DSB 100

“What?”

Instead of the long-awaited demon story, a completely unexpected one emerged. Lebel continued, unconcerned with Damian’s confusion.

“The interior is in shambles because of the demon. The outer walls of the castle are also destroyed, how about we take this opportunity to do large scale repairs?”

“No….”

“Did the Empire pay compensation?”

“They told us to go to hell. They say they have no money.”

They barely managed to prepare the war reparations, and they covered the shortfall by sending Lebel as a bride, and they claimed that what the demon did was closer to a natural disaster so the Empire was also a victim, while they avoided further discussion.

“I expected that. Well, if we trace the root cause, it is also my fault.”

“…?”

When Damian looked at Lebel as if asking what he was talking about, Lebel soon continued.

“Repairing a castle does not cost just a few coins, so how about we move our residence instead?”

“Wife…?”

Yutis looked at Lebel, startled by this new revelation. Though Yutis hadn’t told him, Lebel understood the reason for his stubborn stay in the annex through the servants’ conversation.

“Are you keeping distance even with your own family?”

“No, that is not the case, but….”

“Then that settles it.”

“This is too sudden…. Weren’t you planning to use that place as a trump card?”

“I am going to use it, though?”

Lebel was only waiting for Damian’s answer. Damian let out a hollow laugh, but he checked Yutis’s reaction.

Why did Yutis live alone?

The reason he did not stay in the main castle and instead lived separately in the annex was that he would lose reason and run wild during his rut.

It was not as if Lebel would not know that. He even experienced Yutis’ rut firsthand. Or rather, was it because he knew?

“…It is a good idea. If you become the head of the family, it will be the place that becomes your castle, so you need to get used to it, and Lebel will be there too, so it should be fine.”

“Father agrees as well.”

Yutis gaped in confusion, but then nodded quietly. Damian was surprised by his obedient demeanor.

Iol, who was beside Damian, said with emotion.

“That is great! The place where the young master lived when he was a child is still intact! If we just change the furniture, it will be more than sufficient to live in again. We will quickly prepare the young madam’s room as well….”

“I will share a room with Yutis.”

“Ah, I am sorry. I just heard that a moment ago…!”

“It is fine. Just prepare it.”

“Of course!”

“I know Lord Lebel’s preferences.”

Mahan also joined in, engaging in a conversation with Iol. As Mahan and Iol began to fuss about the room’s overall atmosphere and their preferred furniture brands, Lebel took the initiative.

Damian chuckled, having only ever seen Lebel’s usual indolence. Yutis listened without saying a word.

“Yutis, are you really fine with this?”

“…Yes.”

Although the reply was late, his expression was bright.

Yutis’s hesitant expression proved that Lebel had just pushed ahead without consulting him, but he ultimately gave in. It wasn’t a bad change.

“Then that is settled. Since the demon targeted Lebel, it would be better for you to stay as close to him as possible.”

Keeping the two together was safer and better. The only problem was that Damian would have to see them stuck together even in the main castle.

“…You will be together not only during the day, but at night too.”

“I will be glued to him.”

The words were directed at Yutis, but Lebel confidently chimed in. Damian snorted as if he found it ridiculous.

“But did you forget something?”

“…?”

“The demon. I thought we were going to talk about the demon, and you said that if we trace the root cause, it is your fault, so what does that mean?”

“Ah. I forgot because there was something important.”

Lebel tried to reveal the truth belatedly, but Damian was faster.

“I heard roughly from Yutis. He said they tried to summon a demon by using you. If you are thinking like that because of that, then stop it.”

“That is not it….”

“They tried to use you because you were once an imperial prince. And now you are Yutis’s wife. It is obvious that they wanted to seize on your death as leverage.”

Damian had no intention of letting the demon’s appearance slide.

The fact that the demon had been hiding in the Empire, and the fact that the one who came to the North and gathered various information was the demon, were enough to make him uneasy.

Moreover, they tried to use Lebel as a sacrifice for summoning the demon, and Damian thought this was something the Empire orchestrated.

“That demon gathered information about the North. I thought that was a plan by the Emperor to invade the North once again through war instead of reconciliation. But that was not it. More than I thought… the demon might be plotting something far worse.”

Lebel tilted his head when he saw Damian’s serious expression. Yutis also had no idea what was going on.

Yutis looked at Lebel and asked with his eyes if he knew anything, but Lebel had no idea what it could be.

“Look at this first.”

Then Iol, who stood beside him, handed something over. It was a letter the Empire had sent urgently to ask for help from the North. From the messy, worm-like handwriting, they could tell how dire the situation had been.

“This arrived today in haste. It’s from the Emperor himself. Demonic beasts have invaded the Empire.”

[Finally…!! They should’ve moved faster!]

After reading the letter, Lebel understood Damian’s strange reaction. Karon cheered, and Lebel smiled.

The message said that, with no knights left to fend off the beasts, the Empire was being overrun and had swallowed its pride to beg for reinforcements.

After already being humiliated by the demon incident and forced to apologize, the sudden appearance of demonic beasts must’ve made things even worse. Lebel thought it was a pity he couldn’t see the once-arrogant Emperor’s face turn pale with despair.

However, Damian’s reaction was understandable. With the Empire in ruins, perhaps he thought the demon had other plans, independent of the Empire’s.

That demon wished for the North’s destruction.

“I think the exposed demon ordered the demonic beasts to attack the Empire. He didn’t die, but since he was defeated by Yutis, he probably turned his eyes toward the Empire instead.”

In response to those words, Karon, who had been excited, suddenly stopped moving.

“Are you planning to send reinforcements?”

“…If the Empire gets devastated by the demonic beasts, it’ll end up affecting us directly. What we need is food to keep our people from starving. And right now, a large part of our food supply comes from the Empire.”

Before the demonic beasts appeared, Northerners had lived self-sufficiently on their own lands. But after giving up half of the North as beast territory, they lost their footing.

Even though they hadn’t given up and tried to reclaim land, there were limits. That’s why they had no choice but to turn to the powerful southern nation, the Alcadi Empire.

They had never intended to start a war. At first, it began simply as exchanges between neighboring villages. But as Northerners began crossing into Imperial land, certain high-ranking nobles grew offended, talked about invasion, and eventually started a war that ended in disaster.

“Besides, I heard that villages and cities near the North are being destroyed by demonic beasts. If that continues, it’ll also disrupt the trade planned for spring.”

“…That would be terrible. I heard some of the cities near us have been reclaiming farmland that had gone barren. Won’t they be affected too?”

“I don’t know the details. I’ve sent letters, so we’ll have to wait for replies. The timing couldn’t be worse. We don’t even have idle hands right now…”

Then Karon tilted his head, leaned forward, and quickly read through the letter.

[Lord Lebel, something’s strange. I told them to target only the Emperor’s neck. I never said anything about killing other humans. The Empire’s territory is huge. Destroying villages and cities on the way would only waste time and give humans a chance to respond.]

Karon did hate humans, but not enough to commit mass slaughter. The ones who had offended Lebel weren’t the people of the Empire, but those of the Imperial Palace.

[Could it be Norman’s doing? He’s a demon too, and since his specialty is enchantment, he might have cast some sort of spell.]

If that was true, then why would he do it? The reason demons killed humans was usually simple, but Norman had joined hands with the crown prince. There was no way the prince would stand by while his own people were being slaughtered.

Well, aside from that.

“If it were up to me, I’d take this opportunity to seize Imperial territory.”

“…!”

Opportunities were meant to be taken when they appeared. The demonic beasts’ attack meant the Empire’s strength was faltering.

“…That would just start another war.”

Contrary to his bold declaration that he was not afraid of war and would not give in, Damian took a step back when the situation actually became serious.

“The Empire attacked the North during its harsh winter too.”

“War only brings suffering. And the ones who suffer the most are the powerless people of the lands. There are no true victors.”

Lebel couldn’t understand those words. But perhaps that was the difference between demons and humans.

Their lifespans and the meaning of death were completely different.

“And if a war breaks out, Yutis will have to take part as well…”

“On second thought, maybe that won’t be necessary.”

Hmm, that wouldn’t do.

“In any case, I think the recent rise in violent and powerful demonic beasts living in the North isn’t unrelated to the demon’s influence.”

“That’s not true.”

“How can you be so sure? You were almost kidnapped by a demon, so why do you have such a lack of sense of crisis? Do you realize that if it weren’t for Yutis, you would have been kidnapped without a chance to resist? You have no sense of caution….”

“Father.”

“…What is it all of a sudden?”

As Lebel, who had been listening silently, suddenly cut him off and spoke firmly, Damian flinched and asked back.