The Difference in Status
"Hey. Where are you going? We should kill them together!"
"Could you please pretend you don't know me?" Crawford said, looking utterly disgusted. I think he's completely losing his mind! The Guild Alliance hadn't been exaggerating when they talked about him!
"We can easily kill this many!"
"You might get away with that in the Auston Kingdom, but I'd rather not do that in the Erangs Kingdom."
Few players could get by without relying on the Erangs Kingdom. It was the central hub containing various rare facilities and buildings that didn't exist in other kingdoms, such as special blacksmiths, special tailor guilds, and the Magic Tower. Even high-level rankers tried their best not to cause trouble within the Erangs Kingdom. If a bounty got placed on their heads, it would be a massive headache.
"No! A bounty won't be placed for something like this!"
"What? You won't get a bounty even if you kill guards inside the city?"
"I'm a Baron, so this much is..."
"...So you're saying you'll be fine. You bastard, you really spent too much time in the Guild Alliance; you're starting to act just like them."
Alcott didn't know exactly what Crawford meant by that, but the insulting tone came through loud and clear. He bristled with anger and tried to argue.
"What do you mean by—"
Clack-clack, clack-clack—
A party was riding fast on horseback from the outer gate.
"They're coming this way?"
"Did they just get their first mount?"
The first thing players did when they got their first mount was speed down the city's main streets. Usually, when high-level players saw this, they would look on with indulgent, warm smiles, thinking, Ah, they must have just gotten their first mount.
"Open up!"
"???"
"Are they crazy?"
Alcott and Crawford were dumbfounded. The party didn't even slow down as they approached the inner castle gate, boldly ordering the guards to open the gate.
Alcott smirked maliciously. These punks! Just because you got a mount, you think you own the world? Prepare to be humiliated! Those nasty guards will surely teach them a lesson! They'll be so embarrassed they won't even be able to look around as they run away!
Screeech—
"Please enter!"
"It is an honor to meet you!"
The guards bowed so low their foreheads practically touched the ground. The party rode right past them as if it were the most natural thing in the world.
Thud!
And the inner castle gate slammed shut immediately behind them.
"Uh, uh, uh..." Alcott stammered, completely lost for words. What had he just witnessed?
Crawford stared at Alcott with equal disbelief.
"You... you're really a Baron, right?"
"What are you talking about? You've seen my fief yourself!"
"Well, that's true, but... did you forge your title...?"
"You bastard, you really have no filter!"
-To deceive the other demons, you must first release me!
Jukenen made his bold claim. At his words, the dwarves of the forge jumped up in outrage.
"Th-That demon has finally shown his true colors!"
"Burn him to death!"
"Activate the holy water pipes! He's talking nonsense!"
But Jukenen was desperate.
-No, listen to me! If any demon sees me locked in a cage, they'll run away immediately!
That was actually a fair point. Even the boldest demon would run if they saw Jukenen and Gusion bound in a cage having their mana drained.
"But what if he runs away?"
"Hmm. Well... I should put a collar on him."
Tae-hyun began to quickly string together the bombs he was holding to make a necklace. It was a terrifying necklace just to look at. Jukenen and Gusion were horrified at the sight.
◈ You have crafted an Engineering item that would terrify even demons!
◈ Your Engineering skill has increased!
N-No, I can endure this! Jukenen flinched at the sight of the necklace but tried to calm himself. If I cast all kinds of defensive magic, I might survive the explosion...
But Tae-hyun wasn't done.
"All done. Exploding Dragon!"
It was a skill created by a madman inspired by turning a dragon into a bomb. It allowed him to sacrifice a random stat to infuse a bomb with draconic power.
Your Luck stat has decreased as a penalty for using Exploding Dragon.
"Nice."
A decrease of a few dozen Luck was barely noticeable. He had rolled the best possible stat deduction. Tae-hyun nodded in satisfaction.
Flash!
The bomb necklace began to violently vibrate. It was clearly packed with immense power. Jukenen gave up on the idea of escaping and surviving the blast; now he was terrified it might go off by accident.
-A-Ah... No, Your Eminence. Please hear me out. Isn't it a waste to use such a precious item on a weak demon like me?
"Well, it is a waste, but I already made it, so what can I do? And if you don't detonate it, I can recycle it. Put it on."
-No, wait, let me think—argh!
Click!
Tae-hyun snapped the collar on Jukenen before he could even finish. Lee Da-bi watched this and felt a strange twinge of envy, then snapped out of it. What on earth am I thinking...?!
-Argh! It's gonna blow! It's gonna blow!
"It's fine. It won't blow. Probably."
-Probably?!
"Get out, you. We're busy."
Tae-hyun pulled Jukenen out of the cage. Jukenen was finally out, but his face was dark.
-Your Eminence! Please let me out too! I will keep an eye on him!
Seeing this, Gusion spoke up. Tae-hyun nodded and opened the cage.
"Sure. You come out too."
-A-Ah, but that guy isn't scar—
Jukenen stopped mid-sentence. Gusion was glaring at him.
Ah! I see! Jukenen realized why Gusion had made such an excuse to get out. Clever bastard! Truly the son of a Demon Duke!
Once outside, they could find an opportunity to escape. Since Gusion didn't have a bomb collar under the pretext of watching Jukenen, he could run whenever he wanted. And if he escaped? He'd tell the Demon Duke immediately and they'd come back with full force to crush Tae-hyun! Just thinking about it was refreshing.
Brilliant, Gusion!
Jukenen smirked and nudged Gusion. Gusion got dead serious.
-Don't touch me.
-...Hey. He's not looking right now. You don't have to act that hard.
-What nonsense are you spouting? Don't even think about escaping. I know your magic inside out. I'll catch you myself.
-...Hey. I said you don't have to act. He's not listening.
Jukenen was flustered. Why was this guy acting so thoroughly? But Gusion was dead serious.
-Stop talking nonsense, and don't even dream of escaping.
Gusion's goal was simple: make sure Jukenen didn't escape. If Jukenen escaped and the bomb collar exploded, Jukenen would die, but Gusion would be left alone to have his energy drained. He could absolutely not let that happen! Gusion planned to keep Jukenen alive so the collar never had to be used.
Only then did Jukenen realize Gusion was being completely serious. And he was horrified. This crazy bastard...!
-Hey, wake up! Your enemy isn't me, it's that Apostle!
-Your Eminence! This fellow is talking nonsense!
"Is that so?"
Tae-hyun raised a bottle of holy water and sprayed it. Jukenen screamed and jumped around.
-Argh! Gusion! You damn idiot!
-Hmph. Now you know the difference in our status!
-I'm telling you to wake up!
"Gusion, I'll give you this bottle of holy water. Spray him if he talks nonsense."
-Th-Thank you! Thank you for trusting me!
⊳ Gusion is deeply moved by your trust!
⊳ Your Infamy among demons is...
⊳ Gusion's affinity is...
⊳ Gusion's loyalty is rising...
⊳ Carbanog is bewildered, asking what on earth you are doing.
Why are you gaining the loyalty of a demon?! Carbanog stared at Tae-hyun in bewilderment.
Well, he's following me well on his own.
......
"Alright. Everyone disguised?"
By now, Tae-hyun's party were all becoming masters of disguise. They could completely change their appearance in under 30 seconds!
"Senior. Do we really need to go as far as disguising ourselves?"
At Yu Ji-soo's question, Tae-hyun answered firmly.
"Yes!"
"......"
"......"
He had forgotten because of his recent popularity, but Tae-hyun was originally the kind of person who had assassins chasing him wherever he went, with people holding grudges lining up to take a number. In a crowded place like the Erangs Kingdom, it was best to wear a disguise.
"Let's go!"
Leaving the rest of their subordinates outside the field, Tae-hyun's party rode their horses with Gusion and Jukenen. Target: Count Ileni's inner castle! According to Jukenen, the demons who had settled in Ileni County were living peacefully. They planned to find them and kidnap them first.
-You will need my help to enter the inner castle. I will sneak inside and get entry passes from my comrades...
"No need."
Tae-hyun spurred his horse forward. Arriving at the inner castle gate, he removed his mask and showed his face to the guards.
"Open up!"
"Please enter!"
"It is an honor to meet you!"
The guards opened the gate in 0.1 seconds. Tae-hyun's party easily passed through. Lee Da-bi tilted her head and spoke.
"Tae-hyun, I think I saw some familiar people outside."
"Who?"
"They looked like Alcott and Crawford..."
"Why are they out there? Strange fellows."
Tae-hyun said that and put it out of his mind. There was no reason to pay attention to such insignificant characters!
"Huh?"
"Isn't that Jukenen?"
Count Ileni's chamberlain, Count Ileni's knight, and Count Ileni's direct alchemist. All three were demons! It wasn't for nothing that they boasted about taking over all of Ileni County. The demons, who had been living happily under disguise, were surprised when Jukenen visited.
"Jukenen!"
"You're alive?"
"We thought you'd die going to the Archisus territory. You managed to survive!"
"......"
Jukenen had a lot to say but held it in. Come to think of it, he was the one who had made the mistake back then. He should have listened when the other demons tried to stop him!
When Jukenen remained silent, the demons began to chatter excitedly.
"Wow, I bet you'd die. To think you're alive."
"Seeing you here, you must have realized the Archisus territory was too much. Foolish bastard, you should have listened to us."
"So stupid."
Snap!
Jukenen was furious. He had indeed committed the stupidest act in the world, but to be insulted like this! He would absolutely never forgive them!
"But who are those people behind you?"
"This demon is Gusion."
"Gusion?!"
"Gusireg's son, Gusion! It is an honor to meet you, Lord Gusion!"
The demons quickly bowed. To intermediate and advanced demons, a great demon like Gusion was someone they dared not look at directly. Gusion nodded proudly. He had forgotten for a while, but he was indeed a great demon.
"Jukenen, how did you meet a great demon like Lord Gusion?"
"...I am also Lord Edaor's confidant."
Jukenen got defensive. In terms of status, he wasn't that far behind.
"But you're a bit... weak."
"Yeah, for a confidant, your combat power is lacking."
"Shut up!"
Jukenen was optimized for running away, sowing discord, and plotting. Because of this, other demons looked down on him. The fact that Edaor had recently suffered a massive humiliation also played a part. Demons were cold-hearted.
"This is Lord Gusion, but who are the people behind him? Are they Lord Gusion's subordinates?"
"They are Archisus."
"Ah. Archisus. Was there a demon by that name? Sounds very evil."
"I feel like I've heard that somewhere..."