Chapter 54
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 54
Chapter Title: Encounter: Sage, Hero of the Aslan Kingdom (1)
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Subjugation.
It was the keyword I gained after killing the Lord of Dibel Forest.
The keyword that emerged alongside Desolation.
I knew what Desolation felt like without even checking.
It annihilated everything, leaving it to rot and decay.
That was Desolation.
So what about Subjugation?
I had subjugated Dibel Forest, but I had no idea what effects it held.
There were no rational beings left in this forest capable of communicating with me.
All I sensed was a vague image of everything falling under my command.
I needed to grasp it precisely.
That was why I didn't ignore the message that appeared before my eyes.
[You have defeated Lorangleble's guards.]
[You have subjugated Lorangleble's leader.]
[You have occupied Lorangleble Village.]
[Choose one: Desolation or Subjugation.]
Alcom still had his uses.
He was little more than a pawn in chess, but in these crucial times, even a single pawn could be invaluable.
There was no need to dispose of him unnecessarily.
That was why I chose Subjugation.
To precisely understand its effects.
For Alcom's unwavering loyalty.
Of course, even if he betrayed me, it wouldn't cause me much trouble.
But watching a mosquito land on my arm and suck my blood wasn't a hobby of mine.
Why offer my blood as tribute when I could prevent it?
"Subjugation."
The moment my voice echoed with a deep resonance, the ground trembled.
Rumble!
Was it an earthquake?
Or was the earth melting away?
The ground, which had shaken violently, cracked open, and demonic energy began to seep upward in eerie wisps.
"Ho?"
The number of tentacles of demonic energy rising like tendrils matched exactly the number of villagers and adventurers in the village.
"W-What is this?!"
"Kyaaak!"
"Mage! Mage!!"
Bluish-purple demonic energy with violet edges burst forth toward the people.
The demonic energy pierced through their heads.
Yet there were no wounds.
Those into whose heads the demonic energy seeped collapsed limply, mouths agape, staring blankly into space with unfocused eyes.
Aaahhh...
They made dazed sounds like soulless husks.
What were they seeing?
Seeing the faint smiles tugging at their lips, it didn't seem like anything bad.
Demonic energy approached Alcom as well.
"W-What in the world..."
He glared at me with wide eyes, as if demanding an answer.
There was no sign of resistance. He was simply asking.
What is this you're doing?
I followed you for your sake, so why unleash something like this?
"I just can't fully trust humans."
It would be easier to understand from the Demon King's perspective.
I couldn't blindly trust humans who say one thing to your face and another behind your back.
"T-This lowly one would never betray you, my Demon King..."
Alcom's words trailed off unfinished.
The demonic energy seeped into his head, just as it had with the others.
"Ah, aaah..."
As the demonic energy permeated him, his eyes glowed the same bluish-purple as the energy.
What illusion was he seeing?
I watched them for a while.
Until the full effects of Subjugation took hold.
Alcom cursed the Demon King.
He had kept his promise.
He had done everything the Demon King asked and lied to the knights.
That the troops who entered the dungeon hadn't returned yet.
So why?
Aaah.
Aaaah.
Sounds that could have been screams or moans echoed from all around.
Voices of women, men, children, and elders alike scratched unpleasantly at Alcom's mind.
A horrific chorus resounded through Lorangleble.
If that bizarre energy before his eyes engulfed him, he too would end up like that.
He instinctively knew he couldn't escape it.
This was no different from death.
A spiritual death.
The terror of not knowing what would become of him afterward gripped him.
But those thoughts didn't last long.
The demonic energy seeped into his head at the Demon King's gesture.
In an instant, the scenery around him changed.
The rural village of Lorangleble he knew vanished, replaced by a city grander and more magnificent than the imperial capital surrounding him.
Countless people knelt before Alcom.
Women thrust out their breasts to seduce him, while men submitted in awe.
Alcom was the city's ruler, its absolute sovereign.
His rejuvenated body was more perfect and beautiful than any in the world.
-For Alcom!
-For Alcom!
-For Alcom!
The people's chants of worship tickled his ears.
It was the utopia he desired.
Of Alcom, by Alcom, for Alcom.
A city revolving solely around him chanted his name.
"Aaah."
He lacked even the awareness to recognize it as an illusion.
His consciousness, corrupted and melted by the demonic energy, couldn't distinguish such things.
He let out a dumb laugh.
Heh heh heuk.
Alcom now perceived the scene before him as reality.
A voice whispered in his ear.
-Serve the Demon King, and all this will be yours.
His twisted desires swelled endlessly.
The city became a territory, the territory a kingdom, the kingdom an empire.
Alcom's bloated ambitions.
Within those desires, Alcom as emperor commanded multitudes.
He would forever chase unattainable cravings.
Living in eternal hunger while serving the Demon King.
Those who once tasted such sweet dreams could never escape.
That was the effect of Subjugation.
The weak-willed could not break free from desire's grasp.
A voice echoed in Alcom's ears.
-It's yours.
-All of it.
-Yours.
The people who had praised Alcom now chanted another voice.
Everything is yours, they repeated like a hypnotic incantation.
"Mine..."
He murmured unwittingly.
Alcom's voice, as he gazed around with dilated pupils, lacked strength.
"For the Demon King..."
The words he uttered blankly embedded deep in his mind.
The birth of a zealot.
I observed the change in Alcom's expression.
The face that had been filled with terror moments ago now brimmed with inexplicable ecstasy.
His dilated pupils stared up at me, slightly unfocused.
"For the Demon King."
As Alcom's words ended, the villagers scattered throughout approached me.
"For the Demon King."
Each had changed after witnessing illusions reflecting their desires.
Even the adventurers who had been fighting one another.
Even the woman who had eyed her neighbor's wife with jealousy and envy.
All knelt before me.
"Hasn't it broken them a bit too much?"
As I muttered to myself, Amy stepped forward.
"They wander lost without a proper prophet. This girl will straighten their minds."
As a saintess candidate and dark priestess, she would handle it well.
I nodded without objection.
"Got it. Do as you see fit. Alcom is to be sent as an envoy to the human kingdoms, so restore him carefully."
"Don't worry, Demon King. Everything will go according to your will."
Amy stepped forward, clasped her hands, and cried out.
"Awaken from your shells, all of you."
At her words, blending demonic energy and holy power, the villagers' minds returned.
Or at least appeared to.
"The Demon King desires not blind devotees, but capable followers who serve of their own volition."
So gentle.
Her voice was elegant, like church bells ringing in the morning.
It tickled the ears, carrying a power that naturally soothed the listener's heart.
Almost like hypnosis.
The listeners' eyes gradually softened.
"Feign it. Your past foolish selves."
"Feign it. Your misguided faith in false gods."
"Hide deep within the truth in your hearts: that only the Demon King is the one true path."
"Do not reveal it. Until the command comes."
One, two, three.
Clap.
The moment she clapped, all their eyes snapped open.
Crimson light flickered in their pupils before vanishing.
"Ah... What? Why am I here...?"
"I was just preparing for the hunt a moment ago."
"Why are you here?"
"You bitch?"
"Let's head to the dungeon quick. No time."
All had returned to normal.
"Demon King..."
Alcom knelt trembling before me.
"This lowly one never knew. Serving you brought such joy."
"Alcom."
"Yes, Demon King."
"I expect you to manage Lorangleble well from now on. Camouflage it so the adventurers who find the dungeon don't suspect anything, and report their approach to me."
"For the Demon King."
Alcom's face, kissing the top of my foot, overflowed with happiness.
That was when it happened.
"Sage was telling the truth."
A knight who appeared to be in his mid-thirties placed a hand on his sword hilt as he regarded me.
Knight.
A high-caliber one at that.
The knights standing behind him were each formidable in their own right.
It was a shame there were no women.
They would have made fine subordinates.
"Tch."
My thoughts naturally drifted to Kina's note.
About the knights' dispatch.
I figured it would take a few more days.
I thought they'd go via Mir, but it seemed they came straight here.
Unless they suspected something.
They must have heeded the hero's words.
The king's will?
Perhaps, but since it wasn't an army, probably not to that extent.
Half suspicion, half certainty.
Here to check.
I hadn't fooled them completely.
My disappointment in Kina and Reilly didn't grow.
I hadn't accounted for their strong faith in the hero.
To begin with, sending kingdom mages was the first sign of suspicion.
"The guests arrived sooner than expected."
"Is the hospitality lacking?"
The knight drew his sword.
The elegance was astonishing.
The air itself split the moment he unsheathed it.
'Strong.'
Stronger than Frederike.
Perhaps even stronger than the hero.
"What's your name?"
I asked the knight.
A mark of respect for one of that caliber.
"Vergio, Knight Commander of the Aslan Kingdom. No family name."
"And yet so strong?"
"Strength knows no status."
"I like that."
"And you? What's your name?"
A name.
Unfortunately, I hadn't thought of one yet.
"None."
"A nameless demon, eh? You have quite the presence for one."
"But everyone calls me the Demon King. Isn't that enough?"
It was clearer than rambling explanations.
Vergio's eyebrow twitched.
The knights murmured.
"This won't be easy. We ran into the big boss himself."
The knights behind him drew their swords.
My subordinates simultaneously readied their weapons.
"Do Demon Kings bleed? I'm suddenly curious. Never seen it in my life."
I responded to Vergio's glare.
"Tit for tat. I'm curious what swordmaster blood tastes like."
Fwip!
A flash erupted.