249
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 249
Mitchell, unlike Yan, has flexible thinking.
"What are the conditions?"
Mitchell is the type to join hands even with yesterday's enemy if it's clearly beneficial both in the long and short term. And Mitchell was not in a situation to distinguish whether what lay before him was poison or holy water. By now, rumors of Mitchell's downfall must have reached the ears of the Redfield family.
At the very least, it would spread widely once this supply ship arrives at the continent.
Therefore, Mitchell needs only one thing. A new support base.
"You will receive unconditional support from Arch Duke."
"What else?"
"I'll make sure to fill the next supply ship with mercenaries. Of course, it will cost you some personal funds."
Even if Mitchell's account is blocked by his eldest brother, he has many hidden resources. If he liquidates those, money won't be an issue in recruiting mercenaries.
"What else?"
"I will actively cooperate in dealing with Elijah."
"That's something you want too. That's a constant."
He tried to slip that in subtly, but it didn't sell. It seems he's still maintaining his grip on reality.
"If word spreads that I've joined hands with the Demon King, my brother will definitely use that as grounds to seize control of the Redfield family. Several of my people will likely die in the process."
Mitchell judged that joining hands with the Demon King was a foregone conclusion. He couldn't survive otherwise.
"You'll need to protect my people until I return to the continent."
It's not that Mitchell suddenly developed compassion and started caring for people. Mitchell looks after people because he believes there is no resource more difficult to obtain than human resources. Mitchell wanted to appear as composed as possible as he took a sip of wine. Unlike before, the wine tasted particularly bitter.
"Lastly, when I return, you must actively help me reclaim the Redfield family. In return, I'll grant whatever you wish while I'm in the demon realm."
Caesar silently stared at Mitchell's red eyes. Greed and humiliation were mixed in those red eyes. It was an expression that neither Caesar nor Barre had ever seen before.
Mitchell, always arrogant and aristocratic, enduring humiliation before Caesar? While it was quite refreshing, it also gave Caesar a general framework for how to handle Mitchell. Caesar stood up with the wine and poured it into Mitchell's glass.
"Though it's somewhat disadvantageous for me, I'll do it, Brother."
At the word ‘brother,’ Mitchell suddenly recalled when he first crossed over to the demon realm with Caesar on the ship.
Perhaps Caesar deliberately brought it up. Until coming to the demon realm, Caesar had found Mitchell burdensome. But now the situation is reversed. Rather, Mitchell found Caesar extremely burdensome.
'I gained everything in the demon realm, only to lose it all.'
Mitchell smiled bitterly at the full glass of wine. You really can't predict life even a step ahead.
***
Caesar sipped coffee while observing the expressions of soldiers unloading cargo since morning.
"Let's hurry and unload!"
"Be careful not to get hurt over there!"
The soldiers' expressions were very excited. They couldn't help but be thrilled since they could go home on this ship once they unloaded the supplies. Watching them, Caesar was too excited to sleep.
'Finally going home.'
"Is that your 'finally going home' expression?"
Agatha whispered softly as she came to Caesar's side.
Caesar shook his head and said.
"I'm just worried the soldiers might get hurt while carrying goods at the last minute. It would be absurd if they got crushed by cargo after holding up so well until now."
"Really?"
Agatha is becoming increasingly persistent as the departure date approaches. Honestly, wouldn't it be abnormal not to be excited? After suffering in the demon realm, they could sleep in a soft bed and eat delicious food. Of course, being separated from Agatha was genuinely regrettable, but it's not like he could take Agatha with him.
Caesar decided to move away from this conversation topic altogether, as pursuing it would only become more difficult for both Agatha and himself. While looking around for a new subject to discuss, Caesar spotted Gloria diligently polishing armor. Gloria was earnestly polishing the armor with an oil-soaked cloth until it shone. She seems to really like the new armor.
"Come to think of it, I heard you gave Gloria a set of armor. That's the armor the Moon Knights were wearing, right?"
As expected of armor used by the Moon Knights, its basic specifications are tremendous. In game terms, it would have 80% physical damage reduction and 80% magic damage reduction.
In terms of pure stats, there are hardly any armors that can match it. Moreover, it has an auto-repair skill as a passive, making it very easy to maintain, and each armor has one unique additional skill. Of course, all Moon Knights' armor also has a strange passive skill called 'Ghost', but... Anyway, Gloria has obtained armor with specifications that would be impossible to acquire at her current level.
"Well, yes. I thought she would need it."
Agatha does not like Gloria.
To be precise, would it be more accurate to say she dislikes her? But then why did she give that armor to Gloria as a gift?
"Why did you give it as a gift?"
"Gloria is the closest person who can protect you. That's why I gave it. Of course, it's also partly so you don't die doing something foolish..."
"Thank you. I was actually planning to get some armor for Gloria."
"And I'm not giving it away. I'm lending it."
Indeed, it wouldn't make sense to simply give away armor of that caliber.
"In exchange for lending it, I told her to recover and bring back all the Moon Knight armors that humans took. They're our demon realm's heritage, aren't they?"
Caesar stroked his chin as he recalled the whereabouts of the Moon Knight armors.
"As far as I know, there are only 2 Moon Knight armors remaining on the continent. The other 7 sets were turned into scrap metal by Yan and Mitchell."
According to history, only one Moon Knight armor was supposed to survive. And that armor was presented to the Emperor, with merit points gradually accumulated to obtain the Moon Knight armor.
But because of Barre... Or more precisely, because Seo-han actively intervened in the battle with the Moon Knights, one additional armor managed to survive.
"Where are the remaining 2 sets?"
"As far as I know, one went to the Emperor, and the other went to the Redfield family."
"So it's basically the same as Yan and Mitchell each taking one."
"That's right. Well, don't worry too much since there are ways to retrieve both of them."
"I don't care about that. Your safety comes first. That armor is really sturdy, so it won't break easily."
"I already know how sturdy it is."
It's armor that withstood a full-force strike from Wilderness while in Berserker's 7-stack state. There's little chance of dying while wearing that armor except under extreme circumstances.
"But where did that armor come from? There were only 9 Moon Knights total. I never heard that you had that armor?"
"You're right, I didn't have it. I didn't even try to look for it."
"Then where did it come from?"
"How should I put this? Should I say it walked in on its own?"
"It walked in on its own?"
"Literally. A few days ago, that armor just came to me."
Caesar couldn't understand what Agatha was saying at all. Was she telling some kind of riddle?
"Are you saying the armor Gloria is wearing is some kind of Living Armor? That's a spirit-possessed armor that only appears in legends."
"It's a gargoyle."
Caesar turned his head back at the sound of a man's voice.
It was Borden.
"What do you mean? A gargoyle?"
"Exactly what I said. All Moon Knight armors are 'gargoyles.' They were personally carved and created by Demon King Diana, after all. That's why it could walk on its own."
Caesar recalled the ‘Moon Knight Set’ from the game Valent Saga.
It's a set effect obtained by equipping the armor and weapons worn by Moon Knights, granting life drain and a special passive skill called 'Ghost.' The 'Ghost' passive skill is a unique skill that allows the armor to continue fighting until completely destroyed even if the wearer dies from accumulated damage, but since it only activates after character death, it was considered a practically useless set.
'So the reason the ghost effect manifests is...'
It makes sense if the armor is actually a gargoyle.
"Wait, so you put a gargoyle on Gloria?!"
"That's right."
Caesar instinctively looked at Agatha. Agatha avoided Caesar's gaze while whistling. She definitely knew everything when she gave it.
"Did you explain everything to Gloria? That it's a gargoyle?"
"I was in a hurry then. Didn't have time to explain properly."
Oh, my head. Caesar finished his coffee and set down the cup.
"Have you talked with that gargoyle?"
"Well... A little?"
"How was it?"
"The performance is excellent. Though it doesn't quite match my taste."
"Taste?"
"Well, I just thought it would suit Gloria better than me. The gargoyle seems to like her too."
From Agatha's expression and her attempt to brush it off, it seems like she's hiding something.
"Don't worry too much. It's not a bad one."
"It sounds like you're saying it's not exactly bad but not exactly good either?"
"...It's just a difference in taste."
What kind of taste difference could it be? Just as Caesar was about to probe further, Borden spoke up.
"My Lord. It's about time for you to leave."
Agatha looked at her pocket watch and said.
"Ah, it's already that time."
Agatha put the pocket watch back in her pocket.
"I'm going to see Raven. She said he's building a new dock, so we need to remove the dock we made."
"I know. I'll come a bit later."
Agatha left as if escaping, and Caesar felt anxiety growing in his chest as he watched her retreating figure. Just what kind of gargoyle was it to make her act like this?
***
Armor always requires proper maintenance. If foreign substances stuck between the seams are left unattended, rust can easily form. As Sir Gideon told me, maintaining armor properly is just as important as handling a sword, since rust directly affects the armor's durability.
"Excellent...!"
This magical armor, perfectly fitted to Gloria's form, wasn't bulky but rather looked like a work of art with its clean, precise curves. Moreover, its color was red like Caesar's eyes, making it immediately apparent from afar that the wearer was a knight serving Caesar. And there was the convenience of wearing it as a necklace during normal times, only expanding it into armor when desired.
And finally...
Gloria stood up, placed her hand on the armor, and closed her eyes.
Clink! Clink! Clink!
The parts that had been separated for proper cleaning flew automatically and attached themselves to Gloria's body with precise fits. The sensation of the armor tightening firmly, like clockwork mechanisms interlocking, was perfect.
'It's a shame there's no helmet.'
Being armor used by vampires, it seemed to lack a helmet. It wouldn't be easy to have to repeatedly remove and put on a helmet for blood drinking. But even excluding that...
"This is really excellent...!"
"You like it that much?"
"Ah! Master!"
Gloria smiled brightly and spun around once in place.
"Look at this. They say this armor was used by Moon Knights. From what I've heard, even the Hero's sword energy couldn't cut through it in one strike. Even the mighty Barre couldn't split it."
"You've already become quite the expert."
Gloria scratched her cheek shyly and grinned.
"As a classical knight, it's basic to know the characteristics of the armor I use."
"More importantly, haven't you noticed anything strange? Like feeling the armor moving as if it were alive or something like that?"
Gloria thought carefully before speaking.
"Ah, now that you mention it, I did have a somewhat strange experience during yesterday's battle."
"What kind of experience?"
"When fighting the Spell eater, I definitely got hit by the greatsword, right? But it felt like the armor moved on its own to absorb the impact, if that makes sense? Anyway, it felt strange."
"Anything else?"
"Nothing else in particular."
Caesar stroked his chin while looking at Gloria's armor. He wasn't sure if the ‘impact absorption’ effect Gloria mentioned was this armor's passive ability or if the gargoyle had moved according to its will. To know that accurately, I need to know what this fellow is thinking right now.
"May I take a look?"
"Ah, yes. Of course. Should I take it off now?"
"No, just stand still."
Caesar placed his hand on the armor while pretending to examine it thoroughly. Then he used psychometry.
-Would you remove that beastly hand?! Man!
A sharp yet clear voice pierced Caesar's mind, startling him for a moment.
-How dare you put your hands on my perfect body?! Man!
-Get lost before I shake off this corn!
-5, 4, 3...
"Hooh..."
What a prickly personality. I wonder why such a being would obediently listen to Gloria's words?
-...2... 1 and a half.
-One half of a half... One half of a half of a half...
-1... I really won't tolerate this! I really won't! Man!
Caesar became curious about how it would react if he provoked it to the end.
-This is really the last warning! I'll count down from 10 again, so really take your hand off now!
-10... 9...
It seemed this being really disliked Caesar but also didn't want Gloria to discover it was a gargoyle. I wonder why?
"What an interesting fellow."
"Fellow?"
"I mean, it's an interesting item."
It was the first time learning that Moon Knight armor was a gargoyle, but he never dreamed it would have such a unique personality. Until now, the gargoyles Caesar had met were either stoic like 'Wing' or worshipped Diana like 'Star'.
Since he hadn't met many gargoyles in the first place, he wasn't sure if gargoyles with such unique personalities existed... But anyway, this one had a very strong sense of self-awareness.
-One half of a half...!
Well then, let's give it a big shake.
"Gloria, take off that armor and give it to me."
"Ah, yes."
-...!!!
The being's inner self trembled as if struck by lightning.