“…So, what do you mean? Won’t you give me an answer?”
Valetta had a face full of expectation.
Ezekiel pondered calmly.
Honestly, it was a ridiculous proposal. To clash head-on with the Emperor someday? Isn’t that basically treason?
It was naturally not something that should be accepted.
But…
‘There are a few gaps in the deal.’
Ezekiel asked the Demon Lord for clarification again.
“Afterwards, a single collision with the Emperor. Is that enough for now?”
“That’s sufficient for now! You can’t decide everything from the start. For the first deal, that’s good enough.”
As expected, Valetta didn’t discuss the death match between Ezekiel and the Emperor. All that mattered was that Ezekiel, regardless of when, would clash with the Emperor after achieving something.
And Ezekiel had a legitimate reason for that now.
‘Arcne.’
He needed to question and stop the Emperor from carelessly consuming the things Ezekiel cherished, including the recent Arcne incident.
Since common sense didn’t apply here, there was no choice but to confront head-on. Instead, the contract with the Demon Lord might serve as a catalyst for that.
‘If this goes well…’
When Ezekiel first felt the Demon Lord’s energy, he thought he was facing an unimaginable threat. However, organizing the details of the deal made it seem otherwise.
He could save Arcne while gaining the power to warn the Emperor of his strength. If he continued to grow stronger, he wouldn’t be easily swayed by the Demon Lord later on.
Wasn’t this a chance to catch multiple rabbits at once?
“My Han-shin, you won’t refuse, right?”
The Demon Lord cooed like a child begging their parent for a toy.
He finally understood why the Demon Lord approached him this way without threats.
The desired result could only be achieved if Ezekiel moved because he wanted to. It wouldn’t work if forced through threats.
‘Then.’
Ezekiel fully grasped the situation.
In this situation, he was definitely not beneath the Demon Lord. Rather, he could be in an advantageous position against her.
What needed to be done was clear. Change the deal to be more favorable.
“It’s strange. Aren’t you in a hurry? It’s time for me to hear your answer…”
Finally, he opened his mouth towards the urging Demon Lord.
“Are you asking me to trust the words of a Demon Lord?”
“I didn’t tell a lie. Oh, should I tell you the difference between my deal and yours right now?”
Snap─!
As the Demon Lord snapped her fingers, a bright red sphere had appeared on her palm.
“My deal pays the reward upfront. Eat the Blood Sphere first and let’s start in a good mood.”
“Are you only talking about rewards? What if you break the promise not to interfere later on?”
“Why would I need to do something that would earn your hatred? Han-shin, the moment you lose all motivation and do nothing, it would be a huge loss for me.”
Valetta replied calmly to each point.
It didn’t feel like simple excuses; each answer had merit. Even Ezekiel could agree.
Ezekiel stared blankly at the Demon Lord’s palm, which held a Blood Sphere. If equated to the Sun Elixir, it was worth about a drop.
“One isn’t enough. I want at least four.”
Now that he knew he was in an advantageous position in this deal, there was no reason to hesitate. It wasn’t wrong to demand this much.
“Hmmm…?”
Of course, Valetta let out a sound of surprise. It was natural since it was the rarest item from the Demon Realm, and he was asking for four times the amount.
The Demon Lord grinned.
“My dear, isn’t your whining a bit too much? Even taking just one would greatly boost your growth.”
“I’m consistently making accomplishments equal to three drops of Sun Elixir in the continent. Yet, you’re asking me to take just one Blood Sphere? The ratios don’t match.”
Ezekiel thumped his heart a couple of times.
“You know full well that if the balance of energies isn’t right, my body will break down. If you want me to get stronger, shouldn’t you give me that much?”
“…Alright. Then not four, but three.”
The Demon Lord smiled brightly and handed three Blood Spheres into Ezekiel’s grasp, and at that moment, the barrier they were hidden behind began to fade.
The deal was successful.
Now it was time to part ways.
“See you later. My Han-shin, will you maybe be a father later on? Building a family with the Goddess?”
With that mischievous joke, the Demon Lord vanished without a trace. She disappeared in an instant through teleportation.
Seina and Agnes, who had been waiting outside, quickly rushed to Ezekiel’s side, creating quite the commotion.
“…Master, what happened with the Demon Lord?”
“More importantly, are you alright?”
Concern showed on the faces of the two women.
It was only natural. Ezekiel, who previously got kidnapped by the Demon Realm, was facing the Demon Lord again.
“It’s fine.”
Ezekiel just lightly nodded.
He seemed to have made a beneficial deal with the Demon Lord, but it was too much to explain all the details.
Thump─! Thump─!
Suddenly, his heart began to race. The Blood Spirit within him was urging him on. It wanted him to consume the Blood Sphere he held.
From Ezekiel’s viewpoint, there was no reason to hesitate. It would be better to grow stronger before seeing the Magic Tower.
“…I need to concentrate. Please guard me for a moment.”
Leaning his back against a large tree trunk, he poured the Blood Sphere into his mouth and immediately closed his eyes to begin focusing.
Immediately, an immense surge of mana roared within him.
Two whole days passed after that.
In the city of Clatie, where the Imperial Tower and Magic Tower promised a joint deployment, only the Magic Tower had arrived thus far.
Zeta, despite his arrogant nature, wasn’t shallow or careless in thought. Therefore, he had set up camp in Clatie four days ago.
‘If I’m late, who knows what I might get accused of.’
The war of strategy between the Imperial Tower and Magic Tower had already begun. They wouldn’t let any points be given that could spark an argument.
Tap─ Tap─
Zeta was still leading the purple elders in patrolling Clatie. The task was simple: eliminate the fiends disguised as humans.
Suddenly, Zeta thought of his younger sister Herta.
‘That idiot.’
She hadn’t joined this joint deployment, claiming there was something on her mind. Zeta found that to be utterly foolish and cowardly.
Meanwhile, the elders were busily currying favor with Zeta.
“The joint deployment was proposed by the Imperial Tower, wasn’t it? Yet they promised the date, and now two days have passed without a word. What kind of attitude is that?”
“Isn’t it an arrogant attitude wishing that the Magic Tower would handle everything for them? Cowardly fellows.”
“Ha! Thanks to that, it’s perfect for us. The citizens of Clatie will trust us completely!”
The elders were indeed speaking the truth.
Why did Zeta come a day early?
To show the best of the Magic Tower in front of the citizens of the Empire. Zeta was targeting that from the start.
The Imperial Tower, being related to the Imperial Family, had to care about public sentiment. However, if the Magic Tower’s sentiment was good, the Imperial Tower would obviously have to tread lightly.
“Is everyone ready?”
“Yes! Zeta-sama!”
“Alright then, let’s go as usual today.”
Zeta and the elders from the Magic Tower moved towards the city’s large plaza, completely binding the fiends along the way. There were many people gathered as usual.
“…The Magic Tower has arrived!”
“Are you going to root out the fiends again today?!”
The atmosphere was ecstatic. The citizens of Clatie found it incredibly relieving that the fiends hiding in the city were being exterminated.
“Now, everyone concentrate!”
One of the elders shouted, appearing to have conducted this procedure many times.
Thud!
Eyes, mouths, bodies… all of them were completely hidden as they lay on the ground like caterpillars in the center of the plaza. At that moment, Elder Gendiz continued speaking.
“Once again today, our Magic Tower is working to find the fiends hidden in Clatie while contributing to the purification operation! We will continue to work hard!”
His voice, booming with mana, echoed.
“By the way, this operation was originally agreed upon to be done alongside the Imperial Tower, but the Imperial Tower has abandoned Clatie! Only our Magic Tower has upheld the promise!”
“Why hasn’t the Imperial Tower shown up?”
“I heard the Imperial Tower has been making a name for themselves, but it must have been all lies! The Magic Tower is the only one standing true!”
Cracklecrackle─!
As Zeta’s Golden Lightning began to burn the fallen fiends, the crowd erupted in cheers.
These days, the fiends pretending to be humans were increasingly cunning.
Ordinary citizens couldn’t filter them out by themselves, thus relying on the mages for help.
At that moment, the Magic Tower’s arrival was treated like a savior.
“Burn more! Burn it all down!”
“The Golden Lightning is magnificent…!”
“The Magic Tower is the best!”
Amidst the tremendous cheers, there was a hidden voice. Suddenly, one prisoner’s gag was removed.
He desperately shouted.
“I-I’m not a fiend! I’m a human! Why are you killing me? Just give me a chance to explain…”
Cracklecrackle─!
Before his words could drag on, Zeta’s lightning fell like thunder. The man soon turned into a corpse.
‘How annoying.’
Zeta grinned.
While catching the fiends, it was possible for a real human to get mixed in, but who cares about that?
What mattered was capturing the hearts of the people. To seize public sentiment so that the Imperial Magic Tower couldn’t dare make a move!
.
.
.
.
.
.
Meanwhile, three people were intently watching the spectacle.
None other than Ezekiel and his group.
“…Those insane bastards!”
Seina clenched her fist.
“There must have definitely been innocent people among them. They just struck down those who weren’t fiends!”
Ezekiel’s gaze quietly turned towards Agnes.
“Agnes, did you record it?”
“Yes. I’ve stored everything in the cube.”
Those who were unjustly harmed would certainly have families. This could act as significant evidence later on.
“Master, they’re pretending to help this city but are actually eating it from the inside. If we leave those guys be…!”
Seina was about to say something to Ezekiel, full of anger, but she could only close her mouth.
His face was already filled with rage.
“The elite of the Magic Tower, the one called Zeta.”
“What?”
“I must kill him. That’s a decision I’ve made.”
His voice murmured chillingly.
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