Chapter 156: The Traitor of Humankind, Deon Hart (4)
He had declared he would follow with all sincerity, but there was no way he could have no complaints.
The Demon King clearly had no greed for occupying the human world. He had realized that the reason behind the Demon King's objective to occupy the human world was none other than to test and make use of Deon Hart himself.
'But now that he has a toy, shouldn't he play with it?'
The Demon King wasn't the type to carefully store a newly acquired toy in a display case and just admire it. Weren't toys meant to be played with?
The place where the toy called Deon Hart could be utilized to its fullest extent.
Without any need to ponder, the Demon King thought of 'war'.
'Let's wage a war on the largest scale possible. That should provide a sufficient stage.'
It was a meaningless, unnecessary war, literally nothing but waste, so he understood Deon Hart's discontent.
That was why he was letting Deon's actions and remarks, which could be deemed insolent, slide as light grumbling, just like the resignation letter incident.
Without avoiding his red eyes, the Demon King grinned.
"Right, we should sweep them all away."
"......."
Deon's brow furrowed for an instant.
It was only for a moment; as if it had never happened, he turned his eyes away from the Demon King with an impassive face and redirected his gaze back to the meeting. His calm and high-handed gaze, different from before, swept over the Legion Commanders as if pressing them down.
"......The Empire boasts superior military power, and Reweche is rich in resources. Certainly... if left alone, they will become troublesome. At the very least, either the Empire or Reweche must be dropped from the alliance to make things easier in the long run. Leave this to me."
"Using any means?"
"Can the magic used during the last declaration of war be used again?"
......Aha.
It seemed he had been smiling more often lately.
The Demon King, who had roughly guessed his intention, failed to suppress the corners of his rising lips and smiled again.
"It's possible. You intend to warn them?"
"Yes."
"It would certainly land a proper psychological blow. How cruel."
Humanity still did not know the identity of the 0th Legion Commander.
Even within the Demon Realm, the only ones who knew that 'Demon Arut' and 'Deon Hart' were the same person were the Legion Commanders and those close to Deon like Ed, Ben, and Hien.
This was a situation Deon had deliberately cultivated.
[I would prefer it if the fact that 'Deon Hart' is the '0th Legion Commander' is not revealed yet.]
[Why? News that you are the betrayer of humanity has already spread far and wide. The Emperor would have no reason to keep your identity a secret, would he?]
[There is no particular reason to reveal it either. Humans constantly snap and tear at each other at every opportunity; the mere fact that I, whom he had so fiercely championed, betrayed him will already be stirring whispers of doubt about the Emperor's judgment internally.]
If it were revealed in such a situation that Deon Hart, the Empire's third Hero, had been the 0th Legion Commander?
The Emperor, who couldn't reveal that he had been playing a precarious game with the Demon King over Deon Hart, would simply become a dull-witted man who had remained ignorant of such a crucial fact for a long period.
Doubt about his judgment was a given, and the nobles would use this as a pretext to significantly strengthen their voice. They were people who were always waiting for a crack in the imperial authority, so rather than considering the current state of affairs, they'd be more likely to exploit it for their own power.
In other words, the Emperor would end up considerably exhausted, both inside and out.
[He won't be unaware that this essentially hands the upper hand to us, but what can he do?]
He had no choice.
From the Emperor's perspective, even if it meant handing over the upper hand, it was better to delay the 'same person' issue from being exposed.
[However, if the war continues, the demons will frequently hear news of the human world, and the number of those in the know will increase.]
At the very least, there would be people who grew suspicious.
The Empire's third Hero, 'Deon Hart', had betrayed the human world and sided with the Demon Realm, but... who exactly was he? The only human in the Demon Castle was 'Demon Arut'.
Could it be.
Could Demon Arut be Deon Hart?
[There is no need to deliberately hide it from the demon-race, but strict control is necessary to prevent this fact from leaking to the human world. It's an immutable truth that a secret is better kept the fewer people know it, so it would be best not to disclose it until the time is right, but since it's also not a situation where we can completely bury it as a secret....]
His words trailed off.
His voice, slowed as if he were pondering, feigned leisure and continued.
[I should figure out who would likely find out if left unchecked. The rank-and-file demon soldiers who will be frantically fighting battles and under strict control can be pushed back in priority....]
[.......]
[The Legion Commanders, who have wide operational ranges and relative freedom—especially Commander 2 and Commander 4, who deal with information—will definitely find out. No, perhaps they already suspect it.]
[......Are you suggesting we reveal it to the Legion Commanders?]
[To be precise, we inform those close to me, including the Legion Commanders, in advance and make them hold their tongues.]
For instance, Ed, Ben, or even Hien, to be generous.
For those who had observed him up close over time, it would only be a matter of time before they caught on after hearing a few pieces of news from the human world. Since it was a fact bound to come to light eventually, Deon didn't want to waste energy hiding it one by one.
'I knew his mind worked to some degree, but....'
This was on a whole other level.
Aside from his unstable personality flickering back and forth as an aftershock of merging his separated memories, Deon Hart, now without gaps in his memory, had been sharpened even more keenly.
After flinching his lips at the sharp analysis for just a moment, the Demon King smiled naturally.
[Do as you wish. Although, it's not as if humans are incapable of making plausible guesses—will it be alright?]
Deon Hart betrayed the human world and went to the Demon Realm.
He was a human who had been a Hero, so he must occupy some position, yet... his name was nowhere to be heard?
Naturally, they would grow suspicious.
[Various speculations will emerge. Among them, the truth won't be absent.]
[It's fine. What matters is that they 'cannot be certain.']
[......Good!]
Thus, that very day, the Demon King and Deon gathered the Legion Commanders, Ed, Ben, and Hien, and revealed that 'Demon Arut' was 'Deon Hart'....
And they had seen a wider variety of reactions than expected.
The 2nd and 4th Legion Commanders nodded as if they had anticipated it, while a few others were slightly surprised but accepted it, saying it wasn't entirely out of their expectations. Some, including the 9th and 7th Legion Commanders, seemed completely unaware and greatly surprised but soon laughed it off cheerfully, saying it was to be expected of Demon-nim.
'Lirinel had the most unique reaction.'
Hadn't she clutched her head with both hands and cried out, 'For the founder of the Demon Cult to have not even known his proper name!'
In any case, the identity of Demon Arut would be revealed during this 'Warning from the Demon Realm'. Humanity, still reeling from the shock of Deon Hart's betrayal, would undoubtedly suffer a significant psychological blow.
Deon, looking at the Demon King with an emotionless face as he joked about it being cruel, turned his head away.
"......So let's table the alliance matter and focus on the current battle. No, before that, there's something I need to address...."
Recalling the fortress capture that had taken longer than expected, he failed to suppress his irritation and frowned, spitting out his words as if chewing them.
"I was aware that demons can't use their innate powers in the human world, but how severe is that exactly? The restrictions seem more intense than I thought."
He had expected restrictions on mana use and the demons' unique abilities, but he hadn't imagined their physical capabilities would also drop. Even if they did drop, he hadn't expected the difference to be this drastic.
No wonder it had been so much easier to handle the demons when he fought while traveling between the Demon Realm and the human world, making his resolve feel somewhat anticlimactic. He'd thought it was because they were just rank-and-file demon soldiers, but apparently, their physical abilities had been restricted.
Come to think of it, no matter how much of a grunt they might be, they were still demons. Did it make any sense that a mere human, not even a 'Hero', could handle them so easily?
"Mm... It's because they exit through an abnormal passage called the Boundary Line."
The Demon King wore a troubled smile, as if telling him to calm down.
"Originally, the Boundary Line was solely for the Hero. The demon-race was never granted the authority to use it. Since unauthorized beings are using it as they please, restrictions are inevitably applied."
"......May I ask for a more detailed explanation?"
"Where should I begin... Do you know that the demon-race is a species despised by the world?"
"......I think I know the reason. Is it because they know how to use 'magic'?"
"Well... yes."
He glanced briefly at the Legion Commanders, who were silently watching the conversation from their seats, and then fixed his eyes on Deon once more.
The Demon King was a mistake and error born from the world, and the demon-race was a species born from him. It was only natural that they were a thorn in the world's eye.
But there was no need to say that much. The Demon King chose his words slowly.
"The Boundary Line is meant for the movement of a being that would annihilate such a thorn-in-its-eye species. But what if, conversely, demons entered the human world and annihilated its most cherished species? No, before even that, what if the Demon King were to emerge into the human world?"
"......."
"Ultimately, the Boundary Line is a passage. If entering is possible, then exiting is naturally possible as well. Since it cannot completely prevent all demons from moving, it imposes restrictions. To prevent them from rampaging easily in the human world."
"......Then, Your Majesty, in the human world...."
"As for me, I can't go to the human world through the Boundary Line at all. The world used all its remaining strength to block me."
It couldn't prevent all demons, including the Demon King, from using the Boundary Line.
Faced with reality, the world made a swift judgment. Instead of blocking the movement of demons, it changed direction to imposing 'restrictions', thereby reducing its power consumption, and poured all remaining interference force into the Demon King.
Because the Demon King was the single greatest risk factor who must not emerge into the human world.
'Thanks to that, the other species of the Abyss alone reaped the benefits.'
Unintentionally, because the demons drew the world's attention at the front lines, the other species were freed from the restrictions.
The fairies, friendly toward the world, and all the other species with no particular ties to it, could pass through the Boundary Line into the human world without facing any notable restrictions. Only the Demon King and the demon-race were targeted. Ah, and among the demonic beasts, those considered a bit too strong were also subject to restrictions.
In any case, it was a measure that only provoked scorn.
"......That's sufficient. Please explain the rest to me separately later."
It wasn't a topic for deep discussion in this setting.
Having belatedly become conscious of the Legion Commanders around him, Deon waved his hand to signal the end of the discussion and pointed out what needed focus from the Demon King's remarks.
"You mentioned that the Boundary Line was an abnormal passage... Then what would be a normal passage?"
"A contract. Originally, one must enter the human world through a contract with a human. Though even that isn't completely without restrictions."
Immediately, a brief explanation followed.
That the total amount of power usable in the human world was determined by the vessel of the contracted human.
Seeing how the conversation threatened to drift toward contracts, Deon hastily raised his hand.
"Wait... before that, there's something I want to make sure of. What exactly is the scope of the restrictions imposed when crossing into the human world through the Boundary Line? I know physical abilities drop... but what about the use of mana and magic?"
"It's possible. But because it consumes twice as much mana as in the Demon Realm, everyone tends to restrain themselves, and at the moment, since the Magic Prohibition Decree has been issued, they don't use it at all."
"But... if their lives were in danger, it'd be worth using, yet I haven't seen even that happen...."
"......Really?"
The Demon King's expression, which had been leisurely throughout, stiffened for a moment.
"......Didn't they say knowledge and wisdom are passed down to descendants through records...? No matter how much that is true, you'd think it would have been lost after so much time had passed... Tenacious, aren't they."
The way it continued on despite seeming about to break off was almost like a cockroach.
The Demon King, chewing over the words the Emperor had spoken during the previous declaration of war, let out a low murmur laced with mockery.
"Deon, you'll have to factor this into your calculations as well."
"What do you...?"
"Suppression arrays. Arrays that suppress demonic magic."