171. He cherished him (2)
Then the Duke laughed.
There is nothing more foolish than relying on emotions, but trying to expect affection from me rather than someone else.
I guarantee you. Obviously I will kill them as needed when my contract is up. Even if they are saved, it would not be because of affection, but because they have utility or there is no need to kill them.
[Anyway, it’s been 10 years. Until then, please consider them as your nephews and take good care of them.]
[Your Majesty, even if the same is true for your other children, the age difference between you and the 9th Prince is only 5 years. A nephew.]
[So, your real brother?]
[…I think of you as a nephew.]
Ten years and a few more years have passed since then.
Although it may not have been what the 1st Prince knew or intended, it was a good choice to set a period of 10 years. Soon after receiving magical power from the Demon King, the Duke realized that he could use this magical power to nullify the contract.
Since there was a set period, it was left in place to save magical power. If there was no set period, magic power would have been consumed to remove the restrictions caused by the contract. Then the lives of the ‘children’ that the 1st Prince wanted to protect would have been in danger.
‘What I thought was an easy contract ended up being more complicated than I thought, but I just endured it and waited until the end of the period.’
Originally, the duke had planned to select another scarecrow candidate after the first prince died. I was planning to wield the king as I please and use that power to protect the first prince’s ‘children’.
Unexpectedly, the 9th Prince Edoardo Desert, who was the subject of protection, killed the others and ascended the throne. As the duke, he had no choice but to face a dilemma.
To protect it, you need more power than anything else. The pinnacle of power would naturally be the ruler of the country.
But unfortunately, the person to be protected was sitting there. It’s a situation where we have signed a contract to respect ‘free will’, so it’s too late to drag it down.
The duke decided.
‘Let’s take over in a peaceful way. ‘You just need to apply enough pressure to make them want to pass on it.’
It would be okay to this extent.
It was a judgment that came about because Edoardo Desserte did not realize the incomprehensible and terrible responsibility he had. Even if I knew, there would have been no other way.
Anyway, the duke watched the three people for 10 years as per his contract with the first prince.
So, is the Duke now in love with the children? Edoardo Dessertes?
‘….’
Even though the contract ended after 10 years, the emperor still remains the emperor.
Even though 10 years have passed, the crown prince still remains the crown prince and the princess remains the princess.
‘Anyway, the timing is bad right now, so I can’t touch it.’
It is a busy time to move to protect the empire.
The duke turned his eyes away from the difficult topic that could not be easily answered and looked at the present again. Now that what he could do was limited, instead of doing too much, he was focusing on the Salvation Church and helping to unite within the human world through public opinion warfare.
Even the process is not smooth and there are things that are annoying to the eyes, so it can be considered the worst.
‘The Demon Cult, the Revolutionary Army… things that would not have raised their heads before are crawling out.’
In particular, the revolutionary army’s image was rapidly rising through this opportunity. It is safe to say that it has been stigmatized as an organization that serves humanity.
Although the duke was irritated, he knew that they would be helpful, so he had to put his personal feelings aside. Because now there is a group that is more annoying.
‘Demonism.’
It’s a religion that clearly looks like demons are behind it, but why is it so popular?
After receiving reports that the number of people muttering ‘de-se’ in a low voice throughout the slums had increased, the duke was unable to bear the rising stress and wiped his face in despair.
***
‘Deon said. There is no harm in doing something first, so advance to the human world.’
While processing documents related to the Demon Cult that had entered the human world, 11th Corps Commander Ririnel recalled the past.
[Wouldn’t it be better to do it in advance, even if it may end up being a futile effort, rather than having to do it when you need it and not be able to do it due to lack of time?] [
That’s right.]
[Isn’t it? Demonism can be used for public opinion warfare, and although it doesn’t seem to have much benefit, it can be used to summon demons.]
It was an enchanting stand.
The human man in front of me, who was touching his handsome jawline and smiling, was extremely elegant and beautiful. Even the shadows under his eyes could not hide his beauty, so Lirinel nodded as if fascinated.
[That’s right. Deon is right! After receiving permission from the Demon King, I immediately entered the human world…!]
[No. Do I really need to ask the Demon King for permission?]
[Yes? Because it has something to do with the human world…]
[Huh?]
Deonhardt tilts his head to the side and folds the corners of his eyes. The finger raised as if to tap the desk circled over the back of Lirinel’s hand.
It rattled. My heart stopped.
‘No, you can’t die now!’
I can never die with Deon in front of me.
I jumped up, holding on to my spirit that was trying to escape. At some point, Lirinel held her nose, which had been dripping with blood, and shouted with enthusiasm.
[Of course! Let’s proceed right away!]
Deonhardt just laughed.
Even if we advance secretly, I don’t think the Demon King will know about it. This was just a test.
Since demons follow their father, the Demon King, is this absolute, or is it simply due to respect for the being responsible for the fate of the race and a bond with their parents?
In the latter case, ‘rebellion’ would also be possible. It would also be possible to rebel against the devil.
[There is no need to change the name of Demonism. Let’s advance as is.]
[Yes!]
And now, I have seen before my eyes that the corps commander is prioritizing ‘me’ over the devil.
The red eyes that were slightly revealed between the softly smiling eyelids sparkled.
***
Taking life is something that requires a lot of determination.
Recently, the two demons were keenly aware of this fact.
“The Dernivan baby keeps crying. What do we do?”
“….”
No, only one demon felt it.
Dernivan quietly looked at his superior who was looking at him blankly, then stretched out his hand to the baby.
***
Was it when he received the head of King Rweche’s younger brother, or when he heard the news that Paras territory had collapsed? At some point, Deon Hardt began having nightmares.
It was a pretty bad dream.
A dream in which vengeful spirits appear in such terrible forms that it is difficult to see them with a clear mind.
[Can you sleep peacefully after killing us?]
[Why did you do that? Why did you do that? Why did you do that? Why did you do that?]
[Die! Don’t shamelessly live, please die!]
Oh, if you have a conscience, you shouldn’t look at their behavior and say it’s terrible. Because the person who made it like that was me and no one else.
Deon stood in the middle of the dream and silently watched the ghosts that were oppressing him in all kinds of bizarre ways. I could have looked away or closed my eyes, but I didn’t. I would just stand there, make eye contact with them, and then wake up from my dream.
As this was repeated, the vengeful spirits that had once been ignored by Deonhard himself at the time of death seemed to have realized that the effect was minimal, and began to turn into people he knew and shout for them to die.
‘It didn’t matter anyway.’
Today too, Deon, who was watching the ghosts who transformed into various people and cursed him, raised one eyebrow as if he felt something.
[Die…die!]
I ignored the curses I always heard.
The dark, distorted black fog slowly takes shape, as if trying to imitate someone’s appearance.
Familiar body type and familiar height. Deon smiled faintly, feeling like he knew who it was.
“at las.”
I was waiting. When will he appear and when will he try to imitate his appearance?
I never thought it would be too late to figure out what would hurt me the most with the vengeful spirit that lives in my head. I really thought I was going to lose my mind while waiting.
As the shape gradually becomes more complete, familiar black hair comes into view. The moment when the face was finally completed.
Whoa!
A strong light burst out from a corner of my vision, as if covering everything.
“…!”
Deon opened his eyes.
The quiet view of the room greets him, as if the harsh, noisy voice was a lie. I blinked for a moment and slowly got up.
It didn’t feel real, so he stayed in a daze for a while. It wasn’t until the wind that came in through the slightly open window dried his sweaty body that he realized that this was reality.
“…under.”
He sighed deeply and buried his face in his hands. Haha, a hollow laugh escaped me.
“I never thought I would be kicked out….”
I knew it instinctively. I was kicked out of my dream.
…No, he couldn’t have been ‘kicked out’. I am the owner of my dreams. So I guess I woke up from the dream because I wanted to.
Is this the basic survival instinct that all living things have? Disgust rose up and I raised my head. A fluttering curtain caught my eye.
At the same time, a window with a cool breeze coming in comes into view, and a flower placed there catches the eye. The sight of it in full bloom under the soft moonlight was quite foreign, so I couldn’t help but fix my gaze as if I was fascinated.
‘…I guess Hien said it was a flower picked from the human world.’
I slowly got down on the bed.
As I got out of the blanket, my sweaty body was completely exposed to the cold wind and my body cooled down in an instant, but I didn’t care and went to the window.
The flower I saw up close was more intact than I thought.
“There’s no sun… it’s still vivid.”
Was it under the influence of magic because it was the Demon World? Anyone who sees it will think it’s a freshly picked flower.
After gazing at the flowers that showed no sign of wilting, I leaned my upper body against the window frame and clenched my chin. In that state, Deon tilted his head to examine the flower and muttered softly.
Talking to myself without anyone listening quietly spread through the quiet space.
“If my brother had told me to die, I would have died happily.”
At the end, the moment the ghost’s shape changed, he noticed it right away.
That’s Cruel. This is the older brother I have been waiting for. The vengeful spirit was trying to tell the human being, who was unable to die because his brother saved his life, to die in the form of Cruel.
The cold wind blows through my hair. At the same time, the flowers that cannot withstand the wind are shaking. Deon smiled softly, as if that look was trying to stop him from doing that.
“Well, okay. “I don’t think today is the day.”
If you change your mind, come visit me anytime, bro.
Ironically, I haven’t had a nightmare since that day.
It was a quiet dawn when the world was in silence.
***
“…What are you doing?”
“I will fasten your belt for you.”
“So I’m asking why you have it tied to my thigh.”
It is a day of meetings, not battles. But why are you wearing a belt that is used to fasten a dagger sheath? No dagger sheath, just a belt.
Regardless of whether the absurd gaze hit him or not, Ben said as he steadily tied the tough leather belt around Deon’s thigh.
“Since you keep dragging your thighs, I should at least tie you this.”
“….”
It was a word without a subject, but it wasn’t difficult to understand.
Ben glanced up at Deon, who was silent, and added as if he were nailing it.
“From now on, please hold your cigarette on this belt.”
“…If this continues, I’ll be late for the meeting. “I think it’s over, so get up now.”
Ben’s eyes narrowed at the obvious avoidance of an answer, but Deon ignored him and stood up.
He should be used to it since he has often worn the stiletto sheath, but today the feeling of it constricting his thighs was bothersome, so he had no choice but to cast his gaze at the belt for a moment.
I walked down the hallway and gathered my thoughts.
‘What can I say to convince them?’
Last time, I pointed out a route through the duke’s territory. He even put pressure on Idelia, who said he would turn around and go.
Those words will be overturned again. Since the Demon King would not come forward and help in something like this, I needed a valid reason, but…
“Corporation Commander 0 has arrived.”
…I arrived in front of the conference room door before I could even organize my thoughts.
