Chapter 86
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 86
Chapter Title: Moonstone Rebellion
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On one side, they'd laid out a massive firewood grill to perfectly replicate the flavor of barbecued meat.
It wouldn't actually fill your belly, but the illusion captured the taste, aroma, texture, and even the sense of satisfaction from the meat as vividly as possible.
Even so, it was bound to feel a bit off compared to the real thing—but all things considered, it wasn't a bad result.
"I'm no expert on magic, but couldn't this double as a training program or something?"
"The human body isn't that straightforward. It changes constantly from moment to moment. This level of calibration should do the trick. Everyone, come on out."
"Uh... it's over already?"
"Data adjustments are done, so now we just deploy for real-world use."
At my response, Melissa averted her gaze.
She hemmed and hawed, mumbling something under her breath.
"Um... just in case, maybe we should run a few more days of tests... for safety's sake..."
"I can see right through you."
"Shut it. You enjoyed it too."
Melissa clicked her tongue sharply at Luna's jab.
"Fine, whatever. It's better than I expected. Leon, got any more of these?"
"Nope."
"Make one for me."
She'd decided to go full shameless on this.
"I'll test it for you."
She'd started out eyeing me with total suspicion, but the "tests" over the past few days—really just extended vacations—had clearly won her over.
Having seen firsthand what she enjoyed most, I shook my head even harder.
"Melissa."
"Yeah? Big Brother, just one?"
Big Brother only when she needed something.
"You think I'd do something nice for you? Or not?"
"Argh, come on!"
Melissa had first thought, What crazy stunt is this lunatic pulling now? But now the tables had turned completely.
Finally yielding a step to her persistent pleading, I handed her a prototype I'd secretly prepared.
"Use it in moderation."
"Yes! Perfect!"
She bolted back to her office, grinning ear to ear.
Since Melissa seemed pretty pleased, now it was time to hear from the folks pulling shifts in the Demon Realm.
"Young Master Leon Cascadia has no idea how people feel!!"
"A ruthless demon king incarnate!!"
"Heartless bastard! No sense of shame whatsoever!!"
I had no idea the mountain lodge barracks in the Demon Realm had turned into utter pandemonium.
After Leon left, the knights and soldiers monitoring the Demon Realm sprawled out like beached sea worms whenever they were off duty.
And who could blame them? Bored out of their minds, they'd finally found some hobbies—only for the utterly tyrannical Young Master to confiscate them all.
A week had already passed since that disaster.
"Ughhh. Wish we could just rotate shifts already."
The young knight's mutter drew a wry smile from the soldier polishing his spear.
"Sir Knight, don't tell me you're not out collecting moonstones anymore?"
The rookie soldier's words had every knight's gaze snapping toward him.
Those eyes brimmed with endlessly complicated emotions.
"Uh, well..."
"Our Young Master... he's got no heart, no tears."
"No heart or tears? Bet he hasn't got a shred of decency either."
To the knights and soldiers stationed at the massive mountain lodge overseeing the Demon Realm, Leon Cascadia was the devil himself.
Strictly speaking, his actions followed the rules to the letter—no room for complaint there. But humans are flexible creatures.
Duty aside, the Demon Realm offered little chance for proper exercise. Their options boiled down to lounging around, basic fitness drills, and cracking open the periodically supplied meat and booze.
Of course, with surveillance duties in play, booze was a rare indulgence. In truth, everyone here was dying for some fun.
Desperate enough to pick up worthless moonstones and argue over whose shone brighter or grew bigger.
And Leon Cascadia had crushed even that final outlet.
Naturally, his reputation had hit rock bottom.
"I knew it! He's downright vicious! No wonder the previous Family Head picked Lady Melissa as heir instead."
"You bet! Our princess has a heart of gold, while that Young Master..."
Fury over the confiscated moonstones! With nowhere else to go, their destructive urges zeroed in on Leon!
One voice sparked it, and soon complaints erupted from all sides.
About 150 knights and soldiers crammed into the lodge—which was more like a giant tent.
One outburst spread like wildfire, infecting the whole place with anti-Leon gripes.
The rookie soldier chuckled awkwardly as he watched the knights.
Leon had barged in out of nowhere, so yeah, it was understandable.
But.
"Um... sirs? Maybe ease up a bit..."
"Ease up? You have any idea how boring it is pulling shifts here?!"
"Join in! Our Young Master doesn't know a thing about people's feelings!!!"
"Doesn't know people's feelings!!"
They chorused it like a hymn, and the rookie just smiled awkwardly.
"Um... you're gonna regret this..."
The mood heated up. A senior knight bellowed even louder.
But he didn't notice how eerily quiet the surroundings had grown.
A hand clamped down on the shoulder of the knight leading the Leon-bashing charge.
"Doesn't know human hearts?"
"No way! No decent human would do that!! It wasn't even interfering with duty! Just picking up some rocks to kill the boredom! Right?!"
"Er... uh."
"It's too much! Spoiled rotten, never known hardship, so he just waltzes in and—"
His drunken rant trailed off as he sensed something off. He flinched.
Then.
He slowly turned his head.
"Y-Young Master?"
"Entertaining. Keep going."
Their gazes—turning like rusty gears with a grinding screech—locked on Leon, who stood there with a massive bundle, his sky-blue eyes gleaming murderously.
His gray hair and blue eyes used to look ordinary, but now they sent chills down the spine for some reason.
Standing in the dim entrance, only his fierce glare seemed to glow.
"Ah. So that's how hurt you all were."
"Y-Young Master?"
"Never suffered a day in your lives, so you pull stunts like this."
"Uh..."
"I felt bad taking your one hobby, so I barely slept for a week whipping this up."
"Kill us, sir!!"
The senior knight slammed his forehead into the floor.
But Leon was far more merciless than they imagined.
Shing.
"Right. Time to die, then."
The knights rushed in unison to restrain Leon amid his terrifying aura.
"Y-Young Master! Calm down!"
"Please, steady yourself!!"
"Let go—before we all die."
It took a while before the sword-wielding, rampaging Leon finally calmed.
A suffocating tension hung in the air.
I sat with legs crossed, chewing on a strip of jerky as I pondered.
Not as tasty as I'd hoped. Gotta tweak this sometime.
In the military, nothing boosts morale like proper supplies.
But seeing the state here firsthand, it was worse than I'd feared.
The territory's money woes meant they couldn't cut personnel, so they'd scrimped on basics one by one.
Tibel Cascadia, you again? What a dog of a man.
With all non-duty knights and soldiers assembled, I spoke up.
"Hated it that much?"
"No, sir!!"
They bellowed in unison, full of vigor.
Discipline was tighter than usual.
It hadn't been like this before. But after I casually sliced the jerky with an aura blade, everyone paled and avoided my eyes.
"Why the faces? I'm not the type to hold grudges. Not here to vent on you all."
"No, sir!!"
I noticed their glances shifting to my side and slowly turned.
A senior knight was there, sweating bullets in prostration.
Unlike typical continental honor knights, Cascadia's were more like soldiers.
"On your feet."
"Up!!!"
He sprang up ramrod straight, military crisp—the same guy who'd been ripping into me moments ago.
"Senior Knight."
"Yes, sir! Young Master!!"
"Nothing to say?"
"I'm sorry, sir!!"
"Back down."
One curt word, and his forehead hit the floor again.
"Down!!"
"I get it—you're all upset about the moonstones. Neither Melissa nor I planned to chew you out over that."
No one dared ask why that heartless guy had seized them all.
They were too fixated on the aura blade I'd used on the jerky, sweating profusely.
Those on long-term Demon Realm duty without recent territory visits couldn't hide their puzzled stares at me.
"Senior Knight, how long have you been stationed here?"
"Twelve years, sir!!"
I rose slowly as he strained to shout.
Then said,
"On your feet."
"Up!!"
I stared him down as he bolted upright.
"I've seen plenty of senior knights over the years..."
"I'm sorry, sir!!"
"Thought I'd treated you well enough, but apparently not. No trust in me at all—not even a speck."
"I'm sorry, sir!!"
"Sorry doesn't end your watch duty?"
"No, sir!"
"You look full of complaints. What's with the guilty mug?"
"I'm sorry, sir!!"
"On your feet."
"Up!!!"
Only after verbally thrashing him until he was a quivering mess did I return to the point.
"I know you're all pissed about the moonstones."
I pressed on, silence be damned.
"Be honest. Isn't this gig tough?"
A few knights nodded at my question.
"Y-Yes, it is."
"Spot on, Young Master!!"
Voices rose here and there after those two. I smiled.
"Everyone who just spoke—down."
"Down!!"
They dropped instantly. Quick-witted older knights paled.
In the choking tension, I sighed.
"On your feet."
"Up!!"
I scanned them and smirked. Then pulled out a strange cord-like thing and a large rectangular panel from the bundle.
"I guarantee it'll beat scavenging moonstones. Off-duty folks will envy you."
Part curiosity, part skepticism about what miracle he'd cooked up.
The surveillance team lay on their bunks, artifacts in hand, dazed.
"Vacation," he said. Lying in bed? Sounded like some zen nonsense that'd make your blood boil—but it was the Young Master.
Play along, and it'd end soon enough.
That assumption shattered the instant they hit the button.