Chapter: 203
Seeing Jess like that, Noah quickly pulled the two apart in a fluster.
“Jess! What are you doing, you could get hurt!”
Suppressing a surge of jealousy, Noah scolded the girl, causing Jess to pout and back off.
Before Noah could breathe a sigh of relief, Jess spun around and clung to Lian’s arm.
“Jess!”
“I held him gently, so it’s fine!”
Noah was left speechless, just moving her lips without making a sound, and then she subtly intertwined her fingers with Lian’s, who’s hand was still held.
Lian, caught in a whirlwind of unexpected pink-tinted events utterly mismatched for the serious situation at hand, kept repeating “Huh?” and “Eh?” like a broken record.
Seeing Jess eagerly eyeing her prey, Lian’s cluelessness made her more determined; she leaned in closer, her face approaching his ear. Right when Noah was about to rush over to separate Jess again…
“Did they take our master’s body?”
“…!”
“…!”
Jess’s eyes sparkled with a newfound clarity.
*
The senses of beastmen were as sharp as a razor. Even the slightest rustle of the wind or the faintest sounds filtering through leaves were loud and clear to their ears.
Their steps were always light and quiet, perfectly capturing even the most distant objects as if they were right in front of them.
With pricked ears, they could casually dismiss sounds up to ten minutes away.
Inside Jess’s tent, the beastmen were the first to act quickly.
Noah spoke with a notably stiff face.
“Really, are they after Lian…?”
With a crunch, the ominous sound of gritting teeth filled the tent. Jess lowered her tail, nodding at the unpleasant thoughts bubbling up in her mind.
“They hung your master’s neck out there, and Noah was marked as a traitor to be killed. Luckily, they couldn’t find anyone strong enough to take your place, so it got dismissed.”
This essentially meant that if Noah had been weak or if there had been someone to replace her, both Lian’s and Noah’s heads would have been on the chopping block.
‘Those damned bastards.’
If they had rationally come to the conclusion to make an example of Lian through reasoned deliberation, it’d at least make sense.
No matter how loudly they claimed Lian was innocent, it didn’t change the fact that he attacked the Imperial Army.
According to Jess’s additional intel, this conclave didn’t reach such a simple yet rational conclusion.
No matter how Lian attacked the Imperial Army wearing his white mask, he was still the ‘son’ that the Duke was looking for.
It was ludicrous to so easily kill the true heir of a Duke’s family that had never had a legitimate successor.
‘They’re trying to snuff it out.’
If they were to execute Lian under the label of a traitor, it would erase the official heir to the Duke’s house, effectively butchering the Duke’s already growing power.
At the same time, they wanted to cut the roots before Noah, who could rightfully be called a “hero in troubled times,” gains new power and snatches away her achievements.
Blessed with little experience, the nobles concluded here and moved forward, but the politically savvy saw far beyond that.
After gaining Lian’s body through bribes to the stuffed clergy, they planned to ‘use’ it in negotiations with the Duke.
Additionally, they wanted to dampen Noah’s spirit, who was referred to as the hero of humanity by branding her as someone supporting ‘humanity’s traitor’. If Noah countered any further, they would have locked her away in captivity for days.
What would happen if she rebelled and drew her sword?
They would label Lily and her comrades as ‘rebels’ and immediately execute them. While Noah alone could probably cut down all the soldiers and officials stationed there, her comrades’ heads would fall before hers ever could.
If her comrades were taken hostage, Noah would have no choice but to submit, at which point they would show mercy and lift the death sentence, reducing her and her group to ‘slaves’ to be used as war labor.
After Jess calmly explained, Noah inhaled deeply and exhaled.
If Lian hadn’t pulled her out of that situation, Jess’s bleak future would have unfolded exactly as stated.
“…Thank you, Lian.”
When Noah expressed her gratitude, Lian replied with a smile.
“We need to get our comrades out of here. Is that alright?”
In a situation where she could be collarized by the nobles at any moment, Noah concluded that she had to sneak her friends away. Jess wholeheartedly agreed.
Then they began discussing significant strategies like ‘how to sneak Lian’s body out unscathed’ and ‘how to turn the nobles who want to exploit the beastmen against each other.’
*
At that moment, in a hidden room in a corner of the Demon King’s Castle.
A bookshelf occupying one wall was packed with ancient scrolls and tomes, and a broad table in the center was softly illuminated by candlelight.
On the table, a map detailing the continent’s terrain was displayed prominently.
Except for a mystic door allowing secret access, the walls were made of solid stone, blocking out any external prying eyes.
Surrounding the table were five antique chairs, two of which were conspicuously empty.
“Ugh -… Why call us when we’re having fun?”
With his arms crossed behind his head, Heavenly King Jiso complained with a tinge of irritation. Meanwhile, Heavenly King Lania yawned while propping her chin and responded with a smirk.
“Jiso, I heard your area got raided?”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
As he took a jab at the areas Lian and Iris had toppled while he was absent, Jiso angrily hunched over the table and slammed his fist down, thudding heavily.
The strongest and most introspective of the Four Heavenly Kings, Erboan, furrowed his brows and spoke up.
“If you wish to come down from the position of Heavenly King, keep talking like that.”
The position of a Heavenly King could only be relinquished through death, so Lania shrank back, shrugging while Jiso huffed and turned his face away.
Click.
As if hitting the perfect timing, the previously closed door creaked open, revealing the Demon King with long black hair and an indifferent expression.
The Demon King stepped slowly into the room, closing the door behind him, and even before taking a seat, he dropped a bombshell.
“We will be subjugating the Demon God from now on.”
“Eh?”
“What…?”
“….!”
While the Outsider did not publicly assert his existence, he occasionally made his presence known through the deep reverberations that filled the Demon King’s castle.
Those residing in the castle had to feel the palpable pressure that sent shivers down their spines a few times, which the Demon King had introduced as ‘Demon God’.
Hearing such words about subjugating that being left the Heavenly Kings utterly stunned.
‘Subjugation, is that even possible?’
‘Ugh… that’s not a pretty way to go about it.’
‘The Demon King has really changed.’
Though their expressions and reactions differed, their opinions unified into a singular thought: “Subjugating the Demon God? That’s nonsense.”
The Demon King began articulating the heinous actions of the Outsider and the future that lay ahead, as though he anticipated their reactions.
“Ugh, this is so annoying.”
Hearing they might be possessed by a parasite-like entity irked Lania, leading her to wipe her face in irritation.
“Hey… half of my territory has been swallowed up, you know?”
Jiso was furious, veins bulging on his head at the fact that the demons he had trusted had been possessed by the Outsider, allowing half of his territory to be absorbed.
“Ha… ha, so you’re saying I’ve been played with?”
The brain of the Demon Lord Army, who had only toyed with everything in his palm, felt a deep sense of humiliation upon realizing he was treated like a mere toy by the being referred to as the Demon God.
They weren’t blinded by rage or belief, nor were they mindless moths to a flame; as they ground their teeth in fury, they kept their thoughts rational.
Even in the most irritating situations, if the endgame was death, they would turn their backs without hesitation. Knowing this truth so plainly, the Demon King laid out his plans before them for a clear reason.
‘There’s no way to escape.’
‘If we don’t resist, we’ll ultimately face death, right?’
‘At least we’re fortunate if we can choose the manner of our death?’
According to the Demon King, any attempt to flee from here would lead only to a brutal death.
The more they sensed the profound power of the being called the ‘Demon God,’ the more they couldn’t hold onto the slightest hope of survival.
“I have a way.”
After making sure they understood the futility of escaping, the Demon King presented a single hole they could slip through.
They grabbed onto that one option presented to them.
‘…This time, it’s my turn to save.’
The Demon King, recalling the being who had pulled him up from the deep abyss, calmly made his resolution to face death.
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