Elqueeness [EN]: Chapter 347

347.

“Not leaving?”

The group’s faces paled at As’s indifferent attitude. There was no explicit answer, but not denying the assertion was as good as affirmation. His ink-black hair and blood-red eyes finally caught their attention. Everyone knew that demons had black hair and red eyes. However, it wasn’t a particularly rare combination, so it wasn’t commonly associated with them.

In the Swalt Empire, which worshiped the Demon God, demons were not treated as enemies but were still regarded as fearsome beings. The frightened group hurriedly tried to leave. However, Caribdis raised his arm, blocking their path. Everyone widened their eyes in surprise at his sudden action. As also tilted his head.

“Is it alright for you, a demon, to interfere with the former… Grand Duke?”

“Why wouldn’t it be?”

“The Grand Duke is a contractor of the Demon King.”

The sound of gasping echoed again. The fact that the Grand Duke was a contractor of the Demon King was a secret that had been kept from everyone. Only Caribdis and the now-deceased Empress Roanez knew about it. Therefore, Caribdis’s expression as he stared at As was stiff.

“I know that demons are absolutely obedient to the King’s will and protect his contractors.”

“That’s right. How did you know that?”

Caribdis’s gaze turned colder at the amused question. The others were just as tense. Those who had been standing at a distance from Caribdis earlier now clung closely behind him. As, who had been tilting his head in confusion at their reaction, soon understood.

“Ah, I see. You suspect I might be a spy because I’m a demon.”

“……”

“Is that why everyone is standing still? That’s troublesome. I have to let you guys out of here. I decided to do that, so I’ll see it through to the end. I’m not a spy, so you can relax.”

“How can we believe that?”

“You’re quite cheeky.”

As laughed as if he found it amusing, and those watching swallowed hard. His lips were curved in a smile, but his eyes weren’t smiling at all. A chilling coldness arose from his inorganic, emotionless red eyes. Caribdis didn’t show it, but he felt a sense of bewilderment. He had thought that even if As was a demon, he wouldn’t be a high-ranking one because of his small size. However, the subtle pressure he was emitting made his fingertips tingle. He couldn’t easily gauge how many moves he could withstand if they fought properly. The surrounding air instantly tensed with rising tension. However, unexpectedly, it was As who backed down.

“Since there’s no other way, I’ll tell you. The Demon King’s orders are the top priority, but they’re not absolute. There’s a higher order than that.”

“A higher order?”

“The Demon God’s order.”

“……!”

“Demons don’t prioritize any order over the Demon God’s will. Besides, the one you know as the Demon King dared to challenge the Demon God’s authority. He’s no longer a King or anything else. Since he lost his qualifications, the Grand Duke’s position has also changed. Do you understand what I mean?”

“……I understand.”

“Then leave now.”

This was the last chance As was giving them. If they refused this time, he wouldn’t treat them kindly anymore. Caribdis also read the warning he was sending. He quietly accepted it and took the first step, and those who had been watching carefully hurried to follow him. “Your Excellency, please wait! What is all this about?” “His Highness the Grand Duke is a contractor of the Demon King? Please explain, Your Excellency!” Urgent questions followed one after another, but there was no reply.

As stood at the entrance, watching the group until they disappeared from sight. It wasn’t exactly because he was worried about them, but rather to create an excuse that he had shown sincerity until the end. His kind benefactor would surely check to see if the humans had left safely.

The night sky was still in full swing. Just as he was about to return, As lightly clenched and unclenched his fist. For some reason, his body had felt strangely light since a while ago. He hadn’t realized it inside, but now that he was outside, he seemed to know why.

‘The air is mixed with demonic energy.’

As looked up. He could see a faint distortion in the sky he stared at intently. Could something have gone wrong? Perhaps it was a problem connected to the earthquake earlier. Just as As was frowning in thought, he sensed a presence nearby, and someone suddenly landed on the ground. It was a strange man he had never seen before, but he felt a familiar energy. As narrowed his eyes as he confirmed the man’s black hair and red eyes.

A demon.

Meeting a member of his own race in the Middle Realm [the human world], especially in Arkadom, was not a common experience. The other party was also surprised, widening his eyes. That surprise soon turned into an exclamation.

“What a stroke of luck. I sensed the energy of a fellow demon and thought it was a comrade, but it’s just a hatchling?”

“……”

“I heard that all the eggs from this period were destroyed, but there was a survivor? Well, you’re lucky. But I’m sorry, little one, your luck ends here. I’ll capture you and use you as nourishment to enhance my magic!”

With that bold declaration, long, sharp claws emerged. As dodged the attack aimed at him by simply tilting his head slightly. The demon man, flustered by the unexpected turn of events, hardened his face. He seemed to sense the danger only then, but it was already too late to turn back. In the next moment, As moved quickly and appeared in front of him. Before he could even gasp in surprise, the demon was helplessly caught by a force pulling him and was slammed into the ground.

“Aaaagh!”

A loud scream echoed. He immediately tried to get up again, but it was only an attempt. As was stepping on his chest with one foot. Even as he desperately writhed, he couldn’t shake off the force being applied to him. As stared with indifferent eyes at the fear that was settling in his horrified eyes. His ability to read his opponent’s strength was so poor, and his attack speed was slow. Judging by the fact that he couldn’t even resist properly, he was a low-ranking demon with no potential. He wasn’t a threat, but there was something else that bothered him.

“You don’t have a contractor. How did you cross over here if you weren’t summoned?”

“W-What are you? How can a hatchling have this kind of power…!”

“Answer.”

The pressure on his chest increased. The demon man, groaning, cried out in terror.

“T-There was a hole!”

“A hole?”

“Yes! The summoning horn sounded, and I was drawn by the feeling of being called, and there was an entrance in the air! That’s why I came over!”

“Summoning horn?”

“I’m Mors! All Mors must have heard the sound! More and more will probably come over!”

He didn’t understand the latter part very well, but he seemed to understand the situation roughly. Whether the dimensional barrier was damaged or Arkadom was connected to the Demon Realm.

“Tell me more details.”

“F-First, get this off me! It hurts!”

Again, a groan whined. He didn’t like the fact that a grown adult was acting like that, but As removed the leg that was pressing him down for now. At that moment, the demon, who had been looking for an opening, flashed his eyes.

‘Now!’

He jumped up and rushed in again, baring his ferocious claws. He thought that even a terrifying boy would be flustered if he was suddenly attacked like this. However, even though it was an unexpected attack, there was no agitation in the eyes that looked at him. At the same time as realizing he had made a mistake, a burning pain erupted in his back. It felt like something sharp had been plunged straight in.

“Keuh!”

The man who spat out blood turned around with a dumbfounded face. In his swaying vision, he saw the figure of the one who had attacked him. He hadn’t even felt the approaching presence, and the identity was even more unexpected. The first thing that caught his eye was the other person’s hair. The hair color, illuminated by the moonlight, looked black at first glance, but it was different when you looked closely. A deep blue color that seemed to have mixed the deep blue night sea. There was only one demon who could have that color.

‘Duke Dejak of the North? But that face is….’

Even as he was dying, he couldn’t close his eyes because of the sense of incongruity that occupied his mind. Why did Deron, the Duke of the East, have that hair color? That was the last thought he had.

“My Lord.”

Deron, who had been looking down at the dead demon for a moment, soon retrieved the spear from the corpse. The weapon, which changed shape as he wished, disappeared as if it had evaporated in an instant. As responded with a light nod to his polite greeting.

“You’re late, subordinate.”

“I had circumstances. But what is this?”

Deron’s gaze as he looked at the scattered corpse was cold. He had been safely escorting the humans he had rescued from the banquet hall to the front gate in order to follow El’s instructions. However, unlike As, who had easily broken the barrier of the altar, Deron, who had no information about it, took a long time to even realize that he was trapped in the barrier. The process of figuring it out and breaking through it was also not easy, so he had to put in more effort than he had expected. As a result, he was all on edge, and when he discovered a demon attacking As in the midst of all that, he lost it.

To dare attack my one and only precious Lord! Wasn’t he a guy who deserved to be chewed up, boiled, and eaten? It was a mistake that I got angry for a moment and killed him in an instant when I should have given him more terrible pain. As shrugged his shoulders as he looked at Deron, who was unable to contain his anger and was glaring.

“I don’t know either. Just a passing demon.”

“How could just a passing demon enter Arkadom? He didn’t even have a contractor.”

“It looks like Arkadom is connected to the Demon Realm.”

“Ah, that’s… what?”

Deron, who belatedly questioned, twitched his eyebrows greatly. But his expression completely hardened when he heard the following words.

“They said the summoning horn sounded. What is that?”

“Did you just say the summoning horn?”

“The guy who just died said that. He said he was Mors.”

As soon as he heard the answer, Deron unknowingly looked down at the corpse again. I shouldn’t have just killed him after all. A painful regret arose again, but he couldn’t undo what had already happened. Instead, he let out a long, long sigh.

“That damn Karyuan, until the very end…”

“Why? What is Mors?”

“The Demon King’s special forces.”

“Special forces?”

“To put it simply, they are a shadow army. You can view the related documents in the King’s study after you hold the coronation. Mors usually live scattered in various places, but they only gather when a summons order is issued. You can only summon them once while you are the Demon King, and once the summons is issued, one order is automatically executed.”

“What order?”

“Go to the place where the horn sounded and annihilate everything in sight.”

“……!”

As’s eyes turned cold. That meant that an army-sized demon from the Demon Realm was about to cross over to Arkadom to annihilate it. The one he met this time was a low-ranking demon, but not all Mors could be low-ranking demons.

“He’s not the King anymore. But how can he give orders?”

“Because the new Demon King’s symbol hasn’t appeared yet. It seems he hasn’t completely lost his authority.”

“……”

“You must be prepared, my Lord. The Great Celestial-Demon War of the past also broke out due to this summons order.”

“Isn’t that a good thing for the subordinate? You like fighting.”

“I do like it. I do! But that’s not the problem.”

Deron opened his mouth with a serious face towards As, who was looking at him strangely.

“Actually, after the Great Celestial-Demon War, Kanos-nim [Lord Kanos] said this. There is one fact that he announced.”

“?”

“You can do whatever you want among yourselves in the Demon Realm. However, you must not let Mors cross over to other worlds. If you break that, I will destroy the Demon Realm, he said.”

“……What?”

“We may be the last demons.”

Deron’s expression as he muttered was somehow wistful. It was the moment when As’s face, who had been listening blankly, was terribly distorted.

* * *

What awakened him from his sweet sleep was an unfamiliar touch tickling his cheeks. Mine frowned without even opening his eyes. In his still unclear senses, he felt a gaze staring down at him. Something was approaching him so closely that it was almost covering him.

‘El? Or maybe Trowel or Ifrit.’

There were not many who could easily enter the domain of the wind and wake him from his sleep. Mine slowly awakened his hazy senses, thinking of the few possibilities he could think of. He blinked his eyes, but his mind did not return easily. The problem was that he had used too much energy to purify Blaster. Now that he was in the beginning stages, he probably wouldn’t be able to get out of this state for a while.

“Are you okay?”

The still unidentified person asked, seeing him wriggling. It was a cheerful voice that seemed to contain playfulness. As he nodded, Mine thought that the voice was very pleasant. As he unconsciously reached out his arm to get up properly, the other person readily supported him.

“You must be very tired. Sorry for waking you.”

“Uuung, I’m okay……”

“That doesn’t sound okay?”

“I’m not……”

Following the recoil of being pulled, Mine naturally snuggled into the other person’s arms. A refreshing coolness swirled within the firmer sensation than he had expected. ‘It’s El.’ As he became certain of the other person’s identity, Mine snuggled into his arms even more. El, who thought of the Spirit Kings as family, treated Mine, who was born later than him, like a younger sibling. He felt like he should act spoiled like this to make him happier. As expected, the other person hesitated for a moment, but soon slowly stroked Mine’s head. Mine’s mood also improved with the pleasant touch. It felt like the attempt to make others happy had returned to him as a reward.