Exploring the Domain
The lingering chill of the night air hung in the early dawn.
Having gathered every scrap of information about the territory, I set my absolute top priority.
Wiping out the Demon Cult.
Reviving the people’s livelihoods, establishing a new order—none of it would matter if the Demon Cult remained.
Only by excising them, these cancer cells spreading through the land, could this place finally function as my true territory.
“The one wearing the red mask.”
To uproot the Demon Cult, I had to eliminate its leader first.
The figure presumed to be the Demon Cult’s leader here was “the one wearing the red mask.”
In other words, the one who had been presiding over the “sacrifice ritual” for the past month.
That they had begun offering sacrifices was proof they had fully surrendered to the Demon Cult and were undergoing demonization.
I had to find and eliminate them without fail.
“So it’s around here.”
I made my way to the location suspected to be the bandits’ hideout.
I had heard rumors that these bandits wielded strange powers.
It was worth checking whether they were Demon Cult followers.
“Hey, you over there.”
At that moment, three armed men approached me.
Proof I had come to the right place.
“A noble? Those clothes look expensive. Hand over everything you’ve got and I’ll let you keep your life. So be smart and cough it up while I’m still asking nicely.”
They threatened me with longswords slung over their shoulders.
Commoners who couldn’t even handle mana daring to threaten a noble meant they had something to rely on.
They wouldn’t be acting this cocky just because of those crude weapons, so probably……
‘I’ll find out once I test them.’
I’d know once we fought.
What kind of insurance these guys were trusting.
So I slipped into the role of a typical arrogant noble.
“You lot have lost your minds. Worthless trash worse than insects. Ignorant lowborn who haven’t even awakened mana—how dare you threaten me?”
“……”
Their expressions twisted into something vicious.
Raw hatred for nobles burned openly in their eyes.
“Typical noble scum. How many nobles who couldn’t read the room like you have already died? You’ll be next.”
Grinding their teeth, they radiated hostility.
Soon the body of the one who seemed to be their leader began to swell unevenly.
His sclera turned black and his skin took on a pale purple hue.
Clear proof he was drawing on demonic power.
“You think only nobles get to use special powers? Not anymore. Even us, the ones you looked down on, can wield them now.”
He smirked as he spoke.
Smug, despite only radiating the demonic energy of the lowest-grade demon.
Even that much would be threatening to a low-ranking noble.
Someone emitting demonic energy at that level was at least a mid-level Sword User.
“How about I rip off one of your arms first?”
He charged, lips curled in a sneer.
His movements were fast, closing several meters in an instant.
-Giiiiing!
But a bracelet was already fastened around my wrist.
It transformed into a gauntlet in an instant, and I drove a counter punch straight into the charging man.
Crack—! The sound of bone fracturing.
His body flew backward at the same time.
It floated briefly before scraping across the ground, kicking up a cloud of dust.
His comrades stared in shock at their leader being taken out in a single blow, backing away while glaring at me.
A laugh slipped out at their dumbfounded faces.
“How dare you use that filthy power in front of me. I can’t just overlook it.”
These were territory residents who had turned to banditry because they couldn’t endure the previous lord’s tyranny.
But touching demonic power was unforgivable.
I spoke while pulling the components of my suit from the inventory all at once.
“Actually, I can use special powers too. Ever heard of a repulsor beam?”
Kiiiiiing!
The palm of the gauntlet glowed brightly as it heated up.
I raised my right hand and aimed at them.
Fear began to fill their eyes.
***
Gregory, who had briefly lost consciousness after taking Ed’s uppercut to the jaw, regained his senses.
Thanks to the demonic power granting him monstrous regeneration and vitality, a blow like that was nothing.
Gregory gritted his molars, vowing revenge, and pushed himself up.
-Shwaaaaaaaa!
But his target was nowhere to be seen.
The area was now filled with black vapor.
Gregory looked around frantically for Ed.
He wanted revenge on the insignificant noble who had landed a lucky hit.
“Wh-what the……?”
His comrades’ condition was strange.
They were slowly backing away with blank, terrified expressions.
Why did they look so scared?
Come to think of it, he could hear odd sounds too.
The noise of machinery meshing coming from within the black vapor.
And as the vapor slowly cleared, Ed’s figure came into view.
“……”
Witnessing that sight, Gregory felt an instinctive terror.
The red glow shining from within the black fog,
and the demonic silhouette—it reminded him of that person.
The cult leader, dyed entirely in jet black.
‘N-no…… more than him……’
No. The being before him was something far higher.
It felt as though he had evolved beyond even the cult leader.
Even the cult leader didn’t possess such smooth, jet-black skin.
This form was closer to the fundamental “god” the cult leader spoke of.
The Demon Archduke who would one day descend upon this land and rule over all worlds!
“G-G-God!”
Gregory was certain.
This was the Demon Archduke the cult leader had spoken of!
Gregory dropped to his knees and began to worship.
“O great Demon Archduke! Have you finally descended upon this land! We have waited so long for you! Tear apart the hypocrites who gnaw at this land and sprinkle their blood and flesh upon us! Grant us the freedom to realize our desires!”
Gregory began reciting the scriptures he had heard during the rituals.
The passage about the Demon Archduke descending one day to topple every empire and kingdom and grant freedom.
-Thud…… thud……
Then the Archduke began walking forward.
With each step that revealed more of the figure hidden by the vapor, Gregory’s conviction grew.
A smooth, solid outer shell that could never be called human.
Eyes glowing red like the sun.
A light shining brightly from the chest, like starlight.
No monster, no human, could take on such a form.
This was definitely the Demon Archduke.
In that moment, the Archduke finally spoke.
【What a load of bullshit.】
***
“Guh-ack……!”
The last man collapsed after being beaten down.
Daring to compare me to that detestable Demon Archduke—if they weren’t my own territory residents, I would have torn them apart.
‘Even without that, I should have killed them.’
Still, I spared them despite their acceptance of demonic power.
They had only taken in a tiny amount of demonic energy and could still return to being human.
Above all, these men had turned to banditry because of the previous lord’s tyranny.
Since they had originally been diligent workers of this land, there was still room for rehabilitation.
【From now on, answer my questions sincerely.】
That was why I had to move quickly.
The fact that even these low-level members were using demonic power meant the Demon Cult’s influence had already grown beyond control.
I had to eliminate the upper ranks before their influence spread any further.
-Shiiiiiiiiiik……
I activated the emitter mixed with hallucinogenic liquid.
Purple vapor filled the surroundings, and their expressions went blank.
Then I asked the first question.
【Where is your hideout?】
***
“The captain has returned!”
In a dense forest.
A man ran between the wooden houses, shouting the news.
The captain of the “Black Righteous Band” was returning after five days.
“The captain? Already?”
“The captain is here!”
Doors flew open as people rushed out to welcome him.
Even the child who had been sulking moments ago was now running across the field with a bright smile.
“Captain!”
Soon after, a group led by a sturdy middle-aged man with slicked-back hair and a black beard entered the village.
Villagers poured out to greet him. A child around seven years old grabbed the hem of his pants, looked up, and asked,
“Captain! Did you bring lots of food this time too? Mom and I were only waiting for you!”
The middle-aged man looked at the child with warm eyes.
He knelt on one knee to meet the child’s gaze and stroked their head.
“Of course! You’ll eat until you burst, so look forward to it! Hahahaha!”
He laughed heartily and gestured to a subordinate.
The man dropped a large backpack with a heavy thud and unpacked it.
It was stuffed with dried jerky and all kinds of grains.
“Waaaaah!!”
The child cheered excitedly.
The women smiled fondly while the young men examined the contents with eager faces.
Meanwhile, a woman approached the captain with an anxious expression.
“Um…… Captain. K-Kevin…… why isn’t he here?”
“……”
The atmosphere sank instantly.
The captain placed a hand on her shoulder without a word.
Seeing his eyes, the woman covered her mouth and swallowed her tears.
A man handed her an urn of ashes and spoke quietly.
“Kevin…… died fighting the nobles bravely…… Thanks to him, we…… all escaped safely.”
The woman clutched the urn and sobbed.
Her friends gathered around, stroking her back.
The captain watched them with sorrowful eyes before suppressing his emotions and issuing orders with a stern face.
“Distribute the food and necessities. Sort the goods by type in the warehouse. We’ll hold the ‘succession ceremony.’ We need a warrior to fill Kevin’s place. Any volunteers?”
He looked over the village youths.
Some backed away in fear. Others raised their hands with determined eyes.
The captain nodded.
“Volunteers, come to the ritual cave in one hour. One of you will become the new warrior.”
““Yes!””
He nodded once more and headed for his lodging.
Villagers bowed in respect as he passed.
Then his steps halted.
He looked around as if searching for someone, grabbed a nearby youth, and asked,
“Gregory isn’t here. Where is that guy?”