Chapter 153: The Traitor of Humankind, Deon Hart (1)
Chapter 153: The Traitor of Humankind, Deon Hart (1)
He had obtained overall command from the Demon King.
He had also volunteered for the paperwork and took it on.
Perhaps because only satisfying things had been happening lately, the Demon King readily accepted Dan.
[You brought this human here yourself, so he must be useful for something.]
He had gotten permission, so that was that. Whether it was material or mental utility— he let the murmured words that followed slide past.
He also asked for an investigation into the Duke. The Demon King, knowing the circumstances, took on the investigation himself.
And then, me.
'If the supreme commander gets underestimated, command and control will both break down.'
In the past, I'd had a margin of ease because the thought of crossing over to the human world if something went wrong had always been at the back of my mind. But now, no such second option existed for me.
And so, he thought.
'I must not be underestimated.'
If I am, I will die.
The demons were viewing my physical durability and combat ability as separate things. It wasn't as if there were no demons who actually thought that way, so they accepted it easily. That was why, even when I showed weak moments like coughing up blood, they had been walking on eggshells around me so far.
But now that I had fully turned to the Demon King's side and was engaging in battle, what would happen when they saw me fighting every day, facing the enemy alongside them?
'Demons are a bit slow, but they're not fools.'
They would probably find out. The fact that Deon Hart was not as strong in combat as they thought.
If this fact was discovered, what followed was obvious.
I would plummet to the very bottom of the demon hierarchy, and the supreme commander position I'd barely obtained would become a scarecrow. It didn't take a genius to see that the demons would show no mercy in their treatment of a 'human' who had fallen in rank.
The reason I'd been able to stay at the top of the demons until now was, before the Demon King's protection, because I was acknowledged as being strong.
'So, keep combat to a minimum.'
Even if I had to fight, I should keep it short, not prolonged. I had to be as cruel as possible, not only to seize the momentum but also to draw fear from our own side.
So they couldn't analyze me. So they wouldn't even think of daring ideas.
'I can't show overwhelming force, so I have to show overwhelming fear instead.'
For demons who are dominated by force, dominate through force, and determine their hierarchy by force, the reason for the fear would naturally be mistaken for 'force' as well.
'I must not build personal ties with demons either.'
Bonding and fear had opposite properties. When facing fear, bonds weaken; when fear diminishes, bonds are easier to build. And once a bond is firmly established, even fear can dissipate in its presence...
For me, bonding with demons was poison.
'Let's build an unapproachable image.'
Fortunately, my image had already been one that was difficult to approach before, so there would be no problem.
'Before, I was subject to unintended misunderstandings and misconceptions, huh.'
Now it was my turn to intend it directly.
Just doing as I had before wasn't enough. Not being ignored, and building higher walls than before— all of this was ultimately aimed at preventing them from doubting my combat ability.
'They wouldn't even dare to doubt the position of someone who looks as though being up there is as natural as breathing.'
Coincidentally, Deon Hart thought of a person who fit that premise.
'Stigma Primiro.'
The time had come to use what he had learned from him.
***
Winter passed in the blink of an eye.
So many things had happened by the time the snow melted and the grass showed its new sprouts.
It hadn't even been that long a time, but the events that had unfolded were so absurd that Paul stared blankly out the window at the budding trees, his expression as if seeing it for the first time.
'The most recent absurd news I heard... was that Deon Hart had sided with the Demon King.'
At first, he thought it was a false rumor.
After all, Deon Hart was a hero who followed the Emperor's orders so faithfully that he was called the 'Emperor's Dog.' Even the Emperor cherished him greatly, so who would dare imagine his betrayal?
'But it was the truth.'
The moment this news spread, as if waiting for it, the death of the Fourth Hero, Cruel Hart, was also announced. The fact that he was the last person to have been with Deon Hart was an added bonus.
People's minds finally pieced together the circumstances and fell into shock.
[Deon Hart killed Cruel Hart.]
[To be exact, he killed him and fled to the demon world.]
No one doubted it.
Deon Hart had detested Cruel Hart so viciously. Because he had openly displayed his hostility without even trying to hide it, everyone knew of Deon Hart's hatred toward Cruel Hart.
'The timing of the announcement is so suspiciously convenient... but let's move on for now.'
When this news spread, the continent was greatly stirred.
The betrayer of blood and kin who, in the end, even killed his last remaining family. The betrayer of humanity who turned his back on the human world and sided with the demon world.
Truly a heinous crime.
Nearly everyone was shocked. The majority could not contain their anger at his crimes, and some shouted that his inhuman appearance alone made him look exactly like the Demon King's puppet. Rumors full of malice poured out, such as that he had been on the Demon King's side from the beginning, but they soon lost credibility and were gradually buried.
As a result, Deon Hart became the enemy of all.
'And if we were talking about another major event...'
Click. At the sound of the door opening, he removed the hand supporting his chin and raised his head.
He saw Iram, one of Daniel's reliable supporters, walk in, pressing his eyes firmly as if tired.
Paul smiled weakly and waved his hand.
"You're here?"
"Yeah, I'm a bit tired."
"Mm... So you've been fighting with the leadership after all. I thought they'd be cooperating by now."
"Cooperation? The new ones are trying to secure their future share by taking the initiative, while the remaining ones are trying to defend their own shares. How could there be cooperation?"
And besides, I'm not the official leader, just the temporary acting leader—
The following words, laced with a peculiar barb, were awkwardly smiled past and ignored.
"I thought my brother had cleaned out all the trash, but I guess not."
"If he'd tried to clean out all the trash, not half but 90% would have been wiped out. Then it'd be hard to maintain the Revolutionary Army itself, so compromise was inevitable. Still, Daniel got rid of the truly venomous ones, so it was bearable."
"That's a relief."
"...More importantly."
This time, Iram, his gaze filled with barbs, stared quietly at Paul.
It was impossible not to know the meaning behind that gaze, and just as Paul tried to subtly evade it, a direct statement was thrown at him, as if no further evasion would be tolerated.
"Paul, Daniel named you as his successor."
"...I know."
Paul hesitated for a moment, then held a quiet smile.
...Another major event was that the first leader of the Revolutionary Army, Daniel, had died.
Yes, Daniel had died.
Even in death, he did not die meaninglessly. He noticed the Duke's betrayal, used himself and a part of the Revolutionary Army as bait to strike back, and completely severed the link between the Revolutionary Army and the Duke.
Thanks to that, the leash that had been tying down the Revolutionary Army since they became entangled with the Duke was released.
As soon as this news spread, Paul moved swiftly and turned Daniel and the trash who had died at that time into heroes.
'If I hadn't moved first, the other leadership would certainly have pointed out my brother's judgement in wiping out half of the Revolutionary Army's combat strength and tried to make the 'Paul 2nd leader' matter disappear.'
They wouldn't dare to do anything so bold as to disparage a hero of the Revolutionary Army.
It felt unpleasant that trash were being revered as heroes, but he liked that his brother had become a hero.
Paul, who had admirably protected Daniel's will and his own position, smiled faintly at Iram, who was struggling to manage the Revolutionary Army already showing signs of division and to confront the leadership that was pecking at him, saying the leader's position couldn't be kept vacant for long.
"I will take the position tomorrow. In return, please give me today's freedom."
"The situation is so chaotic..."
"I'll be busy from now on, so there's someone I want to see one last time while I still have the chance."
It wasn't hard to guess who that person was.
Iram touched his forehead.
"Both Daniel and you, really..."
The disciple takes so much after the teacher.
Taking after him even in the useless things, what's the point?
"...I won't stop you, but you're an important person now, so move with at least a few guards."
"Yees."
***
After the Salvation Church collapsed, Siia went back to living in the slums.
A life that wouldn't be strange to be cut short at any moment. Whether she died today, or would die tomorrow. Even as she made undefined bets with herself, she kept clinging to life, sustaining it through the salvation that miraculously came whenever she was on the verge of death.
When she starved for a long time, food came to her; when she was sick, medicine came.
The human desire for survival was so stubborn that even she, who had no will to live, eventually had no choice but to reach out to the suspicious salvation.
And then.
Again today, there were eyes watching from afar the child who kept her head buried in her knees without any motivation.
'She doesn't seem to be sick, she seems to have eaten roughly, and above all, she's alive...'
I'm not sure if she can be considered safe, but I'm glad she's alive and unharmed.
Since I won't be able to come often from now on, I should look at her a lot right now.
A bitter taste filled his mouth. He wished Siia would live with motivation, but Paul had no right to push her forward. He had already led her down the path of ruin that was the Salvation Church.
'I've checked on her, so it's enough. Let's go back now.'
Thus, Paul, who had been endlessly standing his ground and watching the child, disappeared, and not long after, someone stood in front of Siia.
"──."
One-sided words were spoken. As if there had been something of interest, Siia, who had been motionless, flinched and raised her head.
"...Demon Cult?"
A child who had once been bewitched by a cult and still hadn't broken free showed interest in a new religion.
***
"...Demon Cult?"
It must be some kind of cult that worships demons, right?
The Duke held a sneer at the wickedness felt just from the name.
"They say when the tiger is away, the fox becomes king... Now that the Salvation Church has gone quiet, some unheard-of cult is running rampant..."
"..."
"We can't lose. Aggressively increase the followers of the Salvation Church."
I must let them know the tiger is still alive.
It had only been lying low, pretending to be dead for a moment; the tiger was very much alive. How dare a fox behave like a king in the tiger's domain?
'A religion that worships demons at a time like this...'
The mastermind was obvious without even looking. It was undoubtedly the demon world.
The corners of his mouth naturally twisted up into an asymmetrical smile.
"Let's see them go head-to-head, religion to religion."
Which one attracts more followers.
Even as he said this, the Duke was confident of victory.
How many humans would go to a religion with such an ominous name? Even more so, if the opposing religion had the name 'Salvation' and had once done good deeds, it was natural for people's hearts to lean toward it.
Thus, the Duke could sport a leisurely smile.
***
There was something the Duke had overlooked.
In the eyes of the poor, the Salvation Church had already failed once.
Even if the tiger was alive, if its claws and teeth had all fallen out and it was barely breathing, how could one acknowledge its territory? It would be better to side with the lively fox that pushes in and claims the territory as its own.
Who says a religion that had already collapsed once won't collapse a second time? What the poor wanted was a religion they could reliably lean on, and the Salvation Church no longer fit the religion they sought.
In contrast, what about the Demon Cult?
[The name itself sounds strong.]
[It wouldn't collapse easily.]
[It distributes food just like the Salvation Church.]
In the first place, the 'Demon Cult' was not a fox. If you had to compare it to something, you could call it a never-before-seen animal of unknown identity.
Because its identity was unknown, its power was unknown. Was it stronger than a tiger? More reliable? What of its nature? Since no one knew, it was instead something to anticipate and give a chance.
[Then there's nothing to agonize over.]
Excluding those who headed to the Salvation Church, yearning for the good memories, and those who had completely washed their hands of religion, the majority headed for the Demon Cult.
Contrary to the Duke's prediction that it would be overwhelming, the situation was unfolding at a tight, neck-and-neck pace.
***
"Lirinel, you aren't even participating in the war, so why do you look so busy?"
"I'm busy with Demon Cult matters, so go away, you ugly and ignorant 9th Legion Commander! You're not even a follower of the Demon Cult!"
"..."