DSB 129

“I don’t want to get stronger, but I do want to fulfill a long-held wish before I go. Since I’m from the North, you know what I mean? I recently sensed his power in the North.”

“You… saw Lord Lebel?”

“My contract partner is the child of a fairly prestigious family in the North. Thanks to that, I happened to see Lord Lebel. Of course, he didn’t even glance my way.”

“Ha, of course not.”

Norman felt both relieved and amused that Lebel treated other demons the same way he treated him.

“Then I heard rumors about a demon who supposedly attacked him. I just came to see what kind of fool it was.”

“Attacked him?! I only tried to serve Lord Lebel!”

Norman shouted indignantly, fuming at the injustice.

“You’re right.”

“You believe the nonsense humans spread? It’s humans who oppress Lord Lebel!”

“I know that well. And his partner is human… What’s more, that human didn’t know his place.”

This was sincere.

Merick had only obeyed Lebel’s command; he hadn’t yielded because Yutis, wielding the holy sword, had threatened him.

Moreover, hadn’t that human rebuffed him when he tried to swear allegiance to Lebel? A mere human. The resentment from that moment still lingered.

“See this?”

Blades forged by humans cannot wound demons. Yet the holy sword Michael gave him, imbued with divine power, had left a mark on Merick.

A faint, red sword wound remained on his neck.

“He recognized me, then threatened me with the sword. He said he couldn’t let me approach Lord Lebel.”

“I knew that human had come into possession of a holy sword.”

While concentrating on gathering his power, Norman was also gathering intelligence on the situation in the North. With all the commotion about holy sword and the guardian dragon, it was impossible not to know.

“I hear the demon in the North is being called a guardian. You know about that?”

Merick saw through his intention to pry information about the North, but he played along.

“Ah, he’s called that because he takes the form of a dragon. Compared to the demonic energy he possesses, he’s rather unimpressive. He’s been given power beyond his measure. He doesn’t know how to wield the demonic energy he holds. Probably because he’s younger than you.”

“What?”

“Ah, I didn’t mean to call you young. I was just stating a fact. Even I am but a child to that being.”

Norman felt annoyed but decided to endure it. He’d gained valuable information, and he couldn’t let some strange demon appearing before him ruin things.

Merick looked down at Norman and stroked the area around his mouth.

“I’d appreciate it if you answered my question too. I can’t for the life of me figure out what you’re planning to do. Are you greedily devouring souls to gain power? Even if you did, you wouldn’t impress Lord Lebel. That level of power isn’t anything special to him.”

“I’ll be stronger than that presumptuous human who took the spot beside him.”

“That human who barely seems human… In that case, I suppose I’ll help you.”

Norman raised an eyebrow, as if he didn’t understand the implication.

“Revenge must be had.”

Merick pointed to the scar on his neck. But Norman still didn’t fully trust him.

They’d conversed thus far, yet he had no intention of including him in his plans. He was already fully prepared, even without another demon’s aid.

“Don’t interfere with my affairs. When the war starts, your contract holder will die too, so why don’t you just think about returning to the Demon Realm?”

Even if they maintain their physical form thanks to their power, ultimately, when the contracted human dies, the demon returns to the Demon Realm.

“I told you. He’s quite a valuable human. Even if he participates in the war, he’ll just command from a safe place, so he won’t die.”

Merick continued with a sly smile.

“Besides, that human even has the holy sword. Facing him won’t be easy, right? You don’t need to be so wary. I made a contract with a human because I was bored. And since something interesting is happening nearby, there’s no reason not to meddle.”

“Didn’t you say you wanted to serve Lord Lebel?”

Norman knew he was currently deeply disliked by Lebel.

He was certain that if he could forcefully bring him here and have him live in the Empire instead of the North, he would surely come to appreciate the Empire’s wealth. But now was not the time.

“Didn’t I tell you? Lord Lebel ignored me. He said if I came for amusement, I should stay out of his business. But no matter how I think about it, a human wielding a holy sword is truly irritating. Especially since he even wounded me.”

“So you’re saying you’ll join me?”

“Something like that. Besides, I’m staying in the North. Do I need someone wielding a holy sword getting in my way? It shouldn’t be a bad deal for you. You gain another ally. A demon, no less. I’ve lived a long time, so if you need advice, feel free to ask anytime.”

Norman remained silent, lost in thought.

“Even if I wanted to serve him, bowing to a human is unthinkable. Shouldn’t we get rid of that human who doesn’t know his place?”

Norman was already nodding his head. Merick smiled subtly. As he praised Lebel, whom he respected, and badmouthed the despised Yutis, Norman’s guard slipped a notch.

His reaction grew more intense the more Merick badmouthed Yutis.

Merick uttered words he couldn’t say in front of Lebel, and in doing so, he won Norman’s favor.

***

The spark of war instantly seized the North. A tension hung over the castle. Yet one man remained unperturbed.

Damian, reading a report, turned his gaze toward Lebel, who sat on the sofa sipping tea.

“Are you not worried? “

“What is there to worry about? I sent Karon, and Luceris is by Father-in-law’s side. We will win.”

“I am not Edmund… No, never mind.”

As if the Empire had been waiting for this moment, they crossed the border. Edmund, as the head of the house, led the charge before anyone else.

At this very moment, the northern army must be locked in battle with the imperial forces.

Seeing Damian’s tense expression, Lebel cautiously spoke, wondering if he had been too indifferent.

“Even with superior numbers over the North, they’re a rabble.”

“You say that after hearing the information the demon brought?”

Merick had carried out Lebel’s orders well. He had stuck close to Norman, reporting every little thing Norman did.

Because of him, they had come to understand that the forces fighting the North weren’t composed of ordinary humans.

It was said that Norman absorbed the souls of humans, leaving only empty shells to be used as soldiers. They were puppets, devoid of will in their dead bodies, obeying only Norman’s commands.

Though the relevant details had been relayed to the knights beforehand, hearing about it and seeing it firsthand were entirely different matters.

But they were still enemies to be cut down.

“What are you worried about? If they’re already dead, isn’t that one less reason to hesitate? Killing fellow humans would normally require some resolve.”

“That’s not the issue. The question is how you can kill humans who are already dead.”

“Ah, I see.”

True enough, cutting a dead body with a sword wouldn’t actually kill it, if they’ve become Norman’s puppets.

“It’ll be a bloody mess. Humans naturally fear death, but those puppets won’t. They might not retreat even if an arm or leg gets chopped off…”

“It won’t be easy with our forces already outnumbered. Demonic beasts and other threats will surely be problems too…”

Damian’s hands moved quickly.  Information was the most crucial element in war.

Merick had gathered extensive intelligence. He’d extracted internal secrets one after another: that Norman commanded demonic beasts, that while the North struggled with demonic beasts and food shortages during the height of winter, the Empire had secretly prepared for war.

“Doesn’t that require large-scale magic? Put Karon or Luceris to work. Just crush them until they can’t move. We have demonic beasts on our side too.”

“I know. Thanks to you, I’m putting them to good use. Karon’s throwing every tantrum imaginable, enough to make it into the reports. Though there are reports protesting that fighting alongside demonic beasts makes no sense…”

Karon had summoned Morbelk beast, who had once been part of his own pack, to aid in the war, and Luceris, as if his body had been itching all this time, was now thrashing about like a fish in water.

Having returned to his true size after so long, he radiated an intimidating presence, spewing fire all around. Undead soldiers might not fear flames, but they turn them to ash. They said the northern forces are growing stronger by the day.

“If they heard we’re fighting alongside demons, they’d be shocked to their core.”

“…Please don’t get caught.”

“We won’t. That’s why we moved quietly.”

Damian wanted to ask if that was what he called moving quietly, but he closed his mouth.

“By the way, why haven’t we heard anything since then? They say a demon appeared on the Empire’s side. Is he one of ours? Did that… one side with Norman?”

“That can’t be.”

Lebel was confident that such a thing would never happen, even if heaven and earth turned upside down.

“Even if it did, the outcome wouldn’t change.”

“Well, you’re confident.”

“That wasn’t why I brought Merick in to begin with. I was targeting humans.”

“Targeting… humans?”

“Humans who would take my words at face value. Since revealing my true nature is difficult, I need to play my cards right.”

Lebel said with a relaxed expression, sipping his tea.