Chapter 22
Chapter 22
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 22
Chapter Title: The Demorus Judges
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The guards protecting Borfeo were dozing off just like always.
Even though Borfeo was a city, few people roamed freely across the continent shrouded in darkness, and even if any did, they were just familiar merchants.
“Yawn.”
Their negligence was, in a way, to be expected.
“Ugh.”
One of the dozing guards nearly toppled over as he snapped awake.
“Tch. So damn boring.”
Just another ordinary day, no different from usual.
Lately, the back alleys had been in an uproar, but that was underworld business.
It wasn’t something for the city guards to meddle in.
The only regret was...
“Should’ve taken that gold back then.”
A visitor who had come to the city after a long time.
It had been Sein.
When he first handed over gold coins claiming it was a permit, they had tried to squeeze him a bit more, figuring an out-of-towner would be easy pickings.
“Cut it out. He’s a Demorus.”
He had forced the gates open in the name of Demorus.
No guard in Borfeo had the guts to take bribes after someone invoked Demorus’s name like that.
“Who knows. Rumor has it that ogre was a Demorus too. You saying there are two great Demoruses in Borfeo?”
“Try saying that in the back alleys.”
“Tch.”
They were city guards maintaining public order, but they couldn’t mess with the back alleys.
The lord was far away, and the back alleys were close.
“If just one of them slips up, I’ll strip ’em down to their underwear. Me.”
“Sounds good.”
The guards were chuckling over their usual idle chatter.
“Hm?”
Then they spotted something and looked up.
Soon enough.
A smirk crept across their faces.
“Customers.”
In the distance, figures clad in black robes were approaching Borfeo’s gates.
“Luck’s on our side this month.”
Out-of-towners visiting Borfeo were rare, and there was no guarantee they’d show up during their shift.
To them, visitors from outside were walking gold mines.
Merchants looking to strike new deals, or fugitives on the run.
“Alright, let’s prep for the customers.”
No matter the case, they could pocket enough to last the month.
“Halt!”
The guards leveled their spears, stopping the black-robed figures.
“What business in Borfeo? Got a permit?”
The seasoned guards pressed them with practiced ease.
With Sein, they had missed their chance because they were too entranced by the stunning Arin.
But not this time, they vowed.
“Borfeo’s on lockdown. No entry for out-of-towners without a permit.”
Unlike with Sein, over ten guards were on duty now.
An atmosphere that would overwhelm anyone.
“If you don’t have a permit, we could always make an exception...”
The guards couldn’t hide their grins, imagining their bulging wallets.
“Step aside.”
The voice of one black-robe cut through.
“What did you...”
“I said step aside, you vermin.”
The guard couldn’t finish his sentence.
A thin red line sliced across.
Blood welled up from it.
Spurt!
In an instant, the guards surrounding the black-robes exploded into pieces.
Yet astonishingly, not a single drop of blood stained their robes.
“Gasp, heok.”
One surviving guard scanned his surroundings.
Only one remained.
The only one still breathing was himself.
Swoosh.
The black-robe slowly shed his hood.
Only then did the guard realize.
A single black wing.
“De... Demorus...”
It was the Demorus insignia.
A black sword crossing through it.
That was...
“The Judge...!”
The mark of a Demorus Judge.
It was real.
Unlike the others who had only shouted the name.
“If you recognized it, then open up.”
Borfeo’s gates began to creak open.
*
*
*
“This disgusting mana stench is killing me.”
The black-robes entered Borfeo.
One of the Demorus Judges grumbled in disgust.
“Endure it, Dande. We’re on a mission. No complaints.”
A woman’s voice echoed from beside him.
“Shut your mouth, Sobian. You hate it just as much.”
Sobian was the one who had just shredded the gatekeepers.
“Both of you, quiet.”
At the lead black-robe’s command, Dande and Sobian fell silent despite their grumbling.
“We’ve confirmed there’s someone claiming to be Demorus in Borfeo.”
Dande spoke up after briefly stepping away.
His hand dripped with someone’s blood.
“Two people claiming to be Demorus.”
Borfeo.
This was within Demorus territory.
Even before the ogre, the back-alley boss here had voluntarily paid tribute to Demorus and sought protection.
Being such a remote outpost, they accepted tribute but couldn’t provide protection.
“One’s dead.”
They had verified the ogre’s death.
“That leaves one.”
The Demorus Judges.
They were the blades of judgment for those who violated Demorus law and order.
“Sobian.”
“Yes.”
“Track the...”
The leader of the Judges, Gowler, started to speak but curled his lip.
“Boss?”
Just as Sobian called out to Gowler.
Flash.
Gowler’s form vanished like a shadow.
Clang!
The sound of steel snapping rang out from somewhere.
By the time they caught up, Gowler stood with his sword drawn, and another man knelt gripping one arm.
“......!”
“What the?”
Dande and Sobian couldn’t help but be shocked.
From the looks of it, Gowler had swung first.
But what stunned them was...
“He’s not dead?”
“What the hell is that guy?”
The opponent had survived Gowler’s strike.
Of course, if Gowler had gone for the kill, no one in Borfeo could have survived.
But at minimum, he had passed Gowler’s test.
That meant he was at least an aura user.
Even in a low-mana, polluted eighth district city, it was possible.
But Gowler’s sword wasn’t something any mere aura user could block.
“Who are you?”
Gowler demanded.
“...I am the representative of Sein-nim, master of Borfeo’s back alleys.”
The man slowly opened his mouth.
“Hah.”
Gowler clicked his tongue in admiration once more.
He had survived his sword, withstood his presence, and spoken.
Not begging for mercy, but a calm self-introduction.
“Sein, you say.”
“That’s him. Sein Demorus, Chichiron’s mad dog.”
Dande added as he approached.
“Where is Sein?”
“He left Borfeo a few days ago.”
“Hah! That bastard ditched his men and ran to save his own skin.”
Derrin, the man, frowned at Dande’s mocking tone.
“That’s not the kind of person he is.”
“Hey.”
Rumble!
Dande’s aura surged.
“You nuts?”
For a split second, Dande’s pressure surpassed even Gowler’s, laced with killing intent toward Derrin.
Derrin broke out in cold sweat but didn’t collapse.
“......”
Dande’s momentum faltered briefly.
“It’s a message from the Witch.”
Derrin’s next words froze the air.
Even these powerful Demorus Judges held the Witch in high regard.
“You mean Lady Arin?”
“Yes.”
“Speak. But...”
Gowler said.
“If it’s a lie, Borfeo vanishes today.”
A city ruled by someone falsely claiming Demorus’s name.
And now invoking the Witch’s name too.
Rumble!
It deserved to be erased for harboring such sinners.
“Chapler is dead.”
“......!”
“Furthermore, Sein Demorus defeated Bova Demorus in a legitimate candidate duel, and...”
Derrin spat the words through pain and pressure.
“The Witch vouches that Sein Demorus rightfully claims the Demorus name.”
“......”
Silence.
“Proof?”
Only then did Derrin pull something from his bosom and hand it over.
A small paper with a bone drawn on it.
The moment it touched Gowler’s hand.
Whoosh!
Gowler’s hand turned black, emanating an aura of death.
“It’s truly her power.”
He had no choice but to acknowledge it.
“Is that all the Witch’s message?”
Gowler asked.
With the Witch involved, they couldn’t overlook Borfeo.
“Sein-nim also asked me to relay a message.”
“What?”
Dande and Sobian’s eyes widened in shock.
Even with the Witch’s backing, a mere candidate couldn’t dictate to Judges.
“Don’t touch Borfeo—or Derrin.”
“......”
“If you do, I’ll tear you apart and feed you to the goblins.”
Derrin’s voice dripped steadily.
Unlike when relaying Arin’s words, it carried unwavering conviction and faith—spoken from his own certainty.
“Crazy.”
Sobian reached for his sword and spat.
“What the hell are these idiots babbling about?”
“Sobian, enough.”
Gowler intervened.
“She vouches for this candidate. Must be worth it.”
The Witch who hadn’t chosen a candidate in ages.
Even the current family head had begged to be her pick, but Arin refused.
That was the Witch.
But they were Demorus Judges.
“If—and I mean if—Sein Demorus fails to become heir...”
Gowler warned in a calm voice.
“I’ll make you regret this day even in death.”
Power laced with undeniable truth, not mere words.
Derrin trembled for the first time.
“Then there’ll be no regrets.”
“You’ve got a decent subordinate.”
Gowler turned away.
“You’re leaving just like that?”
Dande and Sobian followed, asking.
“We’ve already confirmed Sein Demorus carries the bloodline.”
Demorus never lost sight of where its seeds were sown.
The Judges came because an unripe Demorus dared claim the name.
But the Witch’s guarantee settled that.
“However.”
Gowler’s cold, impassive lips twitched upward faintly.
“Turning back now would be a shame.”
They had come this far.
Especially after a candidate dared warn a Judge like that.
“Guess we’ll meet him.”
Crossing paths with Sein on the way back would be quite the pleasure.
