282. Doubt
282. Doubt
- 1 -
Dantalion stood at the edge of the Ice Palace balcony.
The cold air brushed his skin, but it could not cool the emotions already seething within him.
"..."
He stared down at the forest stretching endlessly in all directions.
The forest, which had been green two hundred years ago, was now filled only with snow and ice, and conifers that had survived even the frozen landscape.
His mana had dominated this place, and his will had transformed it.
Across this land, now almost completely turned into a demon realm, even the moonlight was red, and the forest that should have been white looked as though it had been drenched in blood.
Much like Dantalion's own mood at this moment.
"Botis."
At that single word, a subordinate wearing a silver mask knelt before him.
The sound of his knees touching the cold floor echoed.
"You called, Your Highness."
Dantalion extended his hand into the air, moving his fingers as if wringing something out.
Chararak!
Otherworldly letters of bizarre color stained the space like paint. Then, in an instant, they vanished.
Prophetic magic that drew on blasphemous otherworldly knowledge.
But Dantalion's eyes narrowed as he obtained no results.
Whenever he tried to glimpse anything related to Libertas, all otherworldly magic refused to function properly.
"Monitor Wepar."
The cold command fell.
"But she must not notice."
"Are you doubting her loyalty?"
Botis's voice carried a question.
Wepar was a marquis. Conventionally speaking, she was not the sort to commit betrayal.
"There is something strange about her return."
Dantalion's voice grew sharper.
Botis bowed his head deeper.
A question flickered in his yellow eyes, but he dared not ask further.
"I will let her in on certain secrets of my demon realm."
Dantalion left the balcony and approached him, speaking.
"While pretending to share the truth, I will mix in falsehoods. Information the listener will inevitably feel compelled to verify. Watch how she leaks that information."
Beneath Dantalion's mask, his lips twisted.
The eyes visible beyond the silver mask burned red. A primal rage seemed on the verge of consuming his reason.
Ever since his meeting with Libertas, his inner world had been swept up in a violent storm.
Memories of the past he had tried to forget. The power he had believed only he possessed.
Libertas had done nothing. Yet somehow, that made it harder to bear.
It had felt as though both of them had come under assault. Regarding the domain fundamentally tethered to his core and Fate.
"Carry out the task assigned to you. Do not forget to conceal this matter from the other nobles."
His voice, having lost its composure, grew sharper still.
"Especially from Kimaris."
"I will bear it in mind, Your Highness."
As Botis withdrew, Dantalion opened his palm.
A small crystal ball appeared upon his hand.
Within the crystal ball was a miniature embodying his demon realm.
Upon a coral rock sat a single beautiful, small mermaid.
'This is your last chance, Wepar.'
The words resounded through Dantalion's mind.
Coldly. Hollowly. And threateningly.
- 2 -
Dantalion's palace, Wepar's room.
Wepar paced inside the chamber. Her mermaid tail floated as if swimming through the air.
It was a movement that betrayed her impatience outright.
Sararak.
The frost-laden scales rubbed against each other, producing a soft sound and glistening moistly.
It was a resonance that cut through the icy silence, like the tone of a fate-tied string on a musical instrument.
The walls of the Ice Palace absorbed every sound as if underwater.
Every light was reflected coldly, making her blue skin appear even paler.
'I must attempt contact.'
She bit the tip of her finger anxiously.
'But how...?'
Dantalion's palace was made of ice, but in truth, it was an impregnable fortress.
A place where the flow of mana was thoroughly controlled. All communication with the outside was monitored.
Her every movement would also be under observation by someone.
Even now, at this very moment.
Dalkak.
At the sound of the door opening, Wepar flinched in surprise and straightened her posture.
Her heart pounded. Kwung-kwang.
"His Highness summons Your Excellency."
'I must decide.'
She drew a deep breath.
Releasing the tension from her rigid shoulders, she composed a calm expression.
'To preserve my life between two masters... I must feign ignorance perfectly...'
Pretending not to feel Dantalion's suspicion toward her, Wepar walked the corridor of the Ice Palace.
Her movement was smooth, as though she were swimming underwater.
But within, her inner chaos churned like a typhoon.
'What do I do...?'
She did not know to which side she owed her allegiance.
She had served Dantalion for hundreds of years.
But Libertas's overwhelming presence had shaken her very soul.
Dantalion, who had regarded her only as a useful tool even after she had shared his bed.
And Libertas, who had genuinely 'respected' her the entire time she was in her citadel.
She could find no balance in her heart over which side to stake her life on.
- 3 -
"Wepar. There is a task I wish to entrust to you."
Wepar, having entered Dantalion's audience chamber, knelt courteously.
The cold ice froze her skin, but to a marquis-level demon, such a thing was nothing.
"If you command it, I shall willingly carry it out, Your Highness."
Dantalion unrolled a scroll placed on the desk.
Upon it was drawn a complex magic circle.
The glowing lines shifted minutely, as if alive.
"This is the blueprint of my demon realm's defense system."
Dantalion's gaze turned toward her.
His voice was calm, but his gaze was sharp.
"I intend to remedy the defects in the rear defense line."
Wepar's eyes widened. The defense system of a demon realm was one of a grand duke's most critical secrets.
Dantalion showing her such information was a startling display of trust.
Or else...
'It may well be a trap.'
Whether he knew of her wavering or not, Dantalion merely looked down at her with stately eyes behind his mask.
"Examine this magic circle and find the defects. I need your opinion. As it is near your territory, you would know it best."
Wepar carefully received the scroll.
The movement of mana inscribed on the paper was elaborate. To a degree that would be difficult for her to imitate.
Her mind was racing.
This was clearly a test. A temptation to deliver the information straight to Libertas, and a tool to test her own loyalty.
"Whether I am qualified to examine Your Highness's demon realm defense system, I am not certain, but..."
She scrutinized the magic circle. Then she blinked.
The magic circle seemed almost flawless in her eyes.
That was only natural. Dantalion's magical capability far surpassed hers.
If an error were apparent immediately, it was far more likely to be a trap instead.
'Is it a trap? Or does he genuinely trust me? Dantalion cannot be trusted at all. But provoking his distrust is equally dangerous.'
Wepar decided to respond calmly.
She rolled up the scroll, tucked it under her side, and bowed her waist toward Dantalion.
"I will report as soon as I confirm any errors after inspecting the site."
Dantalion's gaze grew keener.
He nodded his head almost imperceptibly.
"I will wait."
Having exited the audience chamber, Wepar moved toward the gate leading to her territory, lost in thought.
'Unless I cannot find the defect on site...'
If an actual problem were indeed found, that would be an even bigger issue.
For it would become a matter that determined her own survival.
'Do I merely eliminate it outwardly? Or truly remove it...?'
Moreover, this information would be exceedingly valuable to Libertas. But how could she deliver it?
This perilous tightrope walk between two masters was seizing her heart.
Yet that deep anguish was swiftly resolved in an unexpected direction, rendering the time she had agonized meaningless.
"Wepar."
The insidious voice belonged to someone she knew well.
"Botis."
Rounding the corridor corner, Wepar encountered Botis.
Watching his yellow eyes gleam, Wepar suppressed her unsettled mind.
"You have been entrusted with an important mission, I see."
"It is His Highness's command."
Wepar answered respectfully, as if indifferent, but she did not miss that his gaze was directed at the scroll.
And something more important. The fact that there was no greed in his eyes.
'As expected, it is a trap.'
He, brimming with loyalty toward Dantalion, did not covet such an achievement.
It could have been because he was so fiercely loyal, but to Wepar right now, it was a suspicious circumstance.
"His Highness is greatly pleased with your return. Especially since you returned with information on Libertas."
Wepar's heart beat one tempo faster, but she struggled not to let her expression stiffen.
"Is that not only natural? It was my duty. To be loyal to His Highness, that is."
"I suppose so."
Botis nodded slowly.
Wepar sensed something ominous in his smile but did not reveal it.
"Then, I wish you fidelity in your mission."
In the moment they brushed past each other, Wepar felt Botis's gaze piercing her back.
She moved with her back held confidently straight.
"Haa..."
Wepar's territory lay on the northeastern coast of Dantalion's demon realm.
A beautiful fortress made of coral welcomed her.
The lovely castle walls, blending pink and blue hues, looked as if they had risen from the bottom of the sea—and indeed, that was true.
This place was her territory. A place where the eyes of surveillance reached comparatively less.
She gazed at the vast, broad sea and sank into thought for a moment.
'What do I do now?'
But that worry proved meaningless.
- Act for your own survival.
The voice she had grown familiar with lately suddenly came to her.
But the sound did not reach her through her ears. It was a sound that resonated directly within her mind.
"My lord...?"
She stroked the rosemary embedded in her body with her hand.
That spot was the source from which 'her' voice could be heard.
- 4 -
- My lord...?
Her voice reached me through the rosemary planted in Wepar.
A voice mingled with surprise and awe—and a sense of betrayal.
The rosemary planted in Wepar was meant to amplify her power, but naturally, it could also be employed in this fashion.
- So you planted it to monitor me after all...?
Though it was a voice heard from afar, the sense of betrayal and disappointment filling her voice was palpable.
She must feel that the trust I had shown her while she was in my citadel was now being denied.
My face in the mirror drew an arc at the corner of my lips.
Though I had only attempted the basic makeup I learned from Ran, a different charm emerged than before.
The black eyeliner concealed my gentle expression, creating a more intense impression.
"If I had intended to monitor you, I would have planted a spell to suppress your power. There would be no reason to increase your strength, would there?"
I spoke firmly, while putting warmth into my voice.
"I did not betray you, Wepar."
I felt her startle as her feelings were seen through...
"You are a marquis. One who possesses sufficient strength. Now that you have arrived at your territory, you should have the power to break my binding, at the very least."
- ... That is, true...
I could also sense a triumphant air returning to that voice.
I rested my chin on the armrest and smiled.
There was no such thing as genuine loyalty in this woman. It was enough to simply make her act for her own survival.
I had anticipated this outcome anyway.
Dantalion was never an opponent who would be easily deceived.
"As I said. Act now for your own survival. I have no intention of forcing your loyalty."
I cajoled her, smoothing my voice further.
"Just do not forget that I ultimately saved your life."
- ... I understand. My lord.
The game between me and Dantalion had only just begun.
In any game, there is room for a reversal, but maintaining the initial advantage is a more certain path to victory.
It will be fine to play my moves cautiously.
Dalkak.
As soon as I severed the connection with Wepar, I heard the sound of the door opening behind me.
Through the mirror, I confirmed who had entered.
"Master. I have brought your tea."
It was Saya's quiet voice. Her deep pink eyes met mine through the mirror.
As always, the fragrant scent of matcha followed her in.
"So Dantalion suspects Wepar."
Saya tilted her head slightly at my words as I held a sip of tea in my mouth.
Her black hair streamed down, and her eyes held the light.
"Do you intend to rescue her?"
I shook my head.
Wepar was a useful pawn, but she was not yet wholly mine.
And the moment I tried to rescue her, everything would be exposed to Dantalion.
"Not yet. She holds greater value staying in her current position."
A dangerous and cold-hearted decision.
But isn't that precisely the kind of position a betrayer is meant to occupy?
To gain the favor of a new master, one must naturally take greater risks.
"I will prepare, but we have other plans as well."
I reached out and caressed the surface of the mirror.
In that moment, the mirror changed into a map.
A map of the Eastern Continent, surveyed by sending information guild members, information merchants, and mimic-type monsters to various parts of the continent.
Its initial form had only just been completed recently.
I moved my hand over the mirror, and the map illuminated the northern part of the Eastern Continent.
Dantalion's demon realm in the northwest. Surrounding it, the Jake-Crossian Great Chieftain Territory and the Mightia Kingdom.
The Kakia Kingdom below them.
And finally, the Uland Small Kingdom to the east of Kakia, and the Whiscliffe Duchy to its north.
One point on the map captured my gaze.
'The Uland Small Kingdom.'
A small nation that was once a brother country equal to Kakia, but now maintained only a veneer of existence, crushed by the shadows of powerful nations.
A land slowly being worn down, enduring the pressure of the Whiscliffe Archduchy to the north and the monster invasions of Astaroth to the east.
That very place was a suitable location to become my next target.
Of course, before that, I would need to sort out the lands I currently held.
Once I completed the 'ownership consolidation,' wouldn't I need to refine internal affairs and soothe the populace?
"... Saya."
"Yes, Master."
At my call after I had finished the tea and set it down, she bowed her head deeply in answer.
"Prepare the flowers to be sent to each nation. It is time to move to the next phase."
Right now, Dantalion's attention was focused on Wepar.
And though I did not know the reason, he was far more cautious and careful than his past self.
'The proof is that, even though I continuously provoked him during our conversation, he continued the dialogue despite showing clear signs of anger.'
Therefore, he would not move until every situation came fully into his view.
And in the meantime, the seeds of the flowers I would send would be scattered across all nations.
Finally, the eclipse would cover the center of the Eastern Continent.