DSB 52

“…It seemed like you knew that beast.”

“Something like that.”

Lebel spoke while he looked at the beast.

“You won’t say anything?”

“Woof!”

Yutis briefly glanced back and forth between the two, his expression wavering, then quietly stepped back. As he stepped back, the demon suddenly stood up and stuck its tongue out at Lebel.

[You bastard, who do you think you’re trying to lick!]

“You lost. So you’ll withdraw. This land is mine.”

[Lord Lebel… I’m sorry. I should’ve won. I should’ve saved you myself…]

Karon’s voice trembled between a growl and a sob.

He was a demon. Losing to a human as a demon was maddening, but losing in front of Lebel made it unbearable.

“What nonsense. I’m quite fond of this life.”

Karon burst into louder tears.

‘Lord Lebel, have you already grown attached to a human…’

After seeing Lebel’s reaction, Karon couldn’t deny it. He had already known from the time he watched over Lebel beside the Demon God.

That human was someone Lord Lebel considered special. Karon had believed at least his own devotion would surpass that, but it didn’t seem so.

He had spent hundreds of years serving beside Lebel just to have his existence recognized, while that man, through luck, had taken the position of Lebel’s mate. He was a human who didn’t even know his place.

Karon stopped weeping and glared at Yutis with fierce, burning eyes.

While Lebel spoke with Karon, the onlookers were dumbfounded. They hadn’t heard what Karon said, but they couldn’t hide their shock at how the beasts behaved toward Lebel.

Not only the leader, but every beast behind it lowered its body before him in submission.

“Wh-what’s happening?”

“The beasts, they’re obeying Young Madam!”

“W-wait! Young Madam, what is this?”

Lebel tilted his head.

“Is there a problem?”

“A problem…!”

“No. None.”

Bron tried to demand an explanation, but Yutis, who would obey anything Lebel said, glossed it over.

“Lord Yutis, you’ll just let this go? This is a huge problem! Young Madam, what did you do? You made the beasts… oof!”

Yutis elbowed Bron’s side mercilessly. As Bron coughed and failed to continue, Theo finished for him.

“Do you have some ability to command beasts?”

[Ability to command beasts? You think Lord Lebel uses some trick to make us obey? We bow our heads because it’s natural! Humans really are…]

Karon was endlessly muttering.

[Bow your heads too! You aren’t even worthy to meet his eyes!]

But Karon’s voice didn’t reach the people.

“You don’t have to explain.”

Lebel looked at Yutis’s face, then at the others’ astonished, curious ones.

“No, I suppose an explanation is needed.”

By human standards, this was probably a rare occurrence. Besides, Edmund had said something like that before.

Lebel had no plan to reveal that he was a demon, but he didn’t intend to hide his power either. If he had wanted to, he wouldn’t have ignited the demonic flame that day.

He knew from the start it couldn’t be hidden forever, so he had expected a day like this to come. He only didn’t know who to tell, or how much to tell.

“I can use magic like you do. That’s why I knew you were a mage, and that’s why I lit that flame that day. Making beasts obey, that too can be called a kind of magic.”

The beasts bowed their heads not because of a spell but because they feared the demonic energy contained within Lebel’s vessel. Since magic could accomplish many things, people would easily believe it.

“That makes sense… But mind magic requires a high degree of concentration…”

Bron murmured, but others were already thrilled. It was enough that the precious Young Madam was a mage; now he even had the power to make beasts obey.

“Young Madam made the beasts submit!”

“All the beasts bowed to Young Madam!”

Everyone shouted in excitement. For those who had their land invaded and fought against the beasts, Lebel’s power was awe-inspiring.

Hearing their cheers, Lebel muttered dryly, “Not all beasts.”

“Even if not all, Young Madam saved the territory. I’ve never heard of so many beasts submitting to one person in an instant,” Theo seriously said.

Lebel looked around indifferently. Several beasts, each five times the size of a human, bowed their heads in silence. It was a sight to behold.

“Even the young master couldn’t do this.”

“The beasts fear him, but they don’t obey him.”

“And only the weaker ones fear him. Those beasts aren’t weak at all!”

Then Yutis suddenly pulled Lebel into his arms. Lebel blinked up at him, unable to understand the abrupt embrace.

“You’re going to call me amazing too?”

Yutis said nothing and only held Lebel tighter in his arms. Feeling somewhat stifled, Lebel called his name.

“Yutis?”

“My wife, I…”

Yutis frowned. Lebel tilted his head, unable to understand his reaction.

“What’s wrong? Are you hurt?”

“No. That’s not it…”

Lebel looked at him, his odd behavior was confusing, but Yutis calmly continued.

“If not all beasts obey you, then please don’t do things like this again. It worries me.”

So that was why his expression had looked strange.

“You were beside me, so there’s nothing to worry about. If something happens, you’ll come running. Like the first time we met, or when I was in danger.”

Lebel laughed as he spoke. It had always been Yutis who came whenever something happened. Lost in those memories, Lebel didn’t notice how Yutis’s expression had grown heavy.

When they finished praising Lebel had and the heated air had calmed down, Lebel spoke.

“Yutis, I have a favor to ask.”

“Please tell me anything.”

“Wait a moment.”

Lebel stepped out of Yutis’s embrace and spread his arms toward the beast that had seemed to be the leader.

Karon, who had been grinding his teeth and showing hostility toward the humans, was now wailing.

What a pitiful sight.

“Karon, stop crying and come here.”

[Lord Lebel…!]

Something small wriggled on the forehead of the beast everyone had thought was the leader. From between its fur, a small form popped out and jumped into Lebel’s arms.

“A baby beast…?”

Everyone had assumed the massive creature was the leader, but it was Karon who had given the orders.

Like Lebel, Karon’s demonic energy was of a different quality, enough to command beasts. He was a demon of a different rank altogether.

To descend from the Demon Realm into the Middle Realm, Karon had chosen that beast’s body as his vessel.

The small black wolf with soft, thick fur clung to Lebel’s chest and shed large tears.

[I’m sorry, Lord Lebel… I should’ve knocked that human down. I should’ve freed you. But I was bound by restrictions of power and couldn’t defeat him…]

So that was why he cried. It was understandable for a demon to feel humiliated at losing to a human.

“That won’t do.”

Karon cried even louder.

[Why did the Demon God place Lord Lebel in such a weak human body…! If not for that, you never would’ve married that human!]

“It’s better than the place they call the Empire.”

[And to think Lord Lebel’s once mighty demonic energy has grown this faint!]

“You’re the same, Karon.”

He continued complaining about his miserable circumstances and now seemed on the verge of cursing the Demon God himself. It was nice to see him again, but Lebel wished he would stop soon.

Karon rubbed his small furry face against Lebel’s cheek, and the black fur tickled his nose.

“Stop crying. Life here isn’t so bad.”

Lebel patted Karon’s back to soothe him, then turned to Yutis and said, “This one is Karon. I want to take him to the castle. Is that alright?”

“If that’s your wish, anything is possible.”

“Thank you.”

Lebel felt the gaze of the other beasts fixed on him and Karon. Karon could be brought along, but those massive ones could not.

“You all can leave now. This is my request, but I’d like you not to eat any humans. If you do, my husband will have to leave.”

If they attacked the nearby villages, Yutis would have to intervene.

The beasts whimpered pitifully, begging him to take them along.

“Hng, hnn…”

“You’re too big. Go back to your own territory.”

[Yes, return to your places.]

Karon straightened his small body in Lebel’s arms and spoke to the beasts as if he had never been crying.

The beasts left as Lebel ordered, though they looked back with reluctance, but Lebel remained firm. After watching them depart, Lebel turned.

“Yutis, let’s go too.”

“…..”

“Yutis?”

“Yes. Let’s go.”

Yutis held Lebel’s hand tightly. His eyes still looked dark.

Karon, held in Lebel’s arms, had growled at Yutis but had quickly fallen silent after receiving a scolding from Lebel, something Yutis himself hadn’t noticed.