The Secret of Nekanet-sal

"...A Demon Duke. That is truly magnificent."

The black mages seemed to interpret Tae-hyun's reaction in a completely different light.

"Of course he's in awe," one whispered.

"I understand. What other black mage could possibly capture a Demon Duke? Is this not a feat even Nebuchadnezzar himself could not achieve?"

"Lord Nekanet-sal is truly a legend incarnate."

Of course, standing right in front of these black mages was a man who had imprisoned a Demon Duke's son to drain his energy, stolen a Demon Duke's castle and run off with it, and even personally raided a Demon Duke. But as the saying goes, the boughs that bear most hang lowest. Tae-hyun chose not to brag and kept his mouth shut.

Wait, is that idiot Gusirek a complete fool? How did he even get caught?

Tae-hyun could understand a Demon Duke being ambushed and defeated upon crossing over to the continent. After all, they lost most of their power when leaving the Demon Realm. In such a weakened state, even a Demon Duke could fall in a fierce battle. But being captured alive was a different story entirely. ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠It was far better to die than to be taken prisoner, as death would simply return them to the Demon Realm. Yet, he had been captured...

Exactly.

He couldn't even begin to imagine how the demon had been caught. Did he get lured in by a free meal or something?

"How on earth did he capture him?" Tae-hyun asked.

"Didn't we tell you? Lord Neuchad... ah, no, Lord Nekanet-sal."

"To be honest, Lord Nekanet-sal's name is too difficult to pronounce. Why didn't he just keep his original name instead of copying Lord Nebuchadnezzar's..."

"Shh! Have you forgotten that a black mage was punished just the other day for saying that out loud?"

My useless knowledge is increasing again! Tae-hyun lamented internally, urging them on once more.

"Lord Nekanet-sal used his brilliant mind. Demon Dukes are cunning and wicked creatures, but they are not without weaknesses."

"Oh..."

Tae-hyun felt a sudden surge of goodwill toward Nekanet-sal. Does this guy actually know how to handle demons?

It would be great if I could learn some skills from him this time. Especially if they're effective against demons. Like me...

"He targeted Gusirek's personal grudge. That was his play."

"Uh. So it wasn't a skill?"

"What skill?"

"A man must use his brain. Simply being good at magic doesn't make you a great black mage, young man."

"So, what was this personal grudge Gusirek had?"

"We heard that his son was captured by the Avatar of Archisus. Lord Nekanet-sal utilized that rumor."

"Apparently, the rumor had even spread to the Demon Realm. For ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠a proud Demon Duke, it must have been an intolerable humiliation."

"So when Lord Nekanet-sal offered to help him find Archisus, he bit the bait immediately."

"..."

Tae-hyun and Carbanog were utterly speechless.

To think it was because of Tae-hyun!

No... I mean, even so, how could anyone actually fall for that!

While the two of them stood there in sheer disbelief, the black mages continued to marvel.

"Come to think of it, that Archisus is quite something. Even the Hungry Chaos covets him."

"He showed his true colors back in the days of the Empire."

Since these black mages had personally experienced the deeds of the Archisus Church since the days of the Ancient Empire, they readily acknowledged his capability. They might be a bunch of lunatics, but they certainly got the job done thoroughly!

"Aaaaargh!"

"If he's already been captured, why is he screaming like that?"

"Because he has not yet submitted."

"He would find peace much sooner if he just gave in!"

The black mages, who had grown quite friendly with Tae-hyun, personally escorted him to show him the sight.

A massive magic circle was engraved in front of the fortress, and above it hovered an enormous barrier. The Demon Duke was trapped inside. Because Gusirek's physical form was so colossal, the barrier holding him was equally gargantuan.

Oh dear. He's way too big to fit into a cage.

It was the true mark of an experienced demon-breeder who had raised dozens of demons!

"Submit! Submit, Demon Duke! To the power of the great black magic! To the power of the great Hungry Chaos!"

"Shut up... Aaaargh! Aaaaargh!"

Gusirek writhed in agony, bound tightly by chains of sealing incantations.

The power of a Demon Duke was truly formidable; even though they had tricked him into the barrier, they couldn't control him until he willingly submitted. In the end, there was only one thing the black mages could do.

Torture him until he broke!

Hmm. Gusion seemed to surrender pretty quickly, though.

He wasn't sure if the Archisus-style method had just been exceptionally effective, or if Gusion was simply weak.

"Now, let us go meet Lord Nekanet-sal."

"Yes!"

Tae-hyun wondered what kind of guy he would be.

Nekanet-sal resided at the very highest point of the fortress.

Whoa. I must absolutely never fight here.

Tae-hyun quickly assessed the situation. Even if a battlefield favored the enemy, there had to be a limit...

The area was so saturated with the power of the Hungry Chaos that his opponent could probably unleash all of it with a mere flick of a finger, while Tae-hyun wouldn't be able to use anything. At best, he could only rely on the Authorities of Archisus, Sadiq, Demer, Phytos, or Salabian.

"Who goes there?"

"Lord Nekanet-sal! We have brought an outstanding talent from the desert."

"An outstanding talent, you say?"

Nekanet-sal snorted. He figured the black mages were just exaggerating as usual.

But the black mages were dead serious. This was the power of the high affinity Tae-hyun had built with them! They earnestly began to ramble about how incredible of a talent Tae-hyun was, and how different he was from ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠the youth of today. They praised how he possessed the true spirit of the Empire, how he had mastered the black magic of Lord Nebuchadnezzar, and how incredibly polite and respectful he was for a youngster...

Hearing such excessive praise—to the point where anyone would think Tae-hyun deserved an award for the model youth of the era—Nekanet-sal couldn't help but feel intrigued. To think such a talent actually exists?

"But... how did you learn the black magic of Lord Nebuchadnezzar? That lineage should have been severed after the fall of the Empire."

Tae-hyun's mind raced at lightning speed. He answered instinctively.

"I must apologize for lying. In truth, I did not obtain it by mere chance. It is a secret magical art that has been passed down through my family for generations."

"?!"

"What?!"

"My family strictly forbade me from ever speaking of it, but seeing the venerable Lord Nekanet-sal, I simply could not bring myself to hide the truth! How could I conceal anything before the greatest of all black mages?"

It was a truly terrifying display of flattery!

Carbanog was deeply impressed by how Tae-hyun had targeted and pierced the opponent's weakest point the very moment they met.

Tae-hyun had successfully moved Nekanet-sal to tears! But it didn't stop there.

"If Lord Nebuchadnezzar's magic has been passed down through his family for generations... could that young man be a distant descendant of Lord Nebuchadnezzar?"

"It is highly possible. And look at his outstanding character and demeanor. That is proof enough of his noble lineage."

Did Nebuchadnezzar actually have an outstanding character and demeanor?

Considering how the man had gone completely mad and tried to slaughter everyone, Tae-hyun highly doubted it...

The reason Tae-hyun lied about Nebuchadnezzar's magic being a family heirloom was simple: to get better treatment! Since this place seemed deeply connected to Nebuchadnezzar, claiming a connection would surely guarantee him a warmer welcome.

However, the situation began to unfold a bit differently from what Tae-hyun had anticipated. He had expected them to just say, "Oh, what a splendid bloodline," and give him some decent perks, but...

"Actually, strictly speaking of bloodlines, Lord Nekanet-sal doesn't really have any relation to Lord Nebuchadnezzar, right?"

"Indeed. They only have similar names."

"And he changed his name to that, didn't he?"

The black mages who had survived since the days of the Ancient Empire had absolutely no filters. They whispered loudly right in front of Nekanet-sal's face!

Nekanet-sal trembled with rage, but he couldn't bring himself to refute them. If he slaughtered everyone here, he would lose all face in front of the others...

"Very well! Young man! From this day forth, you are my lieutenant!"

To become the boss's right-hand man immediately upon joining!

It was an unprecedented promotion, yet no one in the room objected. The black mages who had brought Tae-hyun brought their bony fingers to their tearless eye sockets, looking deeply touched.

"Look at that. How touching."

"I knew that young fellow would pull it off."

"Lord Nekanet-sal truly has an eye for talent."

The black mages were satisfied, and Nekanet-sal was satisfied. How much prestige would he gain if a descendant of Nebuchadnezzar was serving as his deputy? When the other black mages heard of this, they would surely marvel and say, "As expected of Lord Nekanet-sal! He is the true successor of Nebuchadnezzar!"

Nekanet-sal was overlooking many things, and one of them was the presence of Carbanog.

A god who had existed since the days of the Ancient Empire! Carbanog was a being who remembered ancient history that everyone else had long forgotten.

Most of the arrogant black mages who followed the Hungry Chaos were of noble bloodlines descending from the Ancient Empire. Because of their noble status, they believed they were entitled to rule the world. Nekanet-sal, who led them, was respected not only for his power but also for his supposedly grand lineage as the successor of Nebuchadnezzar.

But according to Carbanog, Nekanet-sal was originally just a servant of a black mage! And a servant of a black mage who visited Karbanog's Temple, at that.

If this truth were to be spread, Nekanet-sal's reputation within the Hungry Chaos would plummet drastically!

What a garbage quest.

It was a quest that required him to touch Nekanet-sal's sorest spot just to make a few black mages happy! The moment he spoke of it, Nekanet-sal would surely fly into a suicidal rage and attack him.

Besides, is visiting Karbanog's Temple even something to be ashamed of?

Carbanog seemed embarrassed. During the Ancient Empire, the Karbanog Church was a gathering place primarily for the poor and those of low birth. Since it was a rabbit god, that was only natural.

Why be embarrassed about that? If anything, it's a good thing. Back then, pretentious orders like the Phytos Church probably discriminated against people based on their status. You did well, Carbanog.

By the way, did the Archisus Church also discriminate when accepting followers?

Okay, that's enough.

Tae-hyun pretended not to hear. There was no benefit in knowing too many of the church's dark secrets!

Hmm. I'm not sure how to utilize this information.

Originally, his plan had been to find the weaknesses of this fortress and Nekanet-sal, and then slip away quietly. But now that he had discovered a Demon Duke and this unexpected piece of information about Nekanet-sal, his mind was in a tangle.

Can I free the Demon Duke? If that guy actually submits, it's going to be dangerous...

Gusirek was holding out for now, but demons were fundamentally foolish creatures lacking in persistence. There was no telling when he might finally give in.