Chapter 15
Chapter 15
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 15
Chapter Title: Demon Baron (1)
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A clearing in a low-lying forest.
Crackling embers popped and danced over the pile of firewood. The sun had already set, but the mild warmth of late spring showed no signs of fading. Grasshoppers, having endured the winter as larvae, welcomed the balmy weather with early chirps of chirp-chirp.
Duncan huddled by the fire, absorbed in an unexpected puzzle. Kadim, having washed the blood off by the stream, stared blankly at him.
"Have you pieced it all together, merchant?"
"Ah, yes... Almost done, my lord. But where on earth did you get this? Why does it smell so strange from the paper, and why is it so slimy...?"
"Camouflage."
"...Pardon?"
"I cut open the bandit leader's stomach and pulled it out of there. He said if I could stomach swallowing it, I could have it. So I did."
"...!"
Duncan barely suppressed his urge to vomit.
'Well, at least I didn't have to pull it out myself...'
It had been over twenty days since he'd started traveling with this mad barbarian. The merchant's mindset was gradually drifting away from common sense.
"Phew... I've pieced together everything that can be salvaged, my lord. Take a look."
"...!"
A few pieces were stuck together irreparably, but the map Duncan had reconstructed was recognizable enough. The drawings and notes matched what the bandit leader had confessed.
Kadim leaned back against a rock and spoke.
"Molden is surrounded by hundreds of soldiers, apparently."
"...Really?"
"Seems like it. That bandit leader wasn't lying, after all."
Duncan scratched his head awkwardly.
"Thanks to you wiping out two bandit groups, my lord, we've got more than enough food and supplies to eat and drink for now. We had to leave most of it behind because we couldn't carry it all. But we still haven't found the high-quality weapon you're after..."
"...!"
It was true.
Most of the bandits' weapons were in poor condition or crudely made. The only usable finds were a few daggers for throwing. They'd barely tracked down the dwarf-forged axe, and giving it up was out of the question.
Moreover, something else nagged at him.
'Demon Baron...'
The nickname of Lord Molden, as mentioned by the bandit leader.
Three hundred years ago, there had been several lords with similar epithets. They weren't actually contracted with demons; it was usually from squeezing their subjects mercilessly.
But another lord had used that as an excuse to invade, so it wasn't the same reason. If it was just a pretext for civil war, the emperor wouldn't have stood by. There had to be some complicated circumstances.
'But if he's truly connected to a demon, why hasn't the Elga Church stepped in, and why another lord...?'
It was a question he couldn't answer alone. Kadim relayed everything the bandit leader had told him to Duncan.
Hearing the story, Duncan tilted his head and rubbed his chin.
"'Demon Baron,' huh... I've heard the name in passing myself..."
"...!"
"...It's not from harsh rule or a demon contract. I once shared a drink with a merchant from Molden who spoke fondly of his hometown as a great place to live. No one would say that if the lord was evil and greedy, right?"
Kadim slowly shook his head. That story wasn't proof of any lack of demonic ties.
Demons craved human suffering and despair more than anything. And suffering and despair were highly relative. Someone who'd lived in poverty their whole life might not feel much skipping a meal, but fatten them up for years and starve them again, and they'd know true agony.
Thus, some cunning and sly demons... granted humans supreme happiness before plunging them into the abyss.
'A barren frontier plagued by bandits and monsters, yet a good place to live...? On the contrary, maybe it was thanks to the demon...'
He stopped there.
No evidence, just speculation. Whether the lord was tied to a demon or not, both were possible for now. That was the rational view.
Kadim shook his waterskin and fell into thought.
'The remaining blood... enough for one more sip.'
He couldn't just pass by Molden. But breaking through hundreds of soldiers with just one sword and a mouthful of blood was the problem.
"Um... my lord? If I may ask one thing..."
The merchant's voice snapped him from his reverie. Kadim sent a dry gaze. Taking it as silent permission, Duncan cautiously spoke.
"Yesterday, when we first met the bandits, didn't you introduce yourself as 'Atala's Great Warrior'?"
"...!"
"I-I don't know much, but... who gets that title? Is it only the most exceptional warriors among Atala's followers...?"
"...Why do you ask?"
"N-No, it's just... I know Agon's Furious Horn goes around calling himself 'Atala's Great Warrior' too. I never imagined anyone else besides that legendary mercenary would claim it... Eek!"
Flames sparked in Kadim's eyes. Startled by the intensity, Duncan threw up his arms and shrank back.
'Atala's Great Warrior' wasn't a nickname for just any skilled fighter. It was a sacred title bestowed on only one Atalain: the warrior chosen by the God of Wilderness and Struggle to slay a great demon.
Only they gained the power to sever a great demon's lifeline.
Just as two suns couldn't rise over the wilderness, there couldn't be two 'Atala's Great Warriors' in this world.
So the odds were fifty-fifty. Either Agon's Furious Horn was arrogantly using the title without knowing better, or...
'...Atala forgot me and chose another Great Warrior.'
Three hundred years had passed, after all. He didn't know how omniscient this world's gods were, but if they lost track of him, picking a new one made sense.
But understanding and rage were separate.
Fallen behind the times and abandoned even by his patron god? Fury boiled like lava. Was he just disposable, replaceable at any time? Had that damned Atala already forgotten how he'd endured horrific madness to slaughter the great demon?
And this new Great Warrior ignored his duty to slay demons, basking in arena wealth and fame...
'...I'll rip him apart if we meet.'
It wasn't just for the arena champion. It was a blasphemous declaration including the God of Wilderness and Struggle.
Good thing blessings like 'The One Who Sharpens Names' remained; without them, Kadim might've committed worse sacrilege.
Thump-thump-thump. His heart pounded wildly. The urge to tear everything in sight clawed at his mind. The tepid night air wasn't cooling his head. Kadim rose quietly.
Duncan, conversely, flattened himself to the ground.
"P-Please, f-forgive my deathly sin, my lord! I swear I won't pry into your affairs again! Just this once..."
"...Get up. It wasn't your fault."
"...Pardon?"
"Go to the stream again. While I'm gone, think of how we can enter Molden safely."
"...!"
Duncan stared up at the barbarian in a daze. Kadim turned indifferently and vanished into the trees. Even after his massive silhouette fully melted into the darkness, Duncan couldn't rise for a long while.
Their next destination was Molden.
Inside a ramshackle hut. Dust floated everywhere. A candle on the table subtly revealed the ancient grime. It also cast deep shadows over the unexpected nighttime visitor's face.
She was a guest who didn't belong in this rundown place.
Not just her radiant golden hair, unmarred by hard travels, or her emerald eyes. It was more the plate armor etched with a decagram and the extraordinary weapon at her waist.
The slash-and-burn settler woman couldn't even look her straight in the eye. Trembling like an aspen, she gripped her hands and forced out a meek voice.
"Really, no one's passed through this village recently. N-No incidents either... Just a few folks hurt while working..."
Arch Paladin Helia Munel of the Elga Church steepled her fingers and lifted her eyes.
Then, in a stern voice, she asked again.
"Can you swear before the exalted Lord of Light, Elga, that there's not a shred of falsehood in what you just said?"
"...!"
"Can you swear it?"
The woman's shoulders flinched. But she didn't recant, merely nodding faintly.
She had no choice. After slaying the demons and goblins, the barbarian had warned her clearly.
'If anyone asks about me when they come to the village, say nothing. Not even about the demons appearing. If anyone ignores this and talks, I'll return one day and slaughter every last one of you.'
'...'
His chilling voice still rang in her ears. The high paladin before her paled compared to the distant barbarian mercenary's threat.
Helia rested her chin on one hand and tapped the table with the other.
"Strange. There were clear signs our target headed this way. Truly no one passed through here?"
"Y-Yes, paladin... I swear by Elga, no mercenary or anyone..."
"I never said the target was a mercenary."
A thorny silence.
Cold quiet seeped into the dust-filled air. Her emerald gaze pierced the woman's anxiety. The woman's head dropped to the floor, her face paling to corpse-like pallor.
As the paladin's hand crept toward her sword hilt—
"Kwaaaagh!! No, no! Nooooo!!!"
A sudden agonized scream filled the hut.
The woman panicked. Helia furrowed her brow and rose slowly.
"...What was that?"
"N-Nothing! Don't worry about it, paladin!"
"It's from over there. Move."
Helia shoved the woman aside and entered the corner room.
A child lay bound tightly with rope on the cramped floor. Face contorted in agony, body writhing like a worm. It was a familiar sight to Helia. She instantly knew the cause of the seizure.
"Possessed by a demon. Severely."
"No, no! It's just a chronic illness! She's had episodes since she was little! It's nothing, really!"
Despite the woman's excuses, the child's condition worsened.
"Kuhk, kuhk, krrgh... Agrr, grrr..."
Coughing violently, foam bubbling at the mouth. Eyes rolled back, limbs twitching. Muscles rigid, back arched in a twisted curve.
Helia approached slowly, eyes resolute as if to purge evil. The woman clung desperately to the Arch Paladin, but her grip was no match for the extremity-trained warrior.
Yet Helia had no intention of harming the child.
Quite the opposite.
"[Lord of Light who banished primal darkness and bestowed radiant glory, have mercy on those tainted by heart demons, still wandering the abyss. In the name of You, who sprout like candle flames in pitch-black night, I sanctify this little lamb.]"
⟨ Exorcism of Light ⟩
Woooong—!
A brilliant white flash blazed like the sun. Dazzling light erupted from the paladin's palm. It enveloped the child gently, like a mother nursing her hungry young. Holy warmth fully bloomed in the tiny room.
Soon, the tremors eased softly. The violent seizure subsided like a miracle. The child exhaled deeply and fell into a peaceful sleep, as if worn out from a full day of play.
The woman couldn't close her gaping mouth.
"Th-This... This is..."
"This child has been saved from the heart demon planted by the fiend. From now on, eternally, their soul will never suffer the demon's wicked whispers."
"Ah, aah..."
Awe-struck, the woman knelt unconsciously.
The crushing pressure and guilt melted away like snow. Ecstatic joy and hot tears filled the void. She soaked the wooden floor with tears, offering infinite gratitude to the Lord of Light who had guided a savior to this remote place.
"...!"
Far too soon.
Whoosh—crack!
A streak of flame cut through the darkness.
"...Huh?"
Roll... A round something tumbled forward.
The woman's face twisted in confusion. She was still prostrated, so why had the sleeping child's head rolled all the way here?
Sheathing her flaming blade, Helia spoke.
"But we cannot let a lamb tainted by evil live. Even one who turned from the light once must offer their life as sacrifice to Him to cleanse their sins."
"...Ah, aah."
"Worry not, woman. I purged the heart demon before taking her life, so the child can now rest eternally at Elga's side."
"Aaaah, aaaagh!!!"
The woman lunged with a howl. Blocking her was effortless.
Whoosh—!
"...Yet you are no faithless heretic who broke an oath sworn on Elga's name."
Emerald eyes gleaming with fanatic fire.
With the scorching blade hovering at the woman's throat, Helia commanded in a chilling tone.
"Filthy unbeliever. If you don't wish to wander endless darkness for eons, spit out the truth: where did that demon flee?"