Chapter 23

“Wh-what is this?”

“Why… why isn’t she dead!?”

While her master burned—or rather, pretended to—Hosik lounged nearby, lazily chewing on the baron. At last the two mages gasped for breath, letting their staves droop. Their channeling collapsed, and the fiery vortex slowly died out.

“Kyaaah, kyaaah, kyaaah~.”

“……”

“Kyaaah… kyaak…”

“……”

“Kya… oh? Is it over already? I was nice enough to play along with your little show, and you couldn’t even last thirty seconds? Tsk, tsk.”

When Shia emerged without so much as a singed hair, groans of disbelief spread.

“My god…”

“This… this is impossible…”

“…Is she even human?”

“She just tanked a fifth-tier spell with her body…?”

“Hmph. Surprised, are you? Even if I’ve fallen, my resistance to magic remains decent. If some sloppy spell like that could harm me, I would’ve thrown myself into the lava flames of Mount Pheras in the north long ago, trading life for freedom.”

At last, the captain spoke, voice trembling.

“Could it be that you are… no, are you an angel as well?”

At that, Shia bristled.

“Angel? How dare you! That’s blasphemy! I am a Demon King! Well… former Demon King, but still!!”

“A D-Demon King…?”

Why the hell is she outing herself now?

I quickly cut in.

“Ah, don’t mind her. Strong body, weak head—she says weird stuff sometimes.”

“Wh-what!?”

“Shut it. Just keep quiet, you needy brat. Now then—Captain. If you’re done with your pointless games, how about listening to me for a bit?”

The captain sagged, then nodded.

“…Speak.”

“Good. Then I’ll get straight to the point. Be on my side.”

His eyes widened.

“…What?”

Shhh.

I slid closer, whispering.

“I’m going to kill the baron. And his two sons with him.”

“…!!”

He reacted a fraction too late. By the time he tried to swing his blade, my hand had already clamped onto his wrist like a vise. At this distance, even a Blaster couldn’t touch me.

Crack!

“Then a new lord will take the seat. With all this chaos, he’ll have no choice but to tread carefully. Things here will improve, at least a little.”

“…Urgh.”

“But it won’t be enough. To truly rebuild this rotten land, there’s one more thing needed… You. And your kind.”

“…Us?”

“Yes. You nobles and gentry. You parasites who’ve leeched off the peasants’ backs for generations.”

“You—!”

“Shut up.”

I snapped my fingers right in front of his nose.

Boom! Rumble! CRRAAAASHHHH!!!

A blinding bolt of lightning slammed down from the heavens. The massive Darkryu Wall that split the outer and inner city collapsed in an instant, shattering across kilometers.

Yuribel had acted on my signal, wielding her angelic “Law Magic.”

“……”

“……!!”

“……!!!”

Rrrumble… groooan…

[How was that?]

‘Good job.’

[Hehe. As long as it’s not killing people, I can do plenty more. Want me to bring down a few more walls?]

‘No. This is enough.’

I savored the knights’ stunned faces as I continued.

“By logic, I ought to wipe all of you out as accomplices of the baron. But the peasants here have been broken too deeply. Cutting taxes and feeding them won’t fix what’s been rotting for decades.”

“……”

“Decades of brainwashing.”

“Warped morals and ethics. Widespread mana addiction from eating monster meat.”

“Deep divisions between Tragos and Koiros clans, stoked by divide-and-rule.”

“……”

“To solve these one by one, the domain has to function smoothly and quickly. No distractions. That’s why I’m offering a deal. Keep your lives—and your seats. But in return, you’ll be the first to purge this corruption. If anyone resists or stalls, you will crush them yourselves on behalf of the peasants.”

The captain glanced around, then lowered his voice. Interest glimmered in his eyes.

“…You’ll preserve our positions? What power do you have to guarantee that?”

“Not me. The next lord. And luckily, I know him.”

“…Next lord? How could you possibly know who that will be?”

“I don’t know who will be.. But I know who can be. And if that man says yes, no one will oppose it.”

“…Wait. You don’t mean—”

“That’s right. Tower Master, Archmage Falun Ro Istall, Viscount of the Baran Empire.”

“…!”

“His title outranks the baron. He knows the situation here. He has more than enough strength to hold Monsterland at bay. And for the Salt Kingdom, stamping its seal on a backwater in exchange for an 8th-circle Archmage? They’d welcome it.”

“…You know nothing of him. He cares only for magic. Wealth and power mean nothing. That’s why the baron never feared him.”

“Yeah, I figured. But here’s the thing—did I mention that angel? I summoned her.”

“…So what?”

“If I offer that magic-obsessed man one-on-one lessons with an angel… do you think he’d refuse?”

“…!”

“Ten minutes in exchange for taking the seat. Ten minutes more for running the domain my way. And if he does well, a promise of another session in the future.”

“…!!”

[Wow. You’re really determined to squeeze every last drop out of me, huh?]

‘So what, you don’t like it? After everything I’ve done for you, and you complain about this?’

[Fine! I’ll do it! Geez, you really won’t let me say a word.]

“…Well then. Since our angel here looks about ready to die of boredom, I’ll ask one last time. Are you in, or out?”

“And if… if we refuse your offer?”

I pointed my chin at the angel and replied calmly.

“Considering the kind of man the baron and his sons were, I doubt you’d be treated kindly. But if you really want to die that badly, I’d be obliged to grant your wish.”

“……”

The captain bit his lip, then exchanged glances with the other two knight commanders. After a beat, the three nodded together.

“…We’ll do it.”

“…We accept.”

“…If the others have decided, I cannot stand apart.”

“Good. Then you’ll take responsibility for the rest of the knights, yes?”

“…At least the knights will obey us. And the soldiers, knowing nothing else, will follow the knights without question.”

“And the mages?”

“…They’re under Lord Moben, the court mage. He’s like a reed in the wind. He won’t oppose the tide. In fact, if the Tower Master becomes lord, he’ll probably cheer loudest.”

“And the bureaucrats?”

“The law is far, the sword is near. We’ll handle them.”

Hearing their speech shift into honorifics, I smirked.

“Good. Then we’ll need a contract.”

“…A contract?”

“I think blood will serve better than ink. Conveniently, there are three of you… and the baron with his two sons makes three as well. Perfect.”

The three commanders paled as they understood.

“…You want us to burn our bridges with our own hands?”

“You should at least show that much sincerity. What, you thought you’d get this deal for free?”

Hesitation flickered in their eyes. Naturally. They’d served the baron for years; killing him wouldn’t come so easily…

Slice!

Thud.

The baron’s bald, gleaming head rolled off Hosik’s tongue and hit the ground. The First Order captain had launched an aura slash and cut him down.

“……”

…So you’re a psychopath after all?

A shame, really. Despite the receding hairline, he wasn’t half bad—sharp mind, some charisma for a backwater lord. But he went out so pitifully in the end.

Tsk, tsk. May his hair be full and flowing in hell.

[That’s a really weird takeaway.]

‘Shut up.’

“Sir Boild. Sir Barefin. We’re already on the tiger’s back. I’ve done the hardest part—now the rest is yours.”

“……”

“……”

The two grimaced, then turned toward the baron’s sons in the rear.

Moments later—

“Wh-what are you doing, Sir Boild…?!”

“I’ll make it quick, First Son.”

Slash!

“S-Sir Barefin! How could you—!!”

“…Forgive me, Second Son.”

Slice!

A brief scream, then the heavy thud of bodies hitting the floor.

The sound of my plan falling neatly into place.

“Phew…”

I let out a long breath and lowered my sword.

“…Damn, I’m exhausted.”

Ten days later.

Shaaah…

Rain fell. Driven by wind, droplets lashed the air.

From the top floor of the lord’s castle, I sipped a cup of strange tea while watching the downpour, only to grimace immediately.

“…Ugh. What the hell is this?”

Beside me, the new lord—Viscount and Tower Master Falun Ro Istall—answered curtly. We’d grown… closer, in our own way.

“My original recipe. Mana potion base, with sleeping draught and sap of the Bitu Tree. Mixed at a ratio of six to two to one, then heated for three minutes at eighty to ninety degrees. Transforms into something that tastes like a demon’s vomit straight from hell. I usually serve it to people I want to punch.”

“……”

I set the cup down gently on the table.

“…That’s no way to treat a guest.”

“Guest, my ass. You’re lucky I gave you anything. Frankly, I’d rather tie you up and dunk you in the moat.”

“My, my. Still sulking, are we?”

“Wouldn’t you be? Look at this mountain of paperwork on the desk. Thanks to you dumping the lordship on me, I haven’t set foot in my tower for a week. Me! Reviewing soldiers and knights like some petty noble! Unbelievable.”

“Come now. Think positive. Most people would kill for the chance to be lord.”

“You think an 8th-circle Archmage gives a damn? I could’ve seized a fiefdom anytime. I didn’t, because it’s tedious. You saw it—less than a day after I agreed, the royal court sent an envoy and a herald sprinting here with seals, desperate to stamp the papers.”

I answered his grumbling with grumbling of my own.

“Then quit.”

“…What?”

“Hand back the lordship. Go back to being just Tower Master.”

“Uh… can I do that?”

“Of course. Oh, but you’ll also have to undo your meeting with Yuribel.”

“What? How could I possibly undo a meeting that’s already happened?”

“Easy. I’ll just ask the Archangel to erase your memory.”

“…!!!”