268
I Killed the Demon King. It Was a Mistake
Chapter 268
It had been a month since returning to Homigraph. Caesar headed to the Great Library, summoned by Noah after a long time. The place where Noah called Caesar was his personal workshop.
"You're going to your hometown?"
"Well, since His Highness the Crown Prince kept calling for me, I said I would meet him on my way back after visiting my parents."
"Are you really planning to meet the Emperor?"
The honorifics for the Emperor had completely disappeared. It seems Noah now intends to take a completely different path from the Emperor. Of course, considering that the Arch Duke in the Valent Saga established a new Arch Dynasty after abandoning the Emperor during the period of warring states, this might be expected. Caesar showed the golden dagger and said:
"It's about time I returned this."
"Are you planning to support the Emperor?"
"Of course not. I plan to return it and leave immediately."
A small piece of magic stone that had sprayed from Noah's jewelry fell to the floor.
"Will the Emperor let you go so easily?"
"He probably won't let me go easily. But there must be people who don't want me to side with the Emperor. Notably, Arch Duke or..."
"Minister Hilos would be one."
Caesar was slightly surprised. On the surface, Hilos appears to be a loyal supporter of the Emperor. However, when the warring states period arrived, he was also someone who immediately betrayed the Emperor and defected to the Redfield family. This is something Caesar knows because he played ‘Valent Saga,’ but how did Noah know?
"Minister Hilos?"
"Have a good talk with Minister Hilos. He will certainly support you."
"How do you know that?"
"Minister Hilos contacted me. A request for asylum."
Hilos is requesting asylum with the Arch family instead of the Redfield family? Why?
"In exchange for safely bringing Hilos and his family here. Hilos said he will return the favour."
"When? I've never heard of this."
"Aren't you hearing it now?"
Caesar made a sour expression.
"What's the price?"
"Evidence detailing the Emperor's scandals. And the Spear of Penetration."
"...Excuse me? What did you say?"
"The Spear of Penetration."
Caesar's head momentarily felt dizzy at the mention of the Spear of Penetration. What is the Spear of Penetration? Isn't it a dragon language relic and a treasure of the Eileen Empire? The Spear of Penetration is a powerful relic famous for piercing Smaurn’s scales and wounding him. I heard that because of it, Smaurn’s right arm was blown away... He's saying he'll flee to the Arch family with such a Spear?
"If we bring that, it seems like we'll attract attention not just from the Imperial Province but from all kinds of factions. Can you handle that?"
"It's a Spear worth that much."
The Spear of Penetration is one of the items that cannot be used in the Valent Saga. There is no means to acquire it no matter what method is used because only those of imperial blood can handle the Spear of Penetration, and also because the warehouse storing the Spear of Penetration is reduced to ashes during Belial's attack. If only one could obtain such a Spear...
'Could it be possible to pierce Elijah's armor?'
Caesar is actually quite skilled with throwing spears, though he only throws axes now. Otherwise, how could he have been called the Prince of the Sky when he lived as ‘Mill,’ the Knight of the Sky in the past?
"If the condition is giving me the Spear of Penetration, I'll do it."
"I'll lend it to you until the day you die."
"That's generous. Sounds good."
His blood is boiling after a long time. He wants to get this over with quickly and see the fresh Spear of Penetration. He's been wanting to have a dragon language relic anyway.
"When is the asylum scheduled?"
"January 10th next year, the Foundation Day."
"So you're planning to make a proper mess if you're going to make one."
"First, go to Vex and discuss the details with Hilos before taking action. I'll leave this entirely to you."
"Understood. I'll plan to meet the Emperor around that time as well."
Foundation Day is one of the Imperial Province biggest celebrations. Most noble families will send representatives then, so mixing in with them would reduce suspicion of being an imperial supporter. Caesar rose from his seat. Then Noah handed Caesar the artifact he had been making earlier. It was a necklace-type artifact, with a red ruby embedded in it that resembled Caesar's eyes, making it captivating.
"What is this?"
"It's an artifact with the ability to detect devils, like the emblem of Goddess Dre used by holy knights. If a devil appears within 10km, the vibration frequency will change depending on the number of horns."
"The vibration frequency changes?"
"You'll understand immediately once you use it, so just use it."
"Yes. By the way, what's this called?"
"I haven't named it specifically."
Caesar looked at the ruby necklace that resembled his eyes and fell into thought briefly.
"Then may I name it?"
"Do as you please."
Caesar recalled the name of an item he had used in the Valent Saga game and opened his mouth.
"The Devil's Call."
***
Caesar stroked Whitey while feeding it a turnip.
-Sweet turnip!
This fellow is so consistently good. Whether in the midst of war or in a luxurious stable, he shows the same joy when given a turnip.
"I should have taken you with me."
Bristle!
Whitey's mane stood up stiffly. It seems to have instinctively sensed a difficult journey ahead.
"It's okay. It's okay. I can't take you anyway."
Crossing the continent riding Whitey would make Caesar tired and exhausted. He cannot sleep while on Whitey. It would be better to pull a carriage or ride a train.
'There have been many train robbery incidents recently, so trains are somewhat problematic...'
While it might be better to go by carriage rather than getting involved in troublesome incidents, it's not as if robbers don't target carriages either. From Caesar's perspective, he wouldn't be scared even if thieves came in a truckload, but it would be really annoying if the train stopped in the middle of the journey. At that moment, Messio entered the stable carrying a pile of hay.
"Oh? What business do you have with Imperio de Zigmayer?"
"Didn't I tell you not to call Whitey by such a grandiose name? And what's strange about me coming to see my horse?"
"You haven't come to see Imperio for almost 2 months since we were on the ship and came to Homigraph, have you?"
This guy persistently calls him Imperio. Calling him that doesn't make Whitey yours.
"Well, I've been busy in my own way."
"Imperio has also missed Lord Caesar. Since you've decided to raise him, come occasionally to feed him and take care of his coat. Don't act like irresponsible parents who just give birth and hastily abandon their child at an orphanage."
How unusual for this fellow to say something right. Caesar also came to see Whitey before leaving because he felt slightly guilty about it.
"I'll be gone for a while. Take good care of him."
"You're abandoning him again."
"What can I do? Blame this fellow's fate for having an owner with wanderlust."
"What?"
"It means I was born with a destiny to wander here and there."
"Ah...."
Caesar stroked Whitey's back after it finished eating the turnip, then spoke.
"More importantly, how's the atmosphere in Knight Town recently?"
Caesar looked outside the stable. Beyond the wide and flat riding ground, sufficient for horses to run around, wooden houses were being built vigorously.
"I heard that many residents have already flocked there. The number of knights who want to stable their horses here has also increased."
Currently, jobs are abundant in Homigraph. Since Homigraph is a city of trade, all kinds of cargo are transported here and there. However, due to recent deteriorating security issues, they've adopted a system of temporarily hiring high-quality knights like mercenaries to guard the cargo. For wandering knights who suddenly lost their jobs and became drifters, there's no better part-time work than this. In such a situation, they're building a village exclusively for knights and offering cheap housing mortgage loans, so naturally, how could they not be attracted? They say that Knight Town is currently experiencing a construction boom, and they're thinking of expanding it beyond what was originally planned.
"Make sure those knight fellows don't come here and cause trouble. Why do you think I made you the security officer of Knight Town?"
"I prefer managing horses like I do now."
"If that's the case, why did you become a knight instead of just remaining a stable keeper?"
Caesar tapped the security officer badge hanging on Messio's chest while speaking.
"Patrol well every day, and if those knight guys make a fuss about dueling in the streets, guide them well to the dueling arena. Now it's important to help knights settle stably in Homigraph. Got it?"
"I understand! I get it. Stop nagging."
"Gideon will come by occasionally to see if you're doing your job well. Do well."
"Understood."
"Then I'm leaving."
Messio placed his hand on his chest and paid his respects.
"Then take care on your journey, Viscount El Lindger."
There was sincerity in Messio's eyes. Despite grumbling, Messio respected Caesar a lot. If it weren't for Caesar, he wouldn't have been able to return alive from that hellish demon realm.
"Yes. I'll be back."
***
Caesar finally boarded the train. Even as he lay on the luxurious first-class bed, it felt like sitting on a bed of thorns.
"Damn, I just know I'm going to encounter train robbers."
Caesar had rarely traveled to his destination in one go when taking the train. He always inevitably encountered train robbers midway and had to engage in troublesome fights. Despite this, the reason he had no choice but to board the train was because it was the fastest and most comfortable means of transportation.
"Still, it's only a two-day journey, so there shouldn't be any problems."
It takes nearly two weeks to travel from Homigraph to Caesar's hometown Sylvatil Station. However, Caesar had no intention of going directly to Sylvatil Station. Caesar briefly opened the curtain and glanced at the private detectives and journalists pretending to read newspapers while sitting on the platform benches. He had already noticed at least 5 individuals following him. Though he couldn't yet determine who had hired them, he had a general idea of who might have assigned these tails. At minimum, the Vex County family and the Redfield Duke would have definitely assigned followers, and either the Kingdom of Dior or Niflheim would have assigned at least one person. There would certainly also be a bunch of journalists gathered to make money by writing articles about Caesar's every move. Caesar planned to shake off all these tails while acquiring a rather useful ancient artifact.
Whoo! Whoo!
As the train departed, those reading newspapers on the platform hurriedly boarded. They had likely been waiting to confirm that Caesar wouldn't disembark midway before boarding themselves. Caesar closed the curtain and closed his eyes. Sleeping with the enemy was something he had done habitually for a very long time as a spy. He had no intention of sacrificing sleep by worrying about such individuals now. ...When evening fell and the sun began to set on the train that had departed at dawn, Caesar was forced to open his eyes due to a vibration he felt in his chest.
Jing! Jing! Jing! Jing!
Jing! Jing! Jing! Jing!
"...Indeed. The Duke was right."
He could immediately sense when a devil appeared. He could even tell how many horns it had.
'It has 4 horns.'
Since it just rang, there must be a four-horned devil within a 10km radius. While a devil with 1 or 2 horns might wander around a train for no reason, there was no reason for a devil with 4 horns to do so. Caesar retrieved Thunder and Lefty from under his bed. Then he closed his eyes and concentrated on his hearing.
The sound of train wheels rolling on rails. The sound of couplings between carriages colliding. The sound of people chattering. The sound of attendants serving meals. The sound of something being written.
Caesar's ears were filled with mundane, peaceful everyday sounds. There was no sound related to devils anywhere.
Jing! Jing! Jing! Jing!
Nevertheless, the call of the devil vibrated incessantly. In fact, the vibration was growing stronger. This meant the devil was drawing closer.
'No. This isn't approaching.'
The train began to slow down.
-The next station is Teseni Station, Teseni Station.
-Passengers disembarking at this station, please exit to the right.
'I'm going to the devil.'
Eventually, the train stopped and white steam covered the platform. Caesar did not open the curtain. Like a bat, Caesar used footsteps and the sounds they collided with to create a three-dimensional map.
'Who is it?'
Teseni is one of the five largest cities in Wizard Province. As such, there was considerable population flow. There were too many people loading and unloading luggage, boarding and disembarking. Among all these people, there was definitely a devil. Despite this, the absence of screams meant the devil was either concealing its appearance or disguised as a human. For what purpose was it on this platform? Was Caesar the target? Or did it have another purpose? Caesar continued to search for clues to find the devil hiding among the many people, but it was impossible to find the devil by sound alone. The devil was clearly either in an ordinary human form or possessed the secretive ability to eliminate sound itself.
'Should I go out and look?'
No. If Caesar were to go out now, it would only increase the damage. Without properly knowing the devil's abilities, carelessly interfering would only increase civilian casualties. If it was simply waiting on the platform, he could just inform the train attendant that there was a devil on the Teseni Station platform, and if it had boarded, Caesar could slowly track it down. Caesar waited quietly... And eventually the train moved. Given that no screams were heard until the train started moving, it seemed the devil had no immediate plans to act. So, was the devil still on the platform? Or had it boarded the train?
Jing! Jing! Jing! Jing!
One minute had passed since the train left Teseni Station. Yet the intensity of the vibration did not decrease. Caesar rose from his seat.
The devil had boarded the train.