Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 157

157.

Unlike the tremendous grip that was strangling his neck, the voice asking the question was calm and even. Deron groaned from the pain all over his body and gritted his teeth.

“What on earth are you doing! Let go of me…….”

“Shut up. Just answer my question. I’m sorry, but I’m very angry right now. I feel like killing everything I see, so I hope you’ll understand if my methods are a bit extreme.”

“What are you……?”

Feeling an unusual energy in the low whisper, Deron’s expression hardened. The Jack he knew was the quietest person in the Demon Realm after Lucarim. He rarely got angry, and he didn’t say more than he needed to. There was only one thing that could make him so angry.

“……Could there be something wrong with the forest?”

At those words, Jack’s eyes turned red.

“Are you pretending not to know, or do you really not know anything?”

“I don’t know. Tell me why you’re doing this before you start interrogating me.”

“Can you take responsibility for that statement?”

“What is it that I can’t take responsibility for?”

“……Well, you’re not the type to follow orders silently. You have a dirty taste for wriggling earthworms rather than docile lions.”

“……Could you explain it in a way that’s easier to understand?”

‘What did I do to deserve such harsh words?’ Deron looked at Jack with a dumbfounded expression. At that moment, the force that had been strangling his neck disappeared all at once. Jack had finally released him. Soon, the blocked breath was released, and cold air rushed in all at once.

“Cough, cough!”

“I’m sorry. I don’t have any particular ill feelings towards you.”

Jack said to Deron, who was coughing dryly, with a face that showed no remorse. Never before had he wanted to punch that neat face as much as he did today. Deron forcibly calmed his bubbling stomach and straightened his disheveled collar.

“Hoo, I hope you’ll show a consistent attitude next time. If you really don’t have any ill feelings.”

“I’ll try.”

“……So, what’s the problem? Did someone break into the forest again to steal eggs?”

The eggs just before hatching are very hard and impossible to break or consume. Therefore, intruders usually target the forest after the eggs have fully hatched, taking them as newborns. Taking them as eggs means waiting for the hatching period, and there is a high possibility of being discovered in the meantime.

However, among the reckless demons, there were those who stole unhatched eggs. Of course, those people always ended up being caught by Jack the moment they invaded the forest and suffering terrible retribution. Even if they stole the eggs and escaped safely, they didn’t have good results. To avoid Jack’s eyes, they had no choice but to leave the Demon Realm, and there was only one place to go: the Bytan dimension.

Bytan was the only world among the many interdimensional dimensions connected to the Demon Realm. It was a kind of resort for demons, where any demon could come and go freely. Going to other dimensions was only possible for dukes, so most demons fled to Bytan when they caused trouble. The problem was that it wasn’t a very suitable place to hide. It was the main jurisdiction of Elyuen, the god of punishment.

A cold and powerful high-ranking god. According to rumors, he was the only god who could compete with the Demon God in terms of power. He was also famous for not showing mercy when it came to demons. Moreover, he was very quick to deal with things, so it was difficult to expect carelessness. To sneak into such a person’s main jurisdiction was like jumping into a tiger’s den for fear of a fox. In fact, Jack stopped all pursuit as soon as a demon who stole an egg crossed over to Bytan. He didn’t have to step in because they would be punished miserably anyway.

‘Come to think of it, there was one a while ago. A stupid guy who took the stolen egg to Bytan and hatched it. There are always guys who are so lacking in thought.’

Deron clicked his tongue as he recalled a not-so-distant memory. He heard that he deliberately released the child hatched from the egg into a village where humans lived, intending to raise it a little more and eat it. However, when the child died in the process, he turned the entire nearby area into ruins as a way to vent his anger. It was like sending a challenge to the god of punishment, who was displeased even by the presence of demons. As expected, that pathetic demon was caught by the heavenly army and taken to the divine realm. He heard that he was sentenced to a thousand lashes and impalement, so he would never be able to return alive.

Deron thought that this was another incident of that kind. It wasn’t a frequent occurrence, but it was one of the things that Jack was tired of. Still, seeing him so angry, maybe the number of stolen eggs was a bit high this time. As if to mock that thought, Jack snorted.

“Steal? Hmph, that kind of prank would be cute.”

“Yes? Then…….”

“The eggs were all destroyed.”

“……!”

For a moment, Deron doubted his ears. He stopped all his thoughts and looked up with a blank face. What, what happened?

“What did you just say? What happened?”

“I said the eggs were destroyed. All of them. There were a lot of particularly strong eggs this breeding season, so everyone had high expectations. But now, not a single one is intact.”

“Good heavens……such an absurd thing…….”

Shocked as if struck by lightning, Deron covered his mouth with one hand. Managing the eggs of the demons was Jack’s role, but protecting the survival of the race was a common responsibility of all four dukes [high-ranking demon lords]. Even so, most demons, with the exception of some high-ranking ones, died without enjoying their natural lifespan because of their inherently rough nature. The turnover of generations was faster than any other race, but reproduction was boringly slow compared to that. Losing all the eggs in this situation was a very serious incident.

“Isn’t Karten [the demon egg forest] a forbidden area that no one can invade? How is that possible when Jack is guarding it all day long?”

At the trembling question, Jack shook his head without a word. It meant that he himself didn’t know. Deron managed to ask with difficulty, trying to control his shock.

“Does the Demon King, does His Highness know about this?”

“Well, wouldn’t he know? I think he knew before I did.”

“What does that……?”

Deron, who was wondering, soon hardened his face and swallowed dry saliva. It was because he had grasped the meaning hidden in those words.

“……You don’t think His Majesty the Demon King did it, do you?”

It was a chilling thing to say, even as he said it himself. Jack sneered as if it wasn’t worth answering.

“This is the first time that Lord Lucarim’s seat has been vacant in the Demon Realm. Why do you think the Demon King sent him to the interdimensional world? It means there’s something to take care of while he’s not watching.”

“Ha, but……isn’t that too much of a guess?”

“Is it? But I can’t think of anything else.”

“That can’t be. The Demon King just sent Luca…….”

“Don’t shorten that person’s name carelessly in front of me.”

‘Damn it, is this the time to worry about that?’ At the frosty warning, Deron bit his lip. The fact that Jack was a fervent follower of Lucarim was so famous in the Demon Realm that no one didn’t know it. But no matter what, you have to consider the time and place! Of course, he didn’t have the courage to actually lash out at these words, so Deron just grumbled inwardly. He had already learned long ago that dealing with the insane Jack was as tiring as talking to Lucarim.

“……Yes, anyway, the Demon King sent Lucarim to the interdimensional world simply because he is the strongest. The opponent is none other than the Water Spirit King.”

“Well, I don’t know if you want to be optimistic about the situation. But isn’t the situation too obvious? As you know, the eggs just before hatching are very hard. How many people in the Demon Realm have the power to destroy them all? If Lord Lucarim was in the Demon Realm, would the eggs still have been destroyed?”

“……That’s…….”

“Ah, come to think of it, Lord Lucarim said this while looking at the eggs that came in this breeding season. He said that among them, there might be a child who could aim for the next Demon King.”

“……!”

At those words, Deron took a deep breath. If Lucarim, of all people, said that, it was almost a foregone conclusion. Karyudrian, the current Demon King, was also specially noticed by Lucarim before he was born. It was already a famous story, so there was no way the Demon King wouldn’t know. If Lucarim’s remarks had reached his ears this time? In the end, Deron decided to accept Jack’s speculation. Karyudrian destroyed all the eggs to prevent the birth of the next Demon King.

‘Good heavens, how could this happen…….’

Karten is the domain of the Demon God. Therefore, it is also the only land not allowed to the Demon King. Of course, there have been many Demon Kings who ignored it and invaded the forbidden area in the past. The throne is a position that requires constant vigilance from the four dukes and those around them. Moreover, the desire to eliminate a new challenger who may exist in the future was inevitable.

However, all the Demon Kings who had carried out the project so far were discovered by Lucarim on the spot and failed. Even if there were eggs that were lost due to bad luck, it was only a part of the many eggs. It was the first time in the history of the Demon Realm that all the eggs had been destroyed and the culprit had not been discovered on the spot. Deron hardened his face and opened his mouth.

“I’m saying this out of concern, but if you’re thinking of appearing before the Demon King, stop it. If you come forward without evidence, you’ll be in danger.”

A Demon King who invades the forbidden area is killed under the judgment of the four dukes in accordance with the Demon Realm’s rule that ‘those who defy the order of the Demon God shall be executed.’ But that’s only the case when there is clear evidence. No matter how serious the situation is, the Demon King is not someone who can be questioned with mere suspicion. At his sincere advice, Jack snorted lightly.

“Hmph, I’m not that stupid either. Even if I dig up what Lord Lucarim has condoned, I’ll only die in vain. I just wanted to see if you were also in agreement with the Demon King’s will. It seems you’re not, so that’s enough. You were the most cherished child among the children I raised. I’m glad I don’t have to kill you with my own hands.”

“……Thank you for the excessive praise. But what do you mean by what you said just now? Luca……no, Lucarim condoned it?”

At the bewildered question, Jack smiled and turned around.

“It’s a very simple story, Deron. All tragic events never happen by chance. Think about it. Isn’t it strange that Lord Lucarim left the Demon Realm so willingly at such an order?”

“Wait a minute, Jack! So Lucarim already guessed this whole situation?”

“Are you asking the obvious? Is there anything in this Demon Realm that he doesn’t know?”

“…….”

Deron couldn’t say anything. His instinct was acknowledging it first. Lucarim had never left his designated position, but he always grasped and moved as if he had seen everything in front of him. That was probably what Serphis was trying to say. Even if he was the Demon King, he wouldn’t be able to stand being bothered by Lucarim. To think that there would come a time when he would sympathize with her words. Deron swallowed a hollow laugh inside.

“But I can’t understand. Why did he condone this? If there might be a future Demon King in this egg, shouldn’t he protect it even more?”

“Well, I don’t know about that. But I have a bad feeling.”

Jack muttered to himself and stared blankly out the window. What was spread out there was the same scenery as usual. Deron had no idea what he was actually seeing. As if understanding his confused feelings, Jack patted him on the shoulder.

“Be prepared, Deron. It seems like something big is about to happen in this Demon Realm.”