Chapter 287
Chapter 287
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 287
Chapter Title: Secret (2)
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After the time for reform ended, Demian placed the undead in front of Veronica.
“See, now do you believe me?”
“……Why did you hit me and make a fuss when you could’ve just shown the undead from the start!”
Veronica rubbed the top of her head while bursting out in anger. Her expression and tone were dripping with injustice.
But when Demian raised the club again, she immediately clamped her mouth shut.
“……Since when have you been a black mage?”
“It’s a long story. Don’t bother asking.”
Dissatisfied with the answer, Veronica glared at Demian fiercely.
“Do your family know?”
“No, they don’t. So don’t tell them.”
Even if this fact came to light, his family wouldn’t report Demian to the Holy Order.
But they would undoubtedly worry. Demian didn’t want that.
“But if you’re a black mage, don’t you not need to fight Pandemonium?”
“I only use black magic; I’m not a black mage.”
Veronica instantly furrowed her brow.
“What nonsense is that?”
“I’ve never killed anyone to use black magic.”
“But you used black magic, didn’t you? Doesn’t that make you a black mage?”
“If I were a black mage, why would I have killed Pandemonium’s evils?”
“Well, that’s true, but…….”
Veronica narrowed her eyes.
She looked somewhat convinced yet still uneasy.
“Well, that’s not what’s important right now.”
Veronica brushed aside the fact that Demian had learned black magic as no big deal.
Demian inwardly admired her refreshingly straightforward attitude. He’d thought she wouldn’t care, but he hadn’t expected her to take it this lightly.
‘Well, in her previous life, she thought very differently from others too.’
In her previous life, Veronica was a madwoman who had reached Master Class simply because she loved killing so much.
Dorgo, impressed by her infamy that had spread across the entire continent, proposed joining hands, but she rejected him outright.
Because Dorgo was a black mage? Because he was fighting humanity? It wasn’t for any such noble reason.
-What? Destroy humanity? Then there’d be no humans left for me to kill!
She had rejected Dorgo’s proposal for that one reason alone. And in the end, she lost her life to Demian’s hands.
“But it’s a bit strange. Why should I have to fight Pandemonium?”
Suddenly, Veronica’s expression turned serious.
“I know all about Pandemonium. It’s where the world’s most dangerous black mages and dark knights gather. You want me to fight a horrific place like that?”
Veronica shook her head as if it were absurd.
“Do you think I’m some idiot fool? I don’t want to, so go find someone else.”
Demian silently glared at Veronica. But this time, she showed no sign of changing her attitude.
“To say it again, there’s no benefit for me in this, so I have no intention of getting involved.”
“…….”
“But we’ve known each other for quite a while now…… I’ve heard your side to some extent…… If you just meet one condition of mine, I’ll accept your proposal.”
Veronica pointed at the ground with her finger.
“Kneel and politely beg me. Oh, and don’t forget to address me as ‘Lady Veronica’.”
Demian briefly lowered his gaze, then looked back at Veronica. She wore an exceedingly triumphant expression.
“Sigh…….”
Demian covered his face with both hands and let out a lament. In contrast, Veronica’s smile grew even wider.
“So, what’ll you do? If kneeling is too much, you can show respect in another way, I don’t mind…….”
“Are you crazy right now?”
Demian removed the hands covering his face. His expression was twisted in rage.
“You, who leeched off our house’s food supplies the whole time I was gone, why should I help you?”
The ground where Demian stood cracked open from the sheer killing intent.
At that terrifying sight, Veronica let out an involuntary hiccup.
“W-Wait a second…… I-It was a joke! A joke! Of c-course I plan to help!”
Veronica pleaded desperately, but the damage was already done.
Demian readjusted his grip on the club. For easier beating.
“W-What are you doing right now! P-Put that club away! D-Don’t come closer! I said don’t come!”
Demian raised the club high.
The sound of impacts bursting out echoed continuously until the full moon reached its peak height.
* * *
“I-I’ll protect it! E-Even staking my life, I’ll defend the castle!”
Only after those words emerged from Veronica’s mouth did Demian stop the clubbing.
“I-I’m dying…… Gurk.”
Perhaps from being beaten too much, Veronica fainted on the spot.
Demian pointed at her and turned to Dominico.
“Dominico, did you hear that? From now on, this one’s on our side too.”
-…….
Dominico stared at Demian with a look of utter bewilderment. When no response came, Demian scowled fiercely.
“Got a problem?”
-N-No way, how could I.
“Then good. Take this.”
Demian tossed a small notebook to Dominico. He caught the paper with a puzzled expression.
-What is this?
“I made it for you. From now on, train in the cultivation method written there.”
Death Knights emitted black magic power on their own, so they didn’t need to accumulate it.
But they did need to learn how to wield it.
Dominico skimmed a few pages of the paper. His eyes widened in shock.
-……Did you truly create this yourself?
“What? Is there a problem with it?”
-N-No, it’s not that……
Dominico couldn’t finish his sentence.
Demian had crafted a new mana cultivation method based on the one Dominico had trained in during his lifetime.
He had maximized its strengths and filled in every single flaw.
Even more astonishing was the latter half of the cultivation method.
Demian had reinterpreted its principles to create entirely new techniques. Techniques that Dominico could never have even imagined.
-……You truly are incredible.
He already knew Demian was a genius, but each time he truly felt it, goosebumps were inevitable.
“Save the lip service…… And this one’s for the skeletons. This is a training schedule for Mongchi and Miya.”
Dominico carefully stowed away all the notebooks Demian handed him.
How could he handle them carelessly now that he knew just how extraordinary the knowledge they contained was?
“Oh, and give this one to her when she wakes up.”
Demian held out the final notebook. It was filled with advice and techniques tailored for Veronica.
Dominico gazed at the notebook with deep hesitation.
In that brief moment, he wrestled with countless doubts. Was it really okay to give this to that woman?
-My lord, may I ask a question?
“What?”
-Do you truly intend to trust that woman?
Dominico spoke with a face full of unease.
Unlike him, Veronica wasn’t bound by a lord-vassal bond. She had no reason to fight Pandemonium either.
“I trust her.”
Demian replied without a moment’s hesitation.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t trust her words.”
How long could a promise extracted through violence possibly last?
Demian trusted Veronica for an entirely different reason.
“She’s a bit off in the head, but she’s not the type to break a promise. And…….”
Demian recalled the sight of his mother and Veronica. It was the face of a child throwing a tantrum.
Demian had learned for the first time today that Veronica was capable of making such an expression.
-What’s the other reason?
“Nothing.”
Demian shook his head as he spoke.
“I’ll leave some potions behind. Push her right to the edge of death. No matter what, get her to Master Class before I return.”
Demian had faith in Veronica’s talent.
She was someone who had become a Master because she loved killing people. In this life too, if given the right spark, she could reach Master Class immediately.
-My lord, you don’t mean you’re leaving the castle, do you?
“Yeah, I’m leaving right now.”
He couldn’t afford to dawdle when he didn’t know Dorgo’s scheme.
He had to reach Elfheim as quickly as possible and thwart Dorgo’s plans.
-Leaving right now? Wouldn’t it be better to at least bid farewell to your family?
Dominico suggested cautiously.
Having spent no small amount of time with Demian, he knew it well.
Just how dearly his lord cherished his family.
“……No, it’s fine. If I did that, I’d end up wanting to stay longer.”
Demian shook his head.
Now wasn’t the time to relax. He could indulge in that after killing Dorgo.
“Dominico, I’m counting on you. Consult with Kilo and protect the castle.”
With those words, Demian departed Spring Castle.
* * *
Demian headed straight for Elfheim.
When people heard “elves,” they usually pictured forests. And indeed, Elfheim lay nestled within a forest surrounded by ancient trees over a thousand years old.
But Demian did not head for the forested mountains—he made for the harbor.
‘Elfheim exists on a massive island.’
The reason people had failed to locate Elfheim for so long was simple.
Elfheim was a nation built upon a gigantic island.
In fact, it was questionable whether it could even be called an island. Its landmass was far larger than the territory of Apple Kingdom.
‘The problem is pinpointing the island’s location…….’
Back when he was a Death Knight, Demian had invaded Elfheim on Dorgo’s orders.
Thus, he knew its rough position. But he didn’t know the exact coordinates.
‘If I’m not careful, I might have to scour the entire surrounding seas.’
Demian was lost in thought while standing at the dockside.
“You really are something else.”
He turned toward the unfamiliar voice. There stood a woman of small stature.
The woman’s ears were long and pointed. Upon seeing them, Demian couldn’t help but be greatly startled.
“……An elf?”
The existence of elves was kept under strict secrecy. For one to be standing right there in the harbor was shocking.
“How in the world is an elf here…….”
“I’m just as taken aback.”
The elf glanced fleetingly at the back of Demian’s hand before asking,
“I never imagined I’d actually get to see someone who has turned back time.”