Chapter 760: What Lies Inside the Demon Realm
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 760: What Lies Inside the Demon Realm
Encrid looked down at Roman.
Why was Roman here, groveling in the dirt after his defeat at the hands of a parasitic beast?
‘Because there is no longer a threat to the City of Oara.’
That had to be why he was able to leave his post.
The City of Oara was the legacy of Knight Oara. If Roman had abandoned it while it was still in danger, Encrid would have been well within his rights to take his head. But Roman wasn't that much of an idiot.
Therefore, the City of Oara had to be safe now. What did that imply?
‘The Demon Realm no longer has a foothold in Oara.’
Even the remnants of the Gray Forest must have been completely purged.
If that were the case, was there any reason for such a disproportionate amount of power to remain concentrated in Oara? No.
The conclusion was simple: it was now possible to dispatch a portion of Oara's forces here. They could protect these people and help them become self-sufficient.
Oara was a city of warriors. In fact, some of the training methods used by the Border Guard’s standing army were modeled after those of the City of Oara. It was a fortress city built for battle, formerly known as Thousand Bricks.
What if they used that city as a blueprint to build a new Thousand Bricks here?
A castle couldn't be built overnight, but human construction techniques had advanced by leaps and bounds. If they could secure the aid of the Kingdom of Naurilia...
‘It probably wouldn't even take a year.’
Six months at the earliest. Once the outer wall was erected, it would buy them enough time. Then, a new bastion would rise here—one that faced the Demon Realm head-on. It would mark the birth of a new fortress city and the expansion of the kingdom's territory.
Since the surrounding monsters and demonic beasts had been wiped out in an instant, a temporary vacuum now existed in the area. Usually, when establishing a pioneer city, one had to spend months clearing the surroundings, but they had already finished the job.
‘At the same time, if we divert a portion of the western trade route through here, a new vein of commerce will open, and our trading territory will expand.’
In other words, they would transform this place from a blighted outpost of the Demon Realm into a thriving city of humans. This was the plan that had flashed through his mind the moment he first saw the residents of the Demon Realm.
“Did you really think that far ahead?” Rem asked, sounding surprised.
“If I leave the detailed planning to Krais, he'll handle the rest on his own.”
In the meantime, reinforcements could be sent from the City of Oara, meaning they wouldn't even need to deploy the kingdom's main army.
“Sometimes, Brother Commander, I really don't know what goes on inside your head,” Audin marveled.
Even if the commander hadn't been as skilled with a sword as he was now, he would have shone brightly wherever he went. Yet, for Encrid, this wasn't something he had agonized over. It was simply the path that had revealed itself the moment he resolved to protect them, no matter the cost.
Perhaps repeating countless 'todays' had honed his ability to instinctively choose the best path.
Reaching this conclusion, Encrid asked himself:
‘Should I thank the Ferryman, then?’
Since this was not a dream, there was no answer.
With that thought, he raised his head and looked up at the sky. Several days had passed since they arrived. He felt as though he hadn't just performed a courtship dance to lure his prey, but had thrown an entire gala.
‘But it isn't coming.’
The Balrog wasn't coming.
It wasn't hard to guess why. It likely felt that this still wasn't enough of a provocation.
So, he would have to set a massive fire for everyone to see, making sure it caught the eye of even the most distant demon. He had to spread the rumors until they were impossible to ignore. Ultimately, he had to make it so that even the demons whispered among themselves in fear and outrage.
Encrid's gaze drifted to the horizon. Though no physical line had been drawn, the expanse beyond his sight was the true interior of the Demon Realm.
What did they say was in there?
“Just as humans have outpost cities, the Demon Realm has them too.”
Zoraslav had told him that. It was a conversation they had shared before things turned out like this. The moment he heard those words, his heart had pounded with anticipation.
By comparison, if the Gray Forest near the City of Oara was a small lake, this place was an ocean. A pitch-black ocean, its depths unknown and its horrors unpredictable, was inviting Encrid in.
Even though it was merely a gap left open by the vast Southern Front, his heart wouldn't have raced this much even if the most beautiful woman in the world were standing naked before him.
“What are you grinning at?” Rem asked, eyeing him suspiciously.
“I think it's going to be fun.”
“Man, you must be having some incredibly dangerous thoughts again.”
Encrid looked at Rem. The barbarian's eyes surely held the same glint as his own.
“Are we going in?”
“Yeah.”
The answer came the instant the question was asked.
*
“It's a good thing we didn't fight.”
The Mayor of the Trade City nodded to his mercenary captain. When he first realized the Mad Knights were moving in the opposite direction of the Trade City, he had regretted his surrender for a brief moment, but that regret was short-lived.
“I need to know why they are going there. Mobilize every last information guild if you have to.”
Encrid and his Mad Knights were a terrifying group, even to the information guilds that boasted centuries of tradition. Several assassin guilds had targeted them in the past, only to be dragged into ruin.
It was literal annihilation. Not only did every assassin who attacked them die, but the entire guild that accepted the contract was wiped out. And since information guilds usually dabbled in assassination as well... it was only natural they feared them.
When traces of the Dagger of Geor—a legendary assassination group—were found at the site of their demise, targeting the Mad Knights lost all meaning. Consequently, there were no longer any assassins willing to take a contract on them, at least not in the Central Continent.
Under these circumstances, it was impossible to slip a spy into their ranks. The only saving grace was that they didn't hide their movements. An even greater relief was that the bastards of the Gilpin Guild exclusively sold highly accurate information.
The only problem was the cost in Krona, but the Trade City was the owner of the greatest gold pot on the continent. They showered money without hesitation to acquire the facts. That was how they heard the news that the Mad Knights had marched right to the doorstep of the Demon Realm and slaughtered every single monster in their path.
“I told you. Surrender, just surrender. If you had chosen to fight, I would have retired on the spot,” the mercenary captain said.
Though it was irritating to see the man who earned the moniker 'Indomitable' act so cowed, the Mayor felt a lingering sense of regret.
‘If only I had a knighthood like that under my command.’
The Trade City could have become a kingdom.
“Sigh.”
The Mayor sighed at his useless thoughts. He had no real desire to be a king. He had started as a peddler trying to make a living for his family, and things had simply escalated. Many criticized him for his extreme self-preservation, but he had seen countless fools die from greed.
“I started as a peddler when I was seventeen. Very few of the people who started with me are still around. How did I get here? I hid behind the fools who gambled their lives on a single jackpot, watched them fall, and bypassed the ones who ran wild without valuing their lives. What else? I have a good eye for people. That's how I cleared out the traitors to reach where I am today.”
“What are you rambling about now?”
In private, the mercenary captain was a close friend. He listened indifferently to the Mayor's drunken rambling; it was the same story he told whenever he had a few drinks.
“My gut is telling me this: now is the time to keep our heads down and endure. Just watch. In this world, the one who lasts the longest wins. The survivor is the true victor.”
The mercenary captain agreed. It was why he had chosen surrender.
“So, are you going to sign that contract with the Border Guard?” the captain asked.
The Mayor nodded. “I have to.”
The contract wasn't anything grand. It was a mutual defense pact regarding military support—not immediate aid, but a promise to assist if a crisis arose. It was a proposal sent by Krais of the Border Guard.
‘What is Castellan Graham even doing, not showing his face?’
At least Graham was someone he had a history with. To be frank, Graham was easy to fleece, but this Krais was a different story. The tables had turned. Simply securing a promise of military support required handing over dozens of sacks of gold coins. It was painful, but necessary.
“Is it because of the monsters spotted near the river lately?”
“We can handle those easily with just the mercenary band,” the Indomitable captain said confidently.
Yes, that was enough. This was, in essence, a pledge of alliance. At first, they had thought of sending a beautiful woman to the Border Guard to forge a blood tie, but after seeing the Golden Elf and the Black Flower by Encrid's side, everyone had lost their nerve. And it wasn't as if Encrid was the type to take in every woman sent his way.
‘If only he were, they could have at least aimed for the position of a third or fourth concubine.’
Now, this was the only way left to ensure they didn't become enemies. Though it was unsettling, the Border Guard had stated: “This is a covenant born of a knight's oath. It will not be broken, so long as you do not turn your back on us first.”
Stripped of the formalities, that was the essence of the promise.
“Yes, we must believe them.”
Encrid's reputation was towering. He was worthy of trust. And he was also terrifying.
‘The madness of marching straight into the Demon Realm...’
He was an opponent they did not want to make an enemy of, no matter what.
*
Paladin Commander Overdear also heard the news.
“The God of Scales has granted him madness, yet stripped away his fear.” He chuckled, looking half-appalled.
At his words, Noah, who had become the Pope, offered a gentle smile. “Rather, it must be his desire to save those standing before the Demon Realm. If there is anything we can do to help, I wish for us to do so.”
“There is a way, but I do not believe it will be good for your political standing, Your Holiness,” the Ragged Saint replied.
“I believe protecting people is far more important than my standing.”
Hearing this, Overdear burst into a hearty laugh. Yes, this was exactly the kind of person who should be Pope.
“Let's do it!”
Something more important than politics, standing, or power. Was it not the will to protect and save? Thus, the Heretic Extermination Priests were mobilized. At Noah's request, they readily agreed, claiming they owed Encrid a debt.
*
“He's my friend, but he really is a madman,” Krang said.
There was no need to change his way of speaking just because he sat on a throne.
“I don't think that's something a king who contemplated waging war against the Empire over that friend's disappearance should say.”
Across the small parlor table, Krang narrowed his eyes. “I shall hold you accountable for the crime of insulting Us, Count Marcus.”
A king's wrath was always meant to accompany terror. The master of Nauril, the capital of Naurilia, spoke softly, yet his voice carried a low rumble of authority. No matter how close their friendship, for a count to criticize the king's actions...
“Please stop, I feel like I'm about to wet myself from fear,” Marcus said with a dry, indifferent tone.
Krang knew his play-acting wouldn't work on Marcus. In fact, he had done it knowing exactly that.
“Yeah, let's drop it. So, is there any way we can help?”
“If we view their battle with the Demon Realm as an individual rogue action, it's fine. But if we throw the royal family's weight behind it, the story changes. Besides, you know very well we don't have anyone to spare. The knights holding the Southern Front have no breathing room.”
They couldn't move the Red Cloak Knights just to help. Marcus was firm. The royal family had its own standing to consider, and they had already stirred up several major incidents.
“In the first place, I doubt he even wants military aid.”
Krang knew Encrid well. They shared a deep understanding.
“You said he's staying there after wiping out the monsters, right? We knew the location of that eroded city but left it alone. But what if we claim it as royal territory now? If Enki sees that, he won't just let it slide.”
Encrid was a man who would choose either to purge a place or save it. He was not the type to leave it be. Naurilia also knew there were residents of the Demon Realm who had been eroded there. They claimed they had no choice but to leave them be due to a lack of resources, but that was merely an excuse.
Since there was someone marching forward and shattering that excuse, they could simply ride his coattails.
“If we are to send anyone, it would be Andrew Gardner and his private forces. After all, what we need right now isn't more swordsmen.”
“Then let's send them.”
*
Deciding to enter the Demon Realm didn't mean they could just rush in. They needed time to maintain their weapons. They also had to find a messenger to deliver the news to Anne.
‘For now, we will leave Roman behind.’
They also had to double-check if any monsters remained in the vicinity.
“The Demon Realm is also referred to as the eroded land. You've heard of that, right?” The highly knowledgeable Luagarne stepped forward. “To step inside, we will need at least the stories known by those who have lived in this area.”
Though they were half-superstitious tales, Luagarne believed there would be useful elements within them. After all, even if they worshiped the Demon God, these people had lived on the threshold of the Demon Realm for generations.
Afterward, Encrid went about his routine as usual. Just as he had done during those exhaustingly repetitive 'todays', he pressed forward.
At dawn, he trained. In the morning, he pondered the method of manifesting the blade of Will that Ragna had shown him. From the afternoon onward, he listened to the accounts of the residents.
“Shall I show you one more time?”
In between, he had to put up with Ragna's smug boasting.
“Let's take that bastard out. I can't stand him anymore,” Rem grumbled. Encrid let it slide right out his other ear.
“What an utterly unpleasant atmosphere,” Sinar spat out, though she stayed close to his side.
Just as Luagarne had said, the stories gathered from the residents were intriguing. Though they weren't perfectly accurate—being half-fabricated out of fear and half-passed down as folklore—they were entertaining enough if treated like a bard's tales.