Chapter 60 - Deal with a Demon

"It seems the humans and dragons are slowly starting to catch on."

A dark conference room.

Inside, where they couldn't even discern each other's identities, a secret meeting was underway.

"Catching on?"

"Is it because of the proposal linking the multiplication of the continent's monsters to the second coming of the Demons?"

"Who exactly is harboring such suspicions?"

"It's the folks from Escolaia."

"Escolaia? Isn't that the collective of the continent's intellect, the beacon of knowledge?"

While there were voices of concern, there were also those who dismissed it as insignificant.

"With all sorts of intellects gathered there, it's also a place full of eccentrics. The continent's higher-ups won't believe them so easily."

"In truth, there wasn't much sign of agreement. Even if those two things are connected, it won't be enough to persuade the noble lords."

"Still, the fact that they linked the two does bother me."

"What was the conclusion?"

"Because of that, the White Dragon Blancaros personally put it on hold."

"So we've bought some time."

"Humans might be one thing, but the dragons will be starting their investigations by now. If we're discovered, we'll be suppressed before a war even breaks out."

Everyone lowered their heads and let out low groans.

The greater the effort invested, the greater the frustration.

"What will you do? I think it would be better to create a diversion even now..."

"That is out of the question."

A man who had maintained a long silence opened his mouth.

He immediately seized control of the heated atmosphere.

He was the leader of this place.

"Why is that?"

"The White Dragon is likely hoping for exactly that."

"Hoping for that?"

"If we make a move after hearing that, he will realize that internal enemies still remain within the Grand Council."

"Then what do you intend to do?"

"We proceed as planned. That is for the best. It is enough if we make it look like what was bound to happen over the years has finally erupted."

"C-Can it be made to look like that?"

"The only variable I have to worry about is your mouths."

It was an insulting remark, but they merely glanced at one another.

No one expressed any complaints.

"If that is your opinion..."

"Is there nothing else unusual besides that?"

"If there is anything else, as expected..."

There was no need to rack their brains to recall it.

Only one human had left a strong impression on him.

"There is a man named Ferda Valdrova."

They were startled by the person he singled out.

"You mean Valdrova's greenhorn fiancé?"

"What is there to discuss about an idiot who walked into a dragon's maw on his own two feet?"

"When I heard the rumors, I thought the same. But upon seeing him in person, he was quite different."

Before being a Demon Follower, the middle-aged man was a noble and a lord.

"We might need to be wary of him."

"What level of alert?"

"I believe we should designate it at a similar level to the walking fortress, Alberto."

"That seems like too hasty a judgment."

"It took five years for Alberto, that damn slaughterer, to become a threat. But to say a young one whose term has barely begun—."

"It means he is that dangerous."

"To think you're so terrified of a mere greenhorn. You've aged in vain."

They looked at him with pathetic eyes, and the man also stared back at them as if they were pathetic.

Since they didn't know each other's thoughts, it was only natural for them to clash.

Just then, a masked man walked into the conference room and whispered to the seated noble.

Upon hearing those words, the man wore a complicated and subtle expression.

"The messenger just delivered some unfortunate news."

The bewilderment that comes from failure.

"It seems the Escolaia Overwrite has failed."

Overwrite was an operation name.

An operation to take the places of high-ranking nobles using Dopplers among the Demons.

Among those present, there were already some who had infiltrated via the Overwrite.

"They say the one who thwarted it was none other than Ferda Valdrova."

Those who had been mocking him just moments ago dropped their jaws.

As if choreographed, everyone simultaneously turned their gazes toward the leader.

The man's complicated face briefly shifted into a smile before bitterly crumpling.

Their leader was also annoyed by the unexpected situation.

"Do you think the existence of the Dopplers has been revealed?"

A question completely devoid of composure.

The existence of Demons masquerading as humans was on a completely different level from a mere conspiracy being exposed.

It was no different from them realizing that the crucial detonators of a bomb had been planted everywhere.

He spoke the conclusion he reached by thinking thoroughly logically, without a single shred of hope.

"It will likely be exposed."

"Hmm..."

The leader tapped his face with a finger.

"Who is the chief supervisor of the Escolaia Overwrite?"

"..."

"I asked who it is."

At that, a man cautiously raised his hand.

"I-I was the one for this—."

Before he could finish his sentence, the head of the man who had raised his hand flew off.

His body pitched forward and collapsed onto the floor.

"Gasp..."

"Hic..."

Silence and terror settled in the space where the thick scent of blood lingered.

"Messenger."

"Yes."

The man who had come to deliver the sad news took a step forward.

The leader tossed something to the man.

It was a syringe filled with black liquid.

"From today onward, you are Viscount Battlehorn."

"Thank you for your grace."

The masked messenger plunged the syringe into his own neck.

Becoming a black mannequin in an instant, the man ruthlessly absorbed the blood spurting from the severed neck.

Viscount Battlehorn died, and a new Viscount Battlehorn usurped his place.

Those seated at the table gulped at the void that had been filled in an instant.

It was a warning that no matter who died, their place could be replaced at any time.

"Please wrap up the research on the Dopplers. The time for leisurely research is now over."

"Understood."

"Dispose of the remaining stock, and please eliminate anyone related to the discarded materials."

"Yes."

The method of elimination was very simple.

Their research facility was located under the mountain.

They just needed to collapse the mountain.

* * *

"The Grand Council has ended, but are you not returning?"

Luri asked.

"Something came up."

"Grand Duchess Valdrova will be waiting."

"I know. It weighs on my mind to keep her waiting."

"Even so, you won't go?"

"It's an important matter."

It was important enough to make things like the appearance of monsters seem trivial.

It was a place containing clues that could eliminate the things that caused Valdrova suffering.

Luri knew that as well.

She was saying this because she knew where he was going.

"That is Silverwind's territory."

Ferda nodded.

"I know."

"Goz currently despises you, Lord Ferda."

"I know that as well."

"The Demons are a common enemy. However, the enemy of an enemy cannot be called a friend. If you enter their territory... you will have to get blood on your hands."

Silverwind hated the Demons.

Ferda also despised the Demons that tormented Valdrova.

But they would not welcome Ferda.

"That is why I am proceeding with this matter secretly."

"..."

"It's dangerous, but if it's finished, it's also a matter that will leave no lingering troubles."

Luri's lips continued to part and close.

'You must not go.'

Those words just wouldn't come out of her mouth.

"... Are you going to go?"

"I have to."

"Understood. Then I will wait."

"No, you should return."

"..."

"While I am away, it is your job to protect the Consort."

Luri bit her lip tightly.

She didn't like it and naturally wanted to refuse those words.

But they just wouldn't come out of her mouth.

Luri had no right to defy his will.

"Please return safely."

Luri left right then and there.

While preparing for his secret expedition, Ferda started calculating this and that.

'If I focus on mobility and keep supplies to a minimum, and push myself a little with a mid-scale teleportation magic circle, it will still take a day.'

A day.

It was fast for attacking a country, but slow for a mere research facility.

Besides, there was no way the enemy would just sit still.

Word that the abduction of the Chancellor of Escolaia had failed must have reached their ears by now.

They would quickly prepare for all situations.

'It would be great if I could grab everyone and fly at a speed comparable to Luri's, but...'

That place was Silverwind's territory.

He had already experienced what happened when Luri came face-to-face with Silverwind.

Ferda didn't want to drag Luri into this.

And he shouldn't.

'We need to finish this on our end as much as possible.'

The next most important thing was combat power.

'Did he say the head of the research facility was a 5th Circle mage?'

He had said the researchers under him were mere assistants around the 1 or 2-star mark, and that the head of the research facility was a strong mage.

It would have been nice to find out what kind of magic he wielded and how he fought, but he couldn't extract nonexistent information through torture.

'I will have to take on that mage myself.'

Of course, he shouldn't engage in a frontal assault.

Ferda thought about the cards he held.

'Shadows that can be manipulated without an incantation.'

When manifested, it took the form of a Shadow Hand, but it could also take the shape of an octopus tentacle or lie flat like parchment.

The less light there was, the stronger its power became; if the light was intense, it weakened to the point of its form breaking apart.

'It's not a technique meant for that in the first place.'

It was Barbatos's magic, centered on stealth and schemes.

Rather than head-on combat, it was used as a means for mind games and catching the opponent off guard.

'According to Shape of Shadow, this is a part of my body.'

He used the shadow as a part of his body, and it was perceived as such.

'That means casting magic through the Shadow Hand is also possible.'

It was possible, but it was a task that required a high level of understanding of magic.

Because it went beyond simply resembling an actual arm, requiring the manifestation of mana channels and circuits for mana to flow through.

Ferda focused his mana into one manifested Shadow Hand.

The mana flowed beneath his soles, traveled along the connected black shadow, and condensed into the black hand.

He went through a series of steps to draw a magic circle.

Blue particles spewed from the black hand, successfully drawing out a white magic circle.

With this, he could launch a surprise attack on an opponent anytime, anywhere.

However, Ferda frowned.

'The completion time for the magic circle is about four times the average.'

It was slow enough that a skilled mage could react the moment they noticed it.

Unless he perfectly understood what type of opponent he was facing and where the battlefield would be before going in, it was a reckless gamble.

'There's no need to even think about that.'

Wit rather than prediction.

Immediate reaction was more important than putting forward countless hypotheses.

That was what Ferda was best at.

So, keeping only the fact that he had such a means in mind, he lay down on his bed.

He tried to get some sleep.

Rather than carrying worries in a situation he couldn't control, it was better to leave it for tomorrow.

It was then.

The moment he tried to close his eyes, Ferda's mind snapped awake.

Ferda's intuition had sensed an anomaly nearby.

'Hmm...'

It was something he had never felt even once in the castle.

Naturally.

Valdrova Castle was a place surrounded by layers of blocking magic far superior to those of the Empire's emperors.

There was no way anyone's intrusion would be easily permitted.

However, it was a different story for a Count's mansion.

Compared to Valdrova Castle, it was as flimsy as a fishing net rotting in seawater.

'Who is coming?'

Ferda heard and felt the churning of that mana.

Soon, the pungent smell of sulfur brushed past the tip of his nose.

"Hello, darling?"

A seductive voice he had heard once before.

It was the demon of lust, Sitri.

"Get lost."

"Oh my, so cold-hearted. Were we that kind of relationship?"

Her snake-like tongue slickly licked her lips as she approached.

"I have no intention of making a contract with you, Sitri."

"I don't have the slightest intention of making a contract with you, either. I absolutely detest your kind. You're hard to handle, and even if I try, you won't be handled properly."

"Then why are you wasting time? Get lost."

"So impatient. I came to do business."

Ferda's face crumpled even further.

"What idiot does business with a demon?"

"There is one. Right here."

She gently pointed at Ferda with her index finger.

Ferda raised both hands to cover his ears.

"The research facility you're planning to raid will be completely destroyed within six hours."

His hands stopped.

It was information he couldn't help but be tempted by.

"Don't give me that look asking how I know. Would a Great Demon worthy of the name not even know that much?"

Sitri enjoyed Ferda's reaction.

"So how do you know?"

"Come on now, darling. Most of the ones I treat like dogs are high-ranking nobles. Those oversized babies who can't be satisfied with ordinary pleasures. Did you know some of them have even joined hands with the Demons?"

It was something he had guessed to some extent.

The fact that they had carried out the abduction of the Chancellor of Escolaia was proof of that.

"The Chancellor's abduction failed, and the guy who was supposed to become that Chancellor was captured alive. If by some chance he spills the location under torture, they're in a situation where they risk exposure, right?"

"So they're going to destroy it."

"Even if you leave now, you'll be late. Combining all the means you have will still take you a day or two."

"If we move quickly, we can move right now."

"By using that little spawn? Sure, it's possible. But if you do that, do you think Silverwind will just sit still?"

There was no way they would sit still.

From the moment Ferda had arrogantly stepped into Silverwind's territory while at the White House, he was already an enemy to them.

If given an excuse, they wouldn't hesitate.

This was troubling.

Sitri was accurately seeing through the current situation.

That was probably why she came like this and suggested doing business.

"Looking at your face, I get the feeling our talk is going to go well now. Is my intuition correct?"

Sitri pressed for an answer.

Ferda's blue eyes moved calmly to avoid having his intentions read.

"What can you do for me?"

As if she had been waiting for those words, Sitri thrust her hand into her cleavage.

From inside, she pulled out a thick parchment scroll.

"It's a scroll engraved with Bending Bridge magic. Do you know what kind of magic it is?"

"A magic that connects two spaces within a dimension. It's a teleportation type."

"Oh my, what an intellectual man. That's right. You know how outstanding its reputation is, don't you?"

It allowed for stealthy movement to the point of making standard detection magic look cheap, and it was persistent because it connected space to space.

It was a magic perfectly suited for his situation, which required a stealthy approach.

"Is that all?"

"If you need more, my underlings will play with Silverwind's mutts. I'll give you enough time to turn that place into a wasteland and sweep away all their research secrets."

Moving a long distance at once and even buying him time—that was Sitri's offer.

The offer was too good.

Too good, in fact.

Because of that, instead of taking the bait immediately, he pondered her proposal carefully.

The opponent was a demon.

A demon would only make a contract if it was advantageous to them; they would never make a disadvantageous one.

For it to be this exceptional meant that a corresponding difficulty or price would follow.

"What is it that you want?"

"There is a stupid demon inside that facility."

"A stupid demon?"

"Yeah. I told her to go seduce a man, but the stupid kid ended up falling head over heels for him instead."

"Is that even possible?"

"That's why I told you, she's a stupid demon."

Sitri let out a sigh.

"If she dies there, she can't even return to Hell. She'll be completely annihilated and fall into the void. So, could you bring her out and kill her outside for me? So she gets reverse-summoned back to Hell?"

"What a heartwarming proposal."

"What can I do? We fellow demons have to look out for each other. There's a thing called compassion, you know?"

"Even a passing dog would laugh at that."

Sitri was the demon of lust.

She was the furthest thing from compassion.

"Jeez, fine. I'll tell you the truth. She's one of my daughters."

"I see."

"She's of age, so she needs to become independent, but... Sigh, what can I do? Her mother has no choice but to save her. I should wrap her up in my skirt, but my skirt is a bit too thin... and too short, you see."

Sitri fluttered her skirt seductively.

"So your proposal means you'll help us in exchange for rescuing her."

"It's a win-win situation. Well? Isn't it a truly great proposal?"

Ferda thought it over once more.

Only one sentence came to his mind.

Do not make deals with demons.

"Can you swear on your name that you aren't leading us into a trap?"

"I swear on the name of Sitri, a Great Demon of Hell. I have no intention of leading you into a trap. Once you rescue that child, your mission ends there."

Sitri gave a firm answer.

Ferda nodded his head.

"Fine. Let's do that business."

"You're agreeing to this more easily than I thought. Good."

Sitri placed the scroll she had kept afloat in the air next to the bed.

"The time I can buy you is two hours from now. Exactly eight people can enter at once, and only eight people can come out. Make sure you keep that in mind."

Leaving those words behind, Sitri quietly seeped into the darkness.

The moment her figure completely disappeared, Ferda's door swung wide open.

Count Concillus and armed knights rushed in.

"Regent! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine."

"A demonic intrusion was detected inside. Please allow us to search—."

"No, there's no need for that. That demon has left."

"Did the demon perhaps say—."

"And the expedition is canceled."

"Pardon? What do you..."

Ferda didn't have enough time to explain it to them right now.

So, he simply gave an order.

"We will begin the operation within an hour. Assemble the elite troops."