of the Moon.

No one in the army disputed her status as the strongest force in the New Demon King’s Army.

And more than anything else… she was the only surviving child of the previous Demon King, Sien Astaroth.

“Hahaha… I can hardly wait for the day I reunite with Father and share the joy of our reunion,” Raizein murmured, her voice thick with anticipation.

Had things gone differently, Raizein should have ascended to the throne after Sien’s death. She had been stronger than any of the remaining commanders.

But she didn’t.

Not only did she refuse to take the throne herself, but she also prevented anyone else from claiming it.

The reason was simple.

There was only one person worthy of sitting on that throne.

Then, and now, it had always been only one.

“Oh, Father… the one I respect and love more than anyone. I don’t know why you’ve chosen to hide, but I’ll find you soon. No matter what obstacles or trials stand in our way…

I will meet you again….❤︎”

With a dreamy smile, Raizein hugged herself, her sharp fangs gleaming under the moonlight.