DSB 76

“Have you lived only inside the castle, Your Highness?”

“Well, most of the time.”

“Have you ever toured your territory? Have you ever seen a demonic beast with your own eyes?”

“Karon standing before you is also a beast.”

“Ah, I mean a real demonic beast, not such a small one.”

[You insolent fool…!]

Lebel quietly stared at Karon. Even as Mahan and Karon’s eyes grew fiercer at Norman’s insolent remark, he seemed unconcerned.

It was the typical arrogance of a demon, scorning those weaker than himself.

“Isn’t it fascinating that they exist only in the North? And on top of that, they’re strong.”

Norman’s eyes sparkled with hunger for power.

“They say beasts in the North are particularly strong because the region is saturated with demonic energy. If one could learn to control that energy, one could become stronger.”

That made sense. Lebel himself had grown sturdier as his body adjusted to his soul after absorbing demonic energy in the North. It was natural that demons would seek power as well.

“What do you plan to do once you become stronger?”

“To defeat the demonic beasts, of course. Beasts could appear in the Empire bordering the North. And I’ve heard that in the North, people’s lives are already oppressed by them. I’ll make sure no one trembles in fear of beasts again.”

It was strange to hear such words from a demon. Was he really aligned with the Emperor or the Crown Prince? One of them could very well be his contractor. It was also possible that they had sent him North deliberately to meet him.

Norman seemed to have endless questions, showing no sign of ending the conversation. Sensing his intention, Lebel closed his eyes seemingly tired. Seeing this, Mahan seized the moment to drive Norman away.

“I’m sorry, but as I mentioned earlier, Lord Lebel’s health isn’t well. Please take your leave.”

“Are you feeling unwell? But we haven’t finished talking… Ah, never mind. I should go as well. I enjoyed today’s conversation.”

Though he made it clear he didn’t want to leave, Norman abruptly stood up, and Mahan, puzzled, escorted him outside.

[Why did he suddenly act like that? He ran his mouth without a care, and now he’s backing off so easily.]

“Because Yutis is coming.”

[What? What does that have to do with anything? Don’t tell me that demon’s scared of him and running away?]

“Even if he’s demon, he still has a human body. Karon, you should know that yourself.”

[…Tch.]

Karon pouted unhappily and grumbled.

When Mahan returned after seeing Norman off, Yutis was standing beside him. His expression was anxious.

So, he knew Norman had spoken with him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t be wearing that expression. And no doubt he had already scolded Mahan for it.

The funny part was that the one who probably did the scolding looked even more sad.

“I’m sorry. I couldn’t stop him. I tried to warn him not to approach you, but he never appeared before me.”

Judging by the way he clenched his teeth slightly as he spoke, Yutis must have tried several times to confront Norman and failed. Lebel recalled Norman’s attitude earlier.

Of course, as a demon, Norman would have sensed demonic energy and known even from afar that Yutis was approaching.

“He must have found it hard to face you. It seems he’s afraid of you.”

“…Afraid of me?”

Yutis looked startled by his words.

“So he ran. Maybe you faced each other on the battlefield once. After all, he’s a mage.”

Lebel was certain. Unless he felt genuine danger to his life, a demon wouldn’t suppress his curiosity or avoid a human.

Since he showed so much interest in the North, he must have been deployed in the war as a mage. And if he cared enough about Lebel’s demonic energy to approach him, then naturally he must have noticed Yutis as well.

Even when Lebel went to meet him earlier, Norman had been watching Yutis warily. But when he noticed Lebel standing beside him, he changed his target and came to him instead.

The reason he focused on Lebel was his demonic energy. In that case, it would have made more sense to approach Yutis, whose energy was stronger, but he didn’t. He must have thought Lebel would be easier to manipulate.

And since he had orders from the Crown Prince to contact him, it served both purposes at once.

Thinking about it that way made it all the more unpleasant. In the end, he had only approached him because Yutis was too intimidating to touch.

But that also meant the demon had avoided Yutis out of fear. Even if Yutis couldn’t use his full strength because of his human body, the fact that his mere presence could make a demon tremble was undeniable.

“As expected, my husband is incredible.”

He couldn’t help feeling proud.

Lebel smiled and praised him, but Yutis looked at him with a conflicted expression, unsure whether to feel pleased or not.

[Tch. Why’s that guy so scared…]

Karon muttered with his lips jutting out. Though he understood Norman’s reaction, having once lost to Yutis himself, it still felt humiliating as a fellow demon.

“But why did he approach you, my wife? If he feared me, he shouldn’t have gone near you.”

He had to know that wandering near Lebel would inevitably provoke him.

Lebel noticed the dark surge of demonic energy swirling near him and closed his mouth.

Ah, he’s angrier now.

Yutis’s silver-gray eyes flashed as he pressed his lips together. His eyes seemed to be burning with anger and anxiety.

“We only exchanged trivial words.”

“You were the one who told me to be cautious because that man is a mage. I don’t like that the Empire sent a mage here, and I don’t like that he’s showing interest in you. If that man has realized that you’re a mage too…”

Yutis took a deep breath, he didn’t even want to imagine what would follow.

“Not every mage can recognize another mage.”

“But you could.”

“I have good eyes. If he had recognized me, something would’ve already happened.”

Though he had noticed something else instead.

“…I don’t have a good feeling about him.”

Lebel squinted and scrutinized Yutis. He was always sensitive about anything concerning him, but his wariness toward Norman was unusually strong.

“He might have done something under the pretense of treatment, something that… no, forget it.”

“Hm?”

Treatment? Why bring that up? Maybe his wariness came from sensing Norman’s demonic energy.

Lebel looked around. Mahan also seemed tense. His fists were clenched, as if he were swearing to keep Norman from ever approaching again.

Both of them were angry at Norman.

Lebel thought. Doing something under the name of treatment. That must refer to what Norman had done when he served as his physician.

When he recalled those memories, he realized that none of the things Norman had done to “heal” him were remotely normal.

It was already absurd that a mage became a court physician, and even more so because he wasn’t human but a demon. Everything he did was far beyond human reason, and none of it considered his well-being.

It couldn’t even be called treatment. He had drawn his blood, chanted incomprehensible spells, and carried out acts that defied understanding. From those memories, Lebel had caught hints of what he had been trying to accomplish.

They couldn’t possibly know about that, yet judging from their behavior, it almost seemed as if they did.

How could they know what had happened in the Empire?

“I don’t want you meeting that man again.”

“It’s all in the past.”

“It’s not just the past. Even now, Norman’s reputation is far from good. He may be a mage trusted by the Crown Prince, but even among the envoys, people say his temperament is vile.”

Ah, so that was it. He must have done things that would naturally make others repulsed.

If even the envoys talked about him, it was proof that his relationships with others were poor. Humans liked to gossip, so they probably had a rough idea of his character.

Lebel had thought he behaved decently among humans, but he had still received plenty of odd looks himself.

“They say he’ll do anything to satisfy his curiosity. That he’s cruel and has no sense of compassion.”

That was how demons were. It was natural for them to care only about the fields that fascinated them and to seize anything they wanted by any means necessary.

He wasn’t much different.

“You know him quite well.”

“I had to look into him. You told me to be careful.”

[Even though I don’t like agreeing with this human, I also think nothing good will come from keeping that demon close. The way he looks at you is detestable.]

So, that demon was despised by everyone. Well, he didn’t like him much either, so he wasn’t planning to let him do as he pleased.

Maybe he still hadn’t given up on whatever he’d been trying to achieve in the past. Maybe he was feeding information about the North to the Empire. He needed to find out what he was after.

One thing was certain: he had been sent by the Crown Prince.

“You said he’s a mage trusted by the Crown Prince.”

“Yes. Crown Prince Biakin personally introduced him to the imperial palace as a skilled mage.”

It was Mahan, not Yutis, who explained this to him.

The letters had been sent by the Crown Prince, and if the decision to send the envoy also came from him, then the person closest to the demon was the Crown Prince himself.

The Crown Prince was the second most powerful figure in the Empire. For someone like that to associate with a demon was troublesome, especially if he was the demon’s contractor.

And if the Crown Prince had made a contract with a demon, the wish he would’ve made was obvious.

Either he wanted to turn the Empire into a great power, or he wanted to become Emperor himself.

Since the Emperor did not distrust no the Crown Prince or block his succession, the first seemed more likely. In that case, something would surely happen the moment he ascended the throne.