Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 156

156.

“Fancy meeting you here again, Deron.”

Deron looked up at the voice as soon as he entered the Demon King’s castle. Standing there was a woman with long, ebony-black hair. A dress as black as her hair barely concealed her voluptuous figure.

“Serpis. We meet often.”

Deron frowned slightly and spoke bluntly. They had never had a particularly good relationship, but since their last failed mission, they hadn’t even exchanged words. It had been a while since they greeted each other.

“Come to see His Majesty the Demon King?”

“I’ve come to get permission to use troops. The security around the border has been a mess lately.”

“Hoho, still so busy. The residents of the eastern territory must be happy. Their lord is so diligent.”

“What are you doing here?”

“Huh? Me?”

“It seems like a lot of incidents are happening in the western territory too. You seem very idle for someone in your position. Aren’t you spending more time in the Demon King’s castle than in your own territory?”

“Oh my, the lord of the eastern territory is so kind. He even cares about the affairs of other regions.”

Deron frowned even more at the glib reply. Then, his eyes fell on the silver tray in her hand. On the tray was a glass that appeared to be empty, as if it had just been drained. Even if he couldn’t smell the blood, it wasn’t hard to guess what it contained. Deron’s gaze lowered further.

“Is that for His Majesty the Demon King?”

“That’s right.”

“What are all the countless servants in the Demon King’s castle doing that you, a duchess, are personally attending to His Majesty?”

“Hehe, His Majesty is very sensitive these days. He seems more at ease when I do it myself. Doesn’t that mean he trusts me that much?”

Deron snorted at the prideful words. Trust from that Demon King? Even a stray dog in the streets would laugh at that. He scanned Serpis with contempt and said,

“You seem to have gotten very close to His Majesty lately.”

“Does it seem that way?”

“Yes, sickeningly so. Did you change your mind and decide to become his consort since you couldn’t become the Demon King? If so, I hope you return your title as soon as possible. That way, the residents of the western territory can welcome a new lord.”

“……You’re too much. Who else but me could be the lord of the western territory?”

“Well, anyone would lead it better than you do now.”

The smile vanished from Serpis’s face for the first time at the blatant sarcasm. She glared at Deron with a resentful expression for a moment, then gave a twisted smile.

“Oh, you said you came to see His Majesty the Demon King, right? Too bad. It’ll be hard to get an audience today.”

“Why?”

“He just fell asleep a little while ago. He told me not to wake him until he wakes up on his own.”

“……Hasn’t his sleeping time increased quite a bit lately?”

Demons don’t usually sleep deeply. Even if they do, it’s only for an hour or two at most. It was a habit ingrained in them since ancient times, as they never knew when or by whom they might be attacked. Especially for demons in high positions, who have many enemies on all sides, it was no exaggeration to say that they hardly slept at all. The Demon King was no exception. But recently, the Demon King Karian had been sleeping frequently. And once he fell asleep, he wouldn’t wake up for a while.

“Isn’t he just relaxing now that Lukarhem isn’t in the Demon Realm?”

“Luca has no interest in the throne.”

“But he’s still a concern. He’s the only one who can overpower the current Demon King by force. That’s why he’s been made to live in the mainland under the guise of surveillance. Thanks to that, the southern territory he manages has been a land without a lord for a long time. Yet, there hasn’t been a single dispute so far. The residents are all living quietly because they’re afraid of the lord who doesn’t return. Demons, whose characteristic is to get restless if they don’t have trouble every day. Does that make sense?”

“……”

“I understand His Majesty the Demon King. I wouldn’t be able to stand it if his existence bothered me. I heard that the King hasn’t even dozed off since he became king. He must want to take a good rest this time. How he spends his long-awaited freedom is his own business, isn’t it?”

“……I can’t believe you’re defending the Demon King. Have you really fallen for him?”

Serpis just smiled without answering. It was a silent affirmation. Deron stared at her with a dumbfounded expression.

The Serpis he knew was someone who lived only for herself. To her, others were merely means and weapons to be used. The seemingly careless smile and seductive gestures were all just acting to make the other person lower their guard. She would captivate men with her beautiful appearance, but she never fell for them. That was why she had been able to rise to the position of duchess.

She had known the Demon King for over 400 years. During that time, which could be considered long, there had never been a hint of affection between them. Rather, there had been more animosity due to jealousy. It had been that way until just recently.

But now, to fall for the Demon King? He even doubted her sanity. At his suspicious gaze, Serpis pouted slightly and made a shy expression. That alone was an unfamiliar sight, but the words that followed shocked Deron even more.

“He smells nice.”

“Huh?”

“I’m not talking about a real scent. Should I call it a unique body odor, or magic? I can’t explain it exactly, but somehow it seems to be getting cooler and cooler. When I’m by his side, I feel something swelling in my chest. It’s very ecstatic, and at the same time, frighteningly chilling.”

“……You’ve completely lost it.”

“I don’t care what you say. I don’t expect you to understand anyway. Anyway, I’m going to stay by His Majesty’s side while he’s asleep. Anyone who wants to take the throne will have to deal with me first.”

Unlike her lips, which drew a clear arc, her eyes were not smiling. She was serious. Deron felt a headache coming on and rubbed his head. Then, a thought suddenly crossed his mind.

“……Come to think of it, that blood that His Majesty drinks. Where does it come from?”

“Why are you suddenly curious about that?”

“You seem to know something by the way you say that.”

“What is there to know? I’m just the messenger.”

“You?”

“I don’t get it directly. I just receive it from His Majesty’s contractor and deliver it.”

“If it’s a contractor, are you talking about that Duke? You’ve been receiving it from him all along?”

“Yes. Why, is there a problem?”

“……No, it’s nothing.”

Deron frowned. He remembered what he had heard from the Spirit King Elquines. The Demon King’s contractor was killing children and performing sacrifices. That blood was probably the blood of those children.

‘It’s as I thought. It wasn’t a proper sacrifice after all.’

If the purpose was really to offer a sacrifice to the Demon God, he wouldn’t have siphoned off the blood in the middle. Perhaps the sacrifice was the price for contracting with the Demon King. The delivered blood was sometimes drunk directly by the Demon King, but sometimes it was distributed to his subordinates. Judging from that, perhaps the blood itself didn’t have much meaning.

But even after figuring that out, there were still unanswered questions. As Deron remembered, the Demon King had been drinking blood for over 20 years. That meant the Duke had been killing humans for about that long. It was common for humans to sacrifice other humans for their own greed, but it was very rare for them to plan things out so long-term.

A contract with a demon always involves a wish, and the greater the price paid, the greater the reward of the contract. What is the purpose he wants to achieve by going that far? Also, what is the Demon King preparing? Deron barely suppressed a rising sigh.

“Then I’ll go back. I’ll come back when His Majesty wakes up.”

“As you wish. I should go to His Majesty now too. Farewell.”

Serpis turned around as if flying after finishing her light reply. Deron watched her disappearing back with a complicated expression. Something was going strangely wrong.

The Demon King had fallen asleep. It was a golden opportunity for the dukes who were always coveting the throne. However, Lukarhem was away, and another duke, Zak, was so busy that it was difficult to even see his face. Deron himself had no time to think about anything else because of the disputes that had suddenly started in his territory recently. And Serpis, who had been the most greedy, was instead volunteering to be the king’s watchdog, guarding his side. Conversely, perhaps the Demon King was able to fall asleep with peace of mind because of this situation. But if not? Maybe all of this was arranged according to his intentions?

Deron thought he was overreacting. Sending Lukarhem to the human realm was definitely a problem worth looking into, but the other parts were not things that could be forced. In particular, Serpis falling for the King was something no one had expected. No matter how great the Demon King was, it was impossible to do that much. But the distrust that had already taken root continued to sprout doubts.

‘Demon King, what on earth are you thinking?’

After staring at the firmly closed main gate for a while, Deron turned his heavy steps. Then, a person coming from across the hallway came into his view. It was a tall man wearing a red cloak over a robe that stretched to his toes. At first glance, his hair looked black, but in fact, if you looked closely, it had a deep navy blue color that could not be found in demons. Deron stopped walking with a stiff expression. He was surprised to meet someone he rarely encountered in the Demon King’s castle.

“……Zak?”

“It’s been a while, Deron.”

A low voice that didn’t match his handsome face flowed from the man’s mouth. His formal name was ‘Dezak Rune’. He was one of the four great dukes and the ruler of the northern territory of the Demon Realm.

Deron swallowed hard and blinked his eyes several times. He hadn’t seen it wrong. It really was Zak. Above all, his unique hair color was the biggest undeniable proof. Navy blue hair was a characteristic that only the lord of the north could have.

The demons who had ruled the northern territory in the past all had navy blue hair. It was not innate but acquired. In other words, anyone who became the lord of the north would have their hair turn navy blue. Zak himself had once had the same black hair as other demons, but he had revealed that the color had changed since he owned the northern territory.

The reason for this was related to the special role of the northern territory. Unlike other regions where blood and death were rampant, the northern territory was the only place where the lives of demons began. There was the Forest of Birth ‘Karten’ [a forest where demon eggs hatch], where the eggs of demons hatched.

Demon women only lay eggs during the breeding season that comes once every hundred years, and the eggs born in this way are just lumps of magic and do not hatch by normal means. In order to hatch properly, they had to undergo a modification process by receiving the essence of the Demon God from the spring of magic deep in Karten. However, not everyone can use the spring. If other demons use it, it is just ordinary water, and the proper essence of the Demon God is only created in response to the magic possessed by the lord of the north. It was one of the rules of the Demon Realm set by the Demon God. Navy blue hair was a kind of mark that revealed that qualification.

In any case, because of these characteristics, all the eggs of the demons have been sent to the north for collective management during the breeding season. It was an inevitable choice because the only being who could hatch them was the lord of the north.

The eggs that received the essence then grow by receiving magic in the forest, and even after hatching, they are protected by the north until they become adults. Deron also received education from Zak until he became an adult. Because of the memories of that time, he was very careful in dealing with him, even though he was the same duke.

‘Something is wrong. He must be so busy these days because it’s the time for the eggs to hatch. Why is Zak leaving his post at a time like this……?’

A breeding season with a long interval of once every hundred years. Moreover, due to the characteristics of demons who have no maternal love, the egg collection rate itself was not very high. Even if they were lucky enough to enter Karten, not all of them could become adults. Weak eggs could not hatch or died shortly after birth if they were not properly managed.

But the biggest problem was the intruders who were always aiming for the children. Newly born young demons are weak but have abundant magic, so they are the best prey for adult demons. That’s why Zak was always extremely sensitive when the eggs hatched.

“Zak, what brings you here at this time? Shouldn’t you be in the forest?”

At the question asked in a daze, Zak answered with a question. Deron shook his head obediently, even though he was bewildered.

“Yes? Ah, no. I was on my way back because he said he was asleep.”

“I see…….”

It was then. Deron’s eyes widened at the grip suddenly applied to his neck. Zak had grabbed his collar. Caught off guard by the unexpected attack, Deron was pushed against the wall without even having time to resist.

Thud!

“Ugh! Kuk! Za, Zak?”

“I have one question. Have you been in Karten recently?”