The Fooled, the Deceiver, the Fool
Huff… huff… huff… huff…
A knight sprinted down the forest path, chest heaving with ragged breaths. One of Pompey’s escort knights, he could cast short-duration invisibility magic, and that alone had let him slip away from the carnage by the narrowest margin. Yet in the chaos of his escape, Pompey and the rest of his comrades had fallen beneath the demons’ assault. He had no idea what became of the tax officials or Crassus, but the odds were high they had been swallowed by the same savage onslaught. Even so, the man who had barely clawed his own life back from the jaws of death had no luxury to mourn the fallen. There was something he had to deliver at all costs.
For the sake of ensuring that Pompey, Crassus, and the others had not died in vain, he needed to bring the Master this news—the Emperor’s conspiracy to strike Kerks, and the existence of demon remnants wielding power terrible enough to drag them all into oblivion.
“Tsk… too much to ask, after all.”
I frowned at the charred corpse smoldering before me. Watching the human woman called Pompey finally fail to endure the magic and crumble into ash left a bitter taste in my mouth.
“What a waste. If I could have kept the bitch alive, things would have gone far more smoothly…”
-“She was one of only two executives who knew the Master’s true identity. With her gone, that particular secret returns to the realm of shadows.”
“Hmm…”
The Master of Kerks. The figure who revealed his identity to none but his most trusted right and left hands. The original story had never once mentioned him. Given that their primary occupation had been hunting demons, and according to Crassus they had swelled to this size by exploiting the vacuum I created while pursuing peace and the dramatic collapse of the Demon Kingdom, it stood to reason that in the original timeline—where the world was being devoured by demons—the organization had likely been wiped out long ago.
I still could not be certain who the Master truly was… but from where I stood, the finer details no longer seemed especially important.
‘After all, I’m just going to kill them all anyway.’
The same applied to the other free races, but the highborn of the Utopia Empire—not a single one would be spared. Their deeds had crossed every line long ago. For the countless demons slaughtered, only thorough, merciless retribution remained.
Setting that matter aside, I moved on to the rest.
“Nothing to be done, then. On another note, with things as they are, what of the part you mentioned?”
-“The timetable will be tight… but it should still be feasible. No matter who this Master is, it will take time to receive word in the imperial capital and prepare countermeasures.”
“Good. I’ll cast the illusion spell, so move at once. Complete the task as quietly and swiftly as possible.”
-“As you command, my lord.”
The moment I renewed the illusion magic, Crassus set out with several Plutos in tow. Once I confirmed the situation was under control, I turned and began walking toward the rear where my subordinates waited—toward the place where Hela and Fenrir waited.
“Then we move.”
“Understood, Demon King. The advance party should have cleaned the path by now.”
“The boss has returned!”
“Welcome back, boss. And… we were informed Lady Hela would be accompanying you.”
“Yeah. You’ve all worked hard while I was gone, Heim. Let’s take the detailed report inside.”
The demons greeted us with a noisy clamor. As the massive gates swung open, the sight beyond drew an involuntary murmur of admiration from me. Fenrir had been running something resembling a bandit troupe in this region ever since the Demon Kingdom’s fall. Though they called it a bandit group, the mountain stronghold was in truth a fairly large settlement. Seeing how well-ordered it was, I realized she possessed a surprising talent for managing people.
“So this is the mountain stronghold you oversee?”
“Correct. After our defeat in the final war, I scraped together every remaining subordinate and citizen I could find… but sadly, this was the limit of what I could achieve.”
“No, this is impressive. To have built this much amid such turmoil—I’m truly grateful.”
“…Ahem… Well… It was only natural. These people are precious citizens to me as well… I simply did what had to be done.”
Fenrir’s cheeks flushed faintly at my praise. Though she tried to hide it, the clear delight on her face brought a small smile to my lips.
‘I’ve always thought so, but she really is weak to compliments…’
Despite her words, maintaining this many demons in such an isolated location could not have been easy. Water was simple enough to draw from the nearby valley, but securing food, organizing defenses, and handling every minor detail would have been grueling for someone of her straightforward, muscle-headed nature. Only her equally strong spirit could have made it possible.
“We’re here. This cave serves as both my home and the meeting hall.”
The enormous dwelling built into the massive cavern that greeted us carried a somewhat gloomy atmosphere, yet its scale was undeniably grand. Surprisingly, the interior had been arranged with unexpected care and cleanliness.
“Everyone except Heim, leave us.”
“Yes, boss.”
At Fenrir’s command the demons filed out. Only Hela, Fenrir, her aide Heim—the female demon in white robes I also knew well—and myself remained.
“Now then…”
There was no longer any reason to conceal my face. I unwound the bandages and looked at everyone present—including Heim, who wore an expression of open astonishment.
“It’s time we discussed the plan in earnest. While we’re at it, we should also talk about the guests who will be arriving soon.”
‘What in the world is happening? Why would the Master summon me at this hour…?’
Late at night, a man hurried down the darkened corridor. One of Kerks’ executives, known alongside Pompey as one of the Master’s two arms—Caesar. Bewilderment, doubt, and a nameless sense of foreboding churned inside him as he rushed toward his master’s chambers.
-“Enter.”
The moment Caesar arrived, permission was granted. He opened the door with care and stepped inside… only to frown deeply at the sight that greeted him.
A man sat slumped in terrible condition. Caesar knew exactly who he was: Pompey’s personal escort knight. The fact that the warrior who never left her side now stood alone in the Master’s room looking like this could only mean one thing. Caesar did not want to accept it, yet the answer rose unbidden.
“S-surely… surely nothing has happened to Pompey?”
“…”
“It can’t be… right? There’s no way… no way someone like Pompey would…”
“…Something has happened. Something very grave…”
The Master’s chair faced the window. From it came a voice cold with fury. Seeing the Master display such rage, Caesar was forced to acknowledge the reality he desperately wished to deny.
“…She’s… dead? Pompey is…?”
“Yes. And not only her. From what I hear, it seems Crassus was taken down alongside her.”
“Crassus too…?”
Though the man had been notorious for filthy corruption, Crassus had been a personal friend. At the confirmation of both their deaths, Caesar felt his reason begin to burn away. He shouted, voice raw.
“Who… who did this?! Demons? Don’t tell me those bastards dared to lay a hand on Pompey and Crassus…!!”
Caesar’s rage erupted like wildfire at the loss of his comrades—no, at the death of the woman he shared a far deeper bond with and the friend he had trusted. At the same time, every object in the Master’s chamber began to shake violently as though struck by an earthquake. Caesar was not only an outstanding administrator but, aside from the Master himself, was known as Kerks’ strongest warrior. The force of his fury sent violent waves of mana surging through the room.
Crash!
A glass cup finally fell and shattered across the floor. At that moment—
“Calm yourself. It is true that demons are entangled in this affair, but the true culprit is essentially someone else.”
“What?”
Even in the midst of wrath, the Master’s voice remained coldly composed. Sensing an even heavier atmosphere, Caesar forced his emotions down and asked again.
“Who… exactly is responsible? If not demons, then who killed Pompey and Crassus…?”
“…The Emperor.”
“!”
The name that left the Master’s lips was one Caesar had never wanted to hear. He had known it was possible. After the Demon Kingdom’s fall, Kerks had grown with frightening speed. Funds earned by selling demons, military power expanded enormously under the banner of demon hunting, and vast connections spanning every free race—taken together, Kerks rivaled any power in the empire save the Emperor himself. It was only natural the Emperor would grow wary.
Even so, Caesar had never imagined the man would actually draw his blade.
“No matter what, why now? At the very moment the Demon Kingdom has been destroyed and we are preparing for a new war, why turn on us…?”
“Precisely because it is now.”
“What?”
The Master took a burning swig from his cup, set it down, and continued.
“He means to instill discipline before the war begins. A warning that he can dispose of even you executives with a mere flick of his finger… The seizure of funds to replenish military supplies is merely an added bonus.”
“That… that filthy bastard of an Emperor…”
Thinking of all the taxes and bribes they had paid, Caesar felt nothing but betrayal. Yet power had always worked this way. Smile and shake hands one moment, then plunge a knife into the other’s back the next if it suited you. In this world, neither duty nor faith mattered—only strength, and the cunning to wield it.
“But I will not fall so easily… I refuse to be devoured without a fight.”
“They declared war first. It is only proper we return the courtesy.”
Master and Caesar, now burning with vengeful resolve, prepared to draw their blades. An incident of this magnitude might have warranted hearing the other side’s explanation. Yet the timing of the decisive strike had been too perfect, and the deaths of two high-ranking executives had ignited a fury that demanded immediate action rather than naïve investigation.
“Begin ‘that’ operation at once. Caesar, you will lodge a formal request with the adventurers’ guild. Make certain those reckless demon remnants are exterminated… and retrieve the bodies of Pompey and Crassus if nothing else.”
“Yes… understood.”
Although they had ambushed the Emperor’s tax officials, the demons were already ruined. A few hunters from the adventurers’ guild would be sufficient to handle them. The true threat was not some leftover demon rabble but the mighty Emperor standing before them. Having reached that conclusion, the Master resolved to strike first before the filthy Emperor could launch another blow.
‘It’s a dog-eat-dog world anyway… Since it’s come to this, let’s see what you’ve got, Emperor!’