Greenwood Territory (4)
Killrail racked his brain, trying to make sense of this unbelievable situation unfolding before him.
The Captain himself came all the way to Greenwood Territory... because of a fight between our son and a servant girl?
He didn't want to believe it, but upon closer inspection, the red-haired woman was unmistakably Scarlet, the combat captain of the Jin Gang Regiment whom he knew well. And Marcus's reaction confirmed everything.
In the heavy silence, Astra spoke again.
"Lord, how long must I wait for your answer?"
Killrail felt terror and fear coiling around his entire body and immediately dropped to his knees.
"The lord of Greenwood Territ—"
"Lord."
Astra cut him off coldly.
"I didn't come here to hear introductions. Answer the question."
"The rudeness toward my son... I believe it warrants death."
"Ah... Father?"
Lihen's voice cracked.
His eyes shook as he alternated between his father and the black-haired man, unable to believe it.
The being he'd dismissed as a mere insect moments ago was the Captain of the Jin Gang Regiment. And his father was kneeling, even mentioning his own death.
Astra's black eyes turned toward Lihen.
There was no emotion in that gaze.
It was like looking at a roadside pebble—as if his very existence was meaningless.
"I clearly warned you at the restaurant. Think if you could handle the consequences."
In that moment, Lihen realized.
I'm really going to die.
Cold sweat trickled down his spine.
His legs began to tremble, and his heart pounded wildly.
Lihen, who had lived his entire life as the son of a lord.
To him, the world had always been at his feet.
The territory's people bowed their heads, merchants flattered him, and even nobles from other countries watched his mood.
But now, for the first time in his life, he truly felt like he was at the bottom of the food chain.
Before the Captain, his status as the lord's son meant nothing.
His life hung on the whim of the man with those black eyes, and his entire body stiffened at the realization.
Then, with a thud, Killrail slammed his forehead against the floor.
"My son has committed a grave sin, Captain!"
Killrail's desperate voice filled the reception room.
"But this is all my fault for failing to correct him when he went astray! And it's because I didn't heed your summons that you had to come here yourself. Please, let the punishment fall on me alone..."
Lihen shuddered.
His father, who had always seemed an absolute authority figure—almost like a god in his eyes.
That dignified man was now pressing his forehead to the floor, begging for his son's life.
Even Father is like this...
Lihen's legs gave out, and he collapsed to the floor.
Watching it all, Astra slowly opened his mouth.
"Cut off my limbs and kill me... It was the most novel threat I'd heard so far."
Killrail, with his head still pressed to the floor, and Marcus, kneeling and watching the scene, both recoiled in shock at Astra's words.
He said something like that?
Cold sweat poured from Killrail's forehead, soaking the floor.
With a trembling voice, he barely continued.
"C-Captain, my son was ignorant..."
"Ignorant?"
Astra interrupted. His voice carried cold mockery.
"For ignorance, he was quite skilled. 'Make you kneel,' 'cut off your limbs,' 'kill you slowly'... It wasn't his first time."
Killrail's face grew even paler.
Astra's gaze shifted to Lihen.
"You've threatened people like that before, haven't you? Merchants or territory folk."
Lihen's legs completely gave way, and he slumped to the floor. His arrogant words were now poisoning him, tightening around his throat.
"I... I... back then, I really..."
"Back then?"
Astra tilted his head slightly.
That small movement alone sent a freezing terror through Lihen.
"You didn't know who I was? You think that's an excuse?"
"N-No! That's not..."
"Lihen, you're truly... brave."
No one could mistake that "brave" for praise.
Astra slowly turned his gaze.
"Scarlet."
"Yes, Captain."
"In Haven, how is insulting a Captain punished?"
Scarlet's voice was emotionless and cold.
"Insulting the Captain is summary execution. The criminal's three clans are exterminated, and all assets confiscated."
"And defying a Captain's order?"
"The same. Disobeying orders is treason, and the clan is held liable."
Astra looked down at Killrail.
"That's how it is, Lord."
His voice was as calm as discussing the weather.
"Captain, I accept the punishment. I only beg for mercy."
Killrail's voice trembled with barely suppressed despair.
His body, prostrated on the floor, shook like an aspen leaf.
"Mercy..."
Astra's gaze slowly turned to Marcus.
"Bai Ling Regiment's chief physician."
"Yes, Captain."
"Was the lord's daughter so critical that you defied my order?"
Torment flashed across Marcus's face.
He hesitated, torn between lying for Killrail or telling the truth.
But lies wouldn't work before the Captain.
"The symptoms... are indeed bizarre."
Marcus opened his mouth cautiously.
"Her life force is draining away as if her soul is slowly dissipating. Her temperature is normal, yet her body is ice-cold, her pulse beats but grows weaker. And above all..."
He paused briefly before continuing.
"The child's mana circuits are twisted as if backflowing. In my lifetime, I've never seen such symptoms."
"And so?"
Astra's cold question made Marcus's breath catch.
He slowly raised his head to look at Killrail.
His friend's eyes, after years together, were filled with desperation.
That gaze pleaded.
Please... for our daughter...
Marcus's chest tightened.
But he closed his eyes and slowly turned his head.
I'm sorry, Killrail. But I don't want to die here either.
"But..."
His voice was dry.
"That is no reason to defy the Captain's order. No matter how critical... orders are absolute."
In that instant, Killrail's shoulders slumped in defeat.
His fingers touching the floor trembled faintly. The last spark of hope was extinguished.
Ria... Father is... Father is sorry...
* * *
Life force draining as if the soul is dissipating, body cold, mana circuits twisted like backflow...
I replayed Marcus's explanation in my mind.
The symptoms felt oddly familiar, but I couldn't place them at first.
Wait... could this be?
It was a condition I'd seen in the game.
Demon Seed
A cunning erosion method used by demons.
They implant a trace of demonic essence into the target's soul, slowly corrupting the host over time until it takes over the body.
The initial symptoms matched exactly.
Life force slowly drains, the body grows cold from the demonic energy, and human mana circuits rebel against the demonic power, causing backflow.
But wait... a demon here?
I furrowed my brow.
A Demon Seed requires at least a mid-tier demon to implant it directly.
That would mean someone summoned a demon, like with Leina's case...
That doesn't make sense.
Summoning a mid-tier or higher demon requires massive preparation.
Large-scale sacrifices, complex summoning circles, and above all, enormous mana fluctuations during the ritual.
But Greenwood Territory was far too peaceful.
Mana flowed naturally in cycles, with not a speck of demonic summoning residue.
Then...
I calmly sorted the possibilities.
First, someone with unbelievable skill perfectly concealed all traces. But a grand mage of that level wouldn't bother with an indirect method like a Demon Seed—they'd handle it directly, far more efficiently.
Second, a seed planted long ago that only now activated. Demon Seeds can lie dormant for years, even decades, until specific conditions are met.
The second seemed the most plausible.
That meant the Demon Seed was implanted in the lord's daughter before I even arrived here...
Disgusting.
In Haven, demon contracts or black magic were just means to gain power.
In a place where strength was justice, borrowing demonic power wasn't an issue.
But this was different.
An unknown demon using a child— the lord's daughter, no less—as a host for this scheme.
Are they mocking the Jin Gang Regiment?
Honestly, mid-tier demon, high-tier, even demon lord level—short of that, we could handle it.
Even if it happened before I arrived, stirring up my territory with such a sneaky method was a provocation.
Suppressing my cold anger, I looked at Marcus.
"Marcus, do you know of the Demon Seed?"
"Yes, I do. Demons implant their essence into a human soul, slowly erode the host over time, and eventually seize the body..."
He stopped mid-sentence.
"Could the young lady have a Demon Seed?"
Hearing that, Killrail snapped his head up from the floor and looked at me with desperate eyes.
"C-Captain! Forgive my impertinence, but do you know what illness my daughter has?"
"I never gave you permission to speak. Shut up."
"B-But..."
Scarlet drew her sword like lightning and pointed it at Killrail's throat.
"Lord, this is your final warning. No more rudeness."
"But my daughter—"
That was when it happened.
Screeech—
The door opened, revealing a young girl with silver hair and purple eyes.
"Daddy?"
Without my permission, Killrail jumped up and ran to his daughter.
"Ria! Are you okay? Can you even move like this?"
"Yes, I suddenly feel so much better! But Daddy, are you alright? Your forehead..."
Ria gently touched Killrail's swollen forehead with a worried expression.
Even Scarlet sheathed her sword with a faint smile at the sight, but my expression—and Marcus's—hardened further.
Worst case. It's already entered stage two.
When the Demon Seed fully dominates the host's life force, all symptoms vanish temporarily.
No, they look healthier than ever.
This was the signal that the demonic essence had nearly completely eroded the host's soul, and the final stage—flowering—would soon begin.