240
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 240
As soon as Yan entered his private tent, he immediately activated an artifact with sound-blocking magic. It was something he had acquired by chance at the Demon King's castle.
Mitchell spoke with a cigar in his mouth.
"What are you planning to do?"
"I honestly don't know."
Yan was equally at a loss for solutions.
"Do you really think Baker is a doppelganger?"
"Part of me hopes he is a doppelganger. Then we could just slit his throat and put someone else in his place."
Mitchell exhaled smoke with a deep sigh. It made him feel slightly better about his burning frustration.
"No matter how you look at it, this isn't something we can solve on our own. We lack information."
Yan looked at the map hanging on the tent wall. Currently, the Allied Forces were leaving the Demon King's castle and heading toward Luxhope. As the Allied Forces' numbers began to swell, their existing stockpile of supplies started running out exponentially. The Allied Forces planned to reorganize after receiving supplies from the supply ships arriving at Luxhope.
"It's about four days from here to Luxhope, right? What about Eagle valley?"
Mitchell seemed to understand what Yan was thinking.
"Should we talk to Raven?"
"Yes. Raven and Caesar might have information that only they know. They might even have evidence that Baker really is a doppelganger."
"At the very least, they might know why the devils are suddenly acting this way."
Mitchell examined the map.
"If we just walk from here to Igol Gorge normally, it would take ten days since we have to go around the mountains. But if we go ourselves, that's a different story."
Mitchell and Yan are superhuman. If they move directly, they can reduce a ten-day journey by more than half. Yan also stood next to Mitchell to examine the map.
"And Caesar will definitely try to occupy Luxhope. He said he would return to the continent."
"It takes at least five days just to walk from Eagle valley to Luxhope. If that's the case, he must have already departed by now."
"Caesar will definitely try to use the path he prepared in advance. Then he must pass by Hill 133 near the east gate of Luxhope."
Mitchell and Yan took pencils and connected their current position at the base to Hill 133.
"It should take about six days to get there..."
"We can definitely arrive in three days."
"The other holy knights won't be able to follow."
"We should tell the holy knights to come separately. First, we urgently need to exchange information. We need to find out through Raven what Caesar and the Demon King are really thinking."
Mitchell pulled out a crystal ball from his chest.
"And we have the crystal ball that Raven gave us. Since the communication range is about 20km, we can talk immediately once we get close."
"Should we depart right away then?"
"No, let's split into teams."
Mitchell took a pencil and drew circles in various places on the map.
"There are commanders who are dissatisfied with the Allied Commander right now. They're all people who were driven out after giving direct advice to Baker."
"You want to recruit those people?"
"Yes. There's a slight chance Baker might really be a doppelganger. In that case, we'd need to behead Baker and install a new temporary Allied Commander."
And that would be Mitchell.
Mitchell kept this thought to himself.
"Do you really think His Excellency is a doppelganger? You've tested him several times."
"Yes. His answers were very good. But something feels off, and the advisors and generals he's been appointing recently are a bit strange. He's been promoting officers who had no particular merits and were keeping quiet."
Mitchell started circling the areas he had marked with larger circles.
"Whatever the case, if we leave Baker alone now, he'll likely attack the Demon King instead of Elijah. There's nothing good about waging war with the Demon King right now."
"What's important for us is normalizing the developed magic stone mines and taking Elijah's head. The Demon King issue comes after that."
Mitchell stroked his chin as he spoke.
"For now, my knights and I will meet with the scattered commanders to discuss. If by any chance Baker is a doppelganger, we'll oust him and put someone else in his place."
"What if he isn't? Raven or Caesar might not know either. If it's discovered that you met these people, you could be charged with treason."
"That's why we need to meet secretly. And we have the justification of tracking devils, so it should be fine."
Mitchell put the pencil down on the table.
"The real problem is if Baker really is a doppelganger."
"Why's that?"
"Because then there's an extremely high chance that Caesar is also a doppelganger."
The fact that devils discovered that Elijah and Baker are doppelgangers means either they know how to identify doppelgangers, or they have credible evidence.
"Then according to what you're saying, we're going to ask someone who might be a doppelganger if Baker is really a doppelganger. Isn't that strange too?"
"That's why we need to make one more stop along the way."
Mitchell circled Luxhope.
"Yan, you go to Luxhope and make contact with the devils."
"You want me to meet and talk with those guys? To ask if Caesar is really a doppelganger?"
"If they're just talking nonsense without any evidence, then just leave, but if there's clear evidence, we need to confirm what Caesar is aiming for."
Mitchell wrote on the map.
"From now on, we have one policy. Trust nothing and doubt everything."
Mitchell threw the pencil onto the table.
"From now on, the only thing to trust is yourself."
***
Yan met Rose before leaving the barracks. Rose was working with her long hair tied up in a bun, secured with a pencil. Having previously worked as the head of risk management at an investment firm, Rose's paperwork skills were unmatched.
Although she could easily rest comfortably as Mitchell's sister and Yan's lover, Rose was the type to prove her worth through her own efforts and considered idle rest a sin. Therefore, she was deeply involved in coalition administration, working diligently on the ground. Rose removed her glasses and smiled when she heard Yan approaching.
"You're here?"
"Yes, the meeting is over."
Finding Rose incredibly endearing, Yan gently approached and embraced her.
"I haven't showered and smell."
"I'm the same. I just wanted to hold you."
"Did something happen?"
"His Excellency has ordered me to go on a devil hunt."
Rose's eyes momentarily sharpened. Yan, still embracing her, failed to notice this change in her expression.
"So you're leaving after all. I won't be able to come with you, will I?"
"I'm sorry. That would be difficult. Time is of the essence."
"What about Brother Mitchell?"
"Mitchell will also go devil hunting. Of course, we'll report that to His Excellency Baker while actually going to handle other matters."
"You're going to meet the demoted officers, aren't you?"
Yan was often startled by Rose's sharp insights like this. Although he knew she had been a highly capable professional at her previous investment firm, her ability to speak as if she had heard things she hadn't and seen things she couldn't was sharper than any sword.
"That's right. How did you know?"
"Don't be too surprised. Brother Mitchell asked me to send letters to those officers occasionally. I thought you might take this opportunity to meet them."
"It seems His Excellency is uncomfortable with Mitchell and me. Though we don't think highly of him either, it appears he's trying to separate us now."
Yan handed Rose a small dagger.
"So when we're both gone, you might be in danger. Until now, we've been by your side, but we have to leave."
"I understand."
"I'd like to take you with me, but where I'm going is even more dangerous, and I wouldn't be able to protect you. Instead, I'll assign White Knights to you. My disciples will protect you with their lives."
Rose accepted the dagger.
"Thank you, Yan."
"I'll leave you a horse too. If things become dangerous, head straight for Luxhope. It would be best if you could find me or Mitchell..."
"If that's not possible, I should seek Caesar's help, right?"
Yan hesitated momentarily. He was momentarily speechless at the thought that Caesar might be a doppelganger. Rose immediately understood Yan's concerns. Come to think of it, hundreds of propaganda leaflets claiming Caesar was a doppelganger had been circulating recently.
"Should I seek Raven's help instead?"
"...They're always together anyway. It doesn't matter whose help you get."
Yan felt guilty for doubting Caesar, who had saved his life. He also felt an urgent need to meet these devils who had created this situation.
"I'll be heading out now. Please think of your life first."
"I will. Thank you."
After a brief kiss with Rose, Yan immediately left the barracks.
***
As soon as Yan left the barracks, Rose tucked the dagger into her clothing and packed her belongings. With Yan and Mitchell leaving, Rose's life would be hanging by a thread. It was nearly impossible for a woman without any military power to survive in this near-barbaric battlefield. Rose had prepared an evacuation route in anticipation of such a situation. Rose put on a raincoat covering her head and shouldered her bag. Then she heard movement outside.
"Lady, may we enter?"
"Come in."
Eight people entered the barracks. They were all White Knights whom Rose knew well. The White Knights all knelt before Rose.
"Lady, the Hero has sent us. We will protect you with our lives."
"Thank you. Shall we depart right away?"
"...Right away, you say?"
"Yes. I'd prefer to leave before Yan or Brother Mitchell. I think some annoying flies might start buzzing around."
"Where do you plan to go?"
In this harsh demon realm, there were only two people who could protect Rose's safety. Yan and Mitchell. But with both of them gone, there was only one person Rose could somewhat trust.
"Let's go straight to Eagle valley."
Ironically, Caesar was the only option.
"Lady, Caesar is..."
"I know. That he's suspected of being a doppelganger. However..."
The barracks door burst open as a general in an oversized uniform strutted in.
"Lady Rose, How have you been... Hm?"
The general froze, gulping nervously as the White Knights glared at him murderously.
"Ah-ahem! I see you're having an important discussion. I'll, I'll come back later."
After the man fled the barracks, Rose adjusted her bag strap.
"At least it should be safer than here."
The White Knights stood and said:
"If that is what you think, Lady, we shall follow."
"Then prepare quickly. Let's plan to leave within an hour."
"Yes."
After the White Knights left the barracks, Rose took out a piece of scrap paper and hastily wrote with a pencil.
[I'm leaving now, Brother. Don't worry about me, I can take care of myself. Ah, perhaps you wouldn't worry anyway?]
Rose smiled as she pressed a lipstick mark on the corner of the letter instead of signing it.
***
There is a saying that if you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go far, go together. Yan felt like he now understood how slowly he had been marching, like a sluggard, until now. With just a light backpack and four swords strapped on, running without hesitation allowed him to arrive in two days what would normally take five days. Yan looked down at Luxhope.
Luxhope was in such ruins that it drew an involuntary sigh upon seeing it. His teeth clenched automatically thinking about the countless people who must have died in there.
'Will I be able to do this well?'
Yan upholds justice. Because of this, he worried whether his sword would strike out before attempting dialogue with these demons. Yan drew one of the longswords hanging at his side. Though it was of inferior quality that couldn't compare to Anonymous, it was still one of the better mass-produced ones he had brought. At least the sword's balance wouldn't be off.
Yan ran toward Luxhope. He had no intention of carefully approaching while concealing himself. The area around Luxhope was flat plains territory. The trees that had grown nearby were all cut down for Luxhope's reconstruction, railroad construction, and building forward observation posts, so the view was completely open.
In terrain like this, the only way to hide would be to use concealment magic, but Yan didn't have any concealment artifacts. As Yan passed by, strong winds blew and the grass lay flat. Viewed from above, it would look like the part in a beautiful maiden's hair. Belial was watching this scene from atop the relatively intact control tower of Luxhope.
"An unexpected guest."
Yan clearly heard Belial's voice and presence.
Yan shifted his gaze to the control tower following the source of the voice, and there was a devil with six horns on its head looking down at him.
"What business does a hero have here alone?"
"I received orders from His Excellency."
Yan raised his sword while suppressing his rising anger.
"To kill you."
"Truly soldier-like. The Emperor really... You being such an obedient hunting dog..."
---!
Belial didn't even see Yan's sword move.
He only saw that when Yan's sword moved, Belial's head was severed, and his body crumbled into ashes. The top of the control tower was cleanly cut and fell to the ground. Nevertheless, Yan didn't lower his guard. He judged that a devil with six horns couldn't die this easily. And that judgment was accurate.
"Indeed, your fangs are quite sharp."
The scattered ashes gathered on top of the collapsed control tower and molded Belial. Yan glared at Belial while growling.
"Only answer the questions I ask from now on, devil."
"Didn't you come to kill me?"
"That comes after my questions are finished."
Yan tensed his muscles, ready to cut down Belial at any moment. In contrast, hesitation was evident on Yan's lips.
"Is Caesar really a doppelganger?"