Chapter 157: The Traitor of Humankind, Deon Hart (5)
Chapter 157: The Traitor of Humankind, Deon Hart (5)
"A long time ago... roughly two or three hundred years back, the human world and the Demon Realm fought a massive war. Back then, these things were installed as a standard feature in every human city."
It was only natural. Formations were a part of sorcery, and sorcery existed to counter magic.
The humans had ultimately found a way to shackle the demons' most threatening weapon.
"Either the ones installed back then still remain, or the method wasn't lost and they installed new ones... Something along those lines."
Thus, another set of chains was clamped onto the demons' hands and feet.
The more he sorted through the situation, the more the demons' scope of action narrowed, yet Deon Hart remained calm.
No, he was actually impressed.
'It wasn't my place to criticize them for the siege taking longer than expected.'
The fact that they had even managed to capture cities while operating under the orders of a supreme commander ignorant about the demon-race was astonishing enough.
He tapped his fingers against the desk habitually.
He had no intention of demanding why they hadn't told him sooner. He was the one who had to prove his worth to the Demon King and demonstrate competence to the Legion Commanders—it was his own fault for not asking first.
Instead, he posed a question.
"......We should assume the worst, so it's best to proceed on the assumption that the method hasn't been lost. What is the range of these formations you mentioned?"
"It's impossible to say for certain since it varies depending on the sorcerer's skill and intent... but generally, most of the ones installed in cities seemed capable of suppressing magic within a radius of two to three kilometers."
"So magic is out of the question in a siege. Can it truly not be used at all? What about breaking it with an overwhelmingly powerful spell...?"
"Unless it's me or my contractor, you won't be able to use magic at all inside one. Breaking it would be even more impossible. Doing it by a method other than magic would be easy, though."
"Another method...?"
"If you know the core, breaking a formation isn't difficult. All you have to do is mess up the object or location serving as its anchor even a little."
Because of that, he'd witnessed a formation's anchor get kicked over and broken by the foot of a clueless passerby a few times.
"Of course, finding the core is a separate issue entirely."
"......Meaning it's difficult to find. Understood. Let's return to the matter of contracts."
"Before that, you might want to hear this, too."
"......What...."
Deon, catching the faintly teasing tone, started to ask back before closing his mouth. The Demon King would tell him even without pressing the question.
Sure enough.
"Formations aren't the only method to suppress demon magic. Supposedly, if a person carries a specific talisman, the demon they're facing can't use magic. To be precise, I should say it affects demons within a three-meter radius."
The information was tossed out as if granting a favor.
"There's no way to know if this method has been lost, but wouldn't you be better off knowing?"
The Demon King's eyes curved as he smiled.
Back when he had been walking a tightrope between the Demon King and the Emperor, Deon never volunteered information he wasn't asked for. Was this retaliation for that? Just as Deon had done back then, after Deon had switched to his side, the Demon King had faithfully answered only the information he was 'asked for.'
Even though Deon Hart was the supreme commander, and the most critical thing for a supreme commander was none other than information.
And now, free information had been thrown his way. For Deon, this should be a situation with no downside. If anything, he ought to see it as a gain.......
Deon couldn't bring himself to accept it at face value.
Because he knew this gain was offered purely for the Demon King's own amusement and entertainment.
"......Yes."
Emotion drained from Deon's eyes.
"Thank you."
"Think nothing of it."
"......."
There was no point in saying anything to that grinning face. He'd never been given the standing to do so in the first place.
After staring blankly at the Demon King for a beat, Deon returned to the main topic at hand.
"If the side deploying to the human world through contracts faces fewer restrictions, then we could leave the general troops at the Boundary Line as they are and send core forces like Legion Commanders through contracts. It seems like we could win easily that way. What do you think?"
"Ah, well... about that...."
The Demon King dragged out his words with an awkward laugh.
"A contract is only possible if the human side summons first, but with the Boundary Line forming, demons became able to venture into the human world freely without contracts, didn't they? In a way, it's more convenient since you don't get saddled with the burden of a contractor."
"No way......."
"Yeah, the very method of summoning demons has been nearly lost in the human world. Even when they were summoned, everyone refused the contract."
In exchange for granting a single human wish, one was legitimately permitted to stay in the human world.
That was supposedly the traditional method for demons to enter the human world, but now that the Boundary Line existed, no demon would cling to such an inconvenient method.
From the human perspective, the method of summoning a demon was troublesome, and even if they did summon one, the contract was refused. It was only natural that the methods of summoning and contracting demons became lost.
'Though it seems they weren't completely lost.......'
It had been described as an ancient tome and a forbidden book hidden deep within the royal palace, and he'd burned it while forming a half-contract. There shouldn't be any more.
The Demon King recalled the duke who had summoned him, Stave Illustar, and then brushed it aside with a smile.
Deon pressed his forehead.
"In that case, even now, we could draft a method for contracting demons and disseminate it across the human world...."
"That'd be tough."
The plan he'd painstakingly put forward was shot down by the Demon King. An explanation followed in a stream.
"First, to make a contract with a Legion Commander-level demon, a human needs to be a suitable vessel to begin with, and there aren't many humans like that. Even if the method of contracting demons became known in the current climate, the ploy would be so blatant it'd only raise their guard. Of course, there's no shortage of mad humans, so a few lunatics might try anyway, but could they escape the notice of an emperor on high alert? Summoning a demon requires a grandiose sacrifice—a fellow human's life, remember?"
"......."
The environment was barren, and even if someone broke through and summoned a demon, the odds were high it would be a small fry.
Instead of answering, Deon quietly pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it to his mouth. With a small, cough-like hack, the black handkerchief soaked through with the stench of blood, becoming damp and heavy.
Unlike the mouth that was spitting blood, his vivid red eyes blazed sharply with fury and irritation. The Legion Commanders who had been watching him quietly lowered their gazes. After a brief silence, a low voice simmered out, feigning composure.
"Thank you... for the explanation."
"......."
"So the conclusion is that we can't use tricks, and we have to clash purely through troop maneuvering. Fine. Let's give it a shot, then."
He calmly folded the handkerchief, tucked it into his coat, and turned to face the Legion Commanders.
"First... I believe I owe an apology to everyone gathered here."
Entirely separate from his expressionless face, an extremely composed voice flowed out.
Since it was a statement made as supreme commander, he dropped the formal speech.
"In this gathering where everyone is present, an unfortunate situation occurred where two people ended up conversing alone due to my ignorance. I apologize for making you waste your valuable time regardless."
"N-no, sir!"
"There's no need to apologize!"
"We're the ones who are sorry! For not informing you in advance...!"
Vehement reactions came rushing back.
At the anticipated response, Deon drew a faint smile in return. He could hear Lirinel murmuring reverently about a portrait.
"I've obtained as much necessary information as I can, so let's circle back to the beginning and discuss the ongoing stalemate of a battle."
"By the current battle, do you mean the one taking place in Paras Territory?"
"Right. We have to break through there to advance into Amiable Territory, and only then can we open up the shortest route toward Illustar Territory."
Idelia, who had been following the movement routes while scanning the map of the human world laid out on the table, froze.
The four eyes on her cheeks, usually closed and resembling a cat's whiskers drawn in green ink, slipped open slightly.
Had she misread a territory name on the map and traced a strange route? She even opened the eyes she always kept shut to re-examine the name of each territory, but it was no mistake.
A cautious voice, as if treading lightly, came out.
"I understand up to Paras, but... if we go through Amiable and Illustar Territory, we'll end up taking a bit of a detour to the imperial capital......."
"So?"
"...Pardon?"
Tapping the desk with his fingertips, Deon pulled up the corners of his mouth.
"It's not that much of a detour."
A smile far from refreshing—slow-spreading and chilling.
The atmosphere sank in an instant. Under Deon's aura, which reeked of blood and pressed down on its target, Idelia flinched and shut her mouth.
Even the Demon King merely observed in silence. Deon, who had been scanning the Legion Commanders within the hush, slowly opened his mouth.
"......Well, fine. It's not that I don't understand. But think about it. Do you really think the Duke of Illustar is going to sit back and watch the Demon King's army march on the imperial palace? Hmm? Idelia, answer me. Do you truly think he would?"
"......."
"No, right? The Duke isn't the sort of man who idly watches the Empire crumble. Our objective is the occupation of the human world. If we just pass him by, he'll definitely become an extremely troublesome enemy. And above all—"
Of course, all of that was a pretext, and revenge was the main objective, but did it matter? It wasn't exactly wrong, either.
Even if it were wrong, he couldn't afford to back down here, where countless eyes were watching. Authority had become a matter of life and death for Deon Hart now.
Deon remembered Stigma's teaching.
'......Let the other party read the room on their own and submit.'
Lift the chin moderately, keep the voice steady by reducing the range of pitch.
Eyes on the opponent, speech elegant so as not to appear condescending.
"I am the supreme commander. So don't focus on irrelevant things—focus on the agenda I've put forward."
He'd spotted a hint of defiance trying to rear its head, so he had to nip it in the bud.
After siding with the Demon King, Deon had been pouring his energy into not being looked down upon and had grown hyper-sensitive to his own weaknesses, so he reacted sharply.
For Idelia, it was an unforeseen calamity.
"......I... understand. I apologize."
Pale as a sheet, she backed down meekly. Dvellania, who had been observing the situation with half-lidded, languid eyes, slowly curved her eyes into a smile and raised a hand.
"Before we focus on the current battle, I think we need to do something about Reweche first. You see, it's the Kingdom of Reweche that's currently supplying a certain amount of troops and supplies to Paras Territory."
"......I thought they were holding out more stubbornly than expected. So this was why.... As Dvellania says, we'll need to clear out Reweche first. Using this chance to make an example of them doesn't sound bad, either."
Simply issuing a warning to the allied human nations wouldn't make them dissolve their alliance. If that were the case, they wouldn't have formed an alliance in the first place. They'd surely scoff and ignore it.
Nevertheless, there was a reason he was volunteering to issue a warning himself. To reveal his identity and shock humanity, dealing a blow to the Emperor's alliances and the infighting among the internal nobles—and to lay the groundwork.
The warning was the groundwork. Reweche would become an example of the price for defying that warning.
"There was a rumor concerning the King of Reweche...."
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
He tapped his fingers on the desk habitually.
He was sure he'd heard some useful information, but he couldn't recall it clearly. Deon's brow furrowed slightly.
"......Dvellania, recite the family relations of Reweche's king for me. I recall there was a family member he couldn't live without."
"A family member he couldn't live without...."
After rolling her eyes for a moment, Dvellania promptly gave an answer.
"He has a younger half-sibling, same mother, different father. It's a secret externally. They're the current general of Reweche."
"Ah, right. That was it."
An open secret, to be precise.
Externally a secret, but everyone who knew, knew—a murmured rumor. The kind of thing people only restrained themselves from saying right in front of the parties involved, otherwise bandied about so openly that even he, who cared nothing for gossip, remembered it.
......It had been a strikingly memorable display of brotherly affection, too.
A twisted smile surfaced on Deon's lips.
"Let's make him the scapegoat."