Chapter 49: The Lifting of the Fog (Part 2)
Neib Koval was born in a mansion in Lelis 45 years ago.
His father was a noble from the Kingdom of Liuus. However, because he liked the urban life, he spent more than half of his life behind the city’s walls.
When the Kingdom of Liuus, which used to control the area around Lake Liuus, fell apart from civil war, the city of Lelis became the stage for several military clashes.
The mansion that Neib Koval had lived in since young suffered attacks from both rioters and robbers. Due to his father having been an absolute failure at administering to the people of his fiefdom, he himself was also often showered with resentment on his father’s behalf.
Growing up within such circumstances fostered within him a selfish personality that saw others as nothing but tools.
In spite of that, if only he had never come across that thing. After Lelis gained its independence, he could very well have turned out a run-of-the-mill noble capable of making realistic decisions every now and then.
The outbreak of Shadow Demons 10 years ago, though not large enough in scale to be called a Bleed, left deep scars upon the various cities of the Liuus Union.
At the time, having already succeeded the title of Baron from his father, he participated in the fight against the Shadow Demons as a member of Lelis’ defence force.
Of course, he never went to the front lines in person, but he did fulfil the bare minimum of his duty.
Eventually, thanks to the efforts of the Carbanera Knight Order, the Adventurer's Guild, the Magician’s Guild, and the 「War Tribe」, the Shadow Demon nest was destroyed.
A few months after that, the Koval House received a queer offering from one of the villages neighboring Lelis that was, in name, under their control.
“What is this. It’s creepy.”
The Baron’s reaction was only natural, as it was the skull of a Small Demon. Its black surface was so glossy that it almost looked wet. He could not discern whether this was painted on or if it was the skull's actual color.
“Indeed it is. No one would even think of putting something like this up for display, would they.”
His faithful, elderly steward’s words was common sense and also only natural. However, something in there touched a string in his heart.
The moment he peered suspiciously into the gaping eye sockets, he thought he saw a faint golden flicker in its depths.
“Hou, is that so. Then I will purposely leave it on hand. It seems more stylish than a common sculpture, does it not?”
♥♦♣♠
The Baron left the Shadow Demon skull in his bedroom, which led to a small change in his heart.
He became able to recognize the evil intentions lurking within everybody’s gazes. He also became able to hear the malicious gossip being whispered about him in places beyond his sight.
It took almost no time at all for this small change to bring about great distortion.
3 days later, he came to view all humans as clumps of malice out to scorn and torment himself. He could no longer believe the fact that he himself was a human.
7 days later, he had fostered such affinity for the anti-human race of Shadow Demons that he offered his own blood to the skull.
Finally, 10 days later, he invited a Demonist priest to his mansion.
“I was convinced that you of all people would understand the Shadow Demons’ glorious mission.”
“Ahh…… the repulsive beings known as humans must be eradicated, no matter the cost.”
The priest was the Village Head of the village that had sent the Shadow Demon skull to the Baron. That village had apparently been completely converted to Demonism ever since the Baron’s father’s time.
“However, we still need to gather a far greater amount of power in order to eradicate the humans. To that end, you must seize power in Lelis.”
“That goes without saying. So far, I’ve only thought of securing a safe life for myself. From now on, though, I will seriously aim to kick down those merchant bastards.”
“To that end, use these as you please.”
What the priest offered to the Baron this time was 5 dark elves.
♥♦♣♠
Using his dark elves as assassins, the Baron surreptitiously expanded his own power.
With advice from the priest, the Baron took only the most inconspicuous moves. With that said, though, more than 10 of his political enemies eventually succumbed to accidental deaths. Because he was employing such superior yet completely loyal assassins, even the Thieves’ Guild did not notice what he was doing.
However, even with his barony’s history, historic customs, and financial capital, it took him 10 years to rise to the top position of the Noble Faction. In the meantime, he mercifully led every single person in his household, beginning with his steward, down the path to becoming fervent Demonists.
During that entire time, he never once failed to uphold the monthly ritual that the priest had taught him. The bottom of the underground lake that was the ritual site became filled with countless numbers of human bones.
Everything was going smoothly.
When he finally got to starting preparations for wresting the seat of Council Chairman from the eyesore Zatou Braus, he showed up.
♥♦♣♠
The Baron was ecstatic upon hearing from the priest that a new Shadow Demon nest had appeared close to Yuule Village.
But a mere few days later, that nest was wiped out by a single man. His joy was immediately replaced by rage and hatred.
Being able to easily destroy a Shadow Demon nest with that strange 「wizardry」 of his…… such an existence must not be tolerated.
“Even if we have to stake our lives, we must kill the man, Gio Margils, without fail.”
“Say no more. Destroying that which destroys Shadow Demons is the mission of us Demonists.”
♥♦♣♠
The first opportunity was when Margils, who had gone to the trouble of coming to Lelis himself, was meeting with the Council Chairman.
The most excellent pawn in his hand was capable of easily infiltrating the Council Hall. So it seemed a great idea to poison the two of them together.
If both of them died from that, then that was that. If only the Council Chairman died, he could frame Margils as the culprit. The same went for the other way round.
In the one in a million chance that they both survived, there would naturally still be friction and distrust between the two of them. Or at least, that was how it was supposed to have panned out.
The actual result was that both Margils and the Council Chairman survived. But rather than friction, the incident helped the two of them to gain even more trust in each other.
Taken back at the report from his pawn, he rushed to the Council Hall to look at Margils from afar, but all he saw was a common, mediocre, dime-a-dozen middle-aged man. What kind of a joke was this?!
Either way, he understood that Margils could not be killed with any conventional method.
Even though he sent his other pawns in an attempt to take hostage people close to Margils, they failed because of an ‘an invisible devil’ or ‘a female devil made of wind’ or some other bullshit.
If a small number of elites can’t finish the job, then how about numbers. So thinking, he hired all of the trash around the streets, but they were obstructed by an even greater number of city guards and adventurers.
Then he was informed that a female magician that he had already considered an enemy from a while back was also close to Margils. But when he sent his pawns to her, they were once again foiled by adventurers.
Right when he was laying low, trying to think of a new plan, he received a report that adventurers and city guards are scouring the entire city for information about his pawns.
Up to now, there had been times when city guards or adventurers had directed gazes of suspicion towards himself, but he had deftly diverted them all.
This time, however, was different. A strange light burned in their eyes, and they were as persistent and tenacious about it as if they were seeking revenge against a generations-long clan enemy. Furthermore, even the Thieves’ Guild, with whom they had a tacit non-aggression relationship, were now also crawling through the underground routes in hot pursuit.
(T/N: The power of money lol.)
Lelis had been nothing more than a huge canvas for his malicious intellect to freely weave plots and intrigues on. But before he knew it, it had already turned into a cage that locked him in and was trying to corner him.
By the time he came to that realization, it was too late. The rumor that he was a Demonist had already flooded the streets, and his mansion fell under double and triple surveillance by guards and adventurers and even nosy onlookers. He could not take even a step outside.
According to the information that his pawns barely managed to get to him, every single one of these movements had been due to orders from that Margils.
“Baron, now that things have become like this, there is nothing more that we can do. Let us at least perform the last ritual.”
“...... Damn you, Margils! Exactly who on earth is that guy?”
♥♦♣♠
Even before they heard the cheers raised by the crowd outside the mansion, he and the priest and his pawns had already reached the ritual site by the underground lake.
“If we only had five more years, we would have been able to resurrect the Demon God, but……”
“How many hundreds of people do you think we’ve already sacrificed? This much should be more than enough to wipe them all out.”
“Indeed, so we hope.”
So mutters the priest regretfully while looking at the skull sitting on the altar beside the lake shore, which had been ‘nurtured’ to three times its original form.
However, he still brought himself to kneel before the altar and began to chant in prayer.
In response to the priest’s voice, ripples appeared on the surface of the skull, causing shivers to run down all of their spines.
At that moment.
With city guards and adventurer parties in tow, that man — Gio Margils — showed up.
“...... T-, to think that you yourself would come all the way here, wizard Gio Margils……!”
Seeing the target of his hatred right in front of his eyes, the man who had controlled the guards and everyone else into cornering himself, the Baron’s voice trembled slightly.
If he hadn’t been wearing a hood, surprise and ecstatic joy would have been clearly visible on his haggard face.
“It seems that we’ve finally met the Baron, Wizard-dono.”
The Baron heard the wizard’s adventurer companion whispering to him, but it was of no matter.
For as of just then, the priest had finished his prayer.
“At, at the very end, did you want to deal the final blow yourself? It seems that it is fame that you seek, Margils! But that pride shall be your downfall!”
“A-, ahem. Baron Koval, is it? You already have nowhere to run to. Will you quietly turn yourself in?”
“Saying such meaningless things!!!!!”
Clack, clack, clack.
As if in response to the Baron’s shriek, the jaw of the skull laying on the altar began to rattle furiously, while steam began gushing out of the depths of its eye sockets.
“Wha-, what’s going on?!”
“Sha-, Shadow Demon?!”
“It’s moving……! You’re kidding me, right?”
At the start, it was just a small skull.
But after diligently ‘nurturing’ it by painting it with the blood and flesh of living sacrifices and offering prayers of hatred to it every single month……
The puny city guards and greedy adventurers alike fell back in fear, flustered.
The thought of sending out his pawns did cross the Baron’s mind, but the best thing to do here was of course to offer them all to the Shadow Demon as living sacrifices.
“Right now! Right here! With the Demon God that we had spent 10 years nurturing! All for the sake of destroying you! And this detestable town! And every single human in existenceee!!!!”
Bubbling mud began flowing out from the inside of the altar, taking form as twisting and writhing limbs.
The golden light within the skull’s eye socket shone even brighter than the moon in a decidedly ominous manner.
“What the hell, why is a Shadow Demon……”
“Is, is it a golem?”
“Hii…… hiiiiii……”
Within a brief moment lasting less than 10 seconds, it had turned into a grotesque figure resembling neither spider nor crustacean that towered more than twice a human’s height.
Buried in its center, naturally, is the skull, which was clearly serving as its core.
At the tip of four of its limbs glittered pincers and claws the length of longswords.
And above all else, it emanated such terrible hatred that even the priest who had nurtured it felt his blood draining from his face.
“KyuOOoooo……! GiRIuuuooo……!”
The high-pitched cry that sounded like pieces of metal grating together seemed almost capable of slicing up people’s hearts.
Even that Margils, who had mysterious powers completely beyond his ken, was merely standing stock-still and just muttering to himself.
Neib Koval was sure beyond a doubt.
“This! This Demon God! It is my other self! My real self! With it, I condemn this world that looked down upon me!”
“GyaAAahh!”
Hearing a thud, the Baron looked over to see that the skull — no, the Demon God — had sliced up the priest from top to bottom with a pair of pincers.
However, the Baron no longer cared about even that……
“[Destruction].”
Margils, who had been struck both immobile and speechless by fear (or so he had been pretending) suddenly raised his staff, from which a small white bead of light flew out. The light touched the Demon God.
Without causing an explosion, the light simply dived straight into the body of the Demon God……
“Kyu…… GyukyUUuu…………?!”
The next instant.
The large body with a grotesque shape and numerous limbs began falling apart from the inside.
No thunderous roar. No shockwave.
Like a ice sculpture that got smashed into smithereens by a giant hammer, the jet black Demon God simply became several tens of fragments, then a thousand, then mere dust, then …… simply disappeared without a trace.
“Wha-......-t............”
So ended Baron Neib Koval’s secret manipulations within the shadows of the city of Lelis.
Chapter 49: The Lifting of the Fog (Part 2)
Neib Koval was born in a mansion in Lelis 45 years ago.
His father was a noble from the Kingdom of Liuus. However, because he liked the urban life, he spent more than half of his life behind the city’s walls.
When the Kingdom of Liuus, which used to control the area around Lake Liuus, fell apart from civil war, the city of Lelis became the stage for several military clashes.
The mansion that Neib Koval had lived in since young suffered attacks from both rioters and robbers. Due to his father having been an absolute failure at administering to the people of his fiefdom, he himself was also often showered with resentment on his father’s behalf.
Growing up within such circumstances fostered within him a selfish personality that saw others as nothing but tools.
In spite of that, if only he had never come across that thing. After Lelis gained its independence, he could very well have turned out a run-of-the-mill noble capable of making realistic decisions every now and then.
The outbreak of Shadow Demons 10 years ago, though not large enough in scale to be called a Bleed, left deep scars upon the various cities of the Liuus Union.
At the time, having already succeeded the title of Baron from his father, he participated in the fight against the Shadow Demons as a member of Lelis’ defence force.
Of course, he never went to the front lines in person, but he did fulfil the bare minimum of his duty.
Eventually, thanks to the efforts of the Carbanera Knight Order, the Adventurer's Guild, the Magician’s Guild, and the 「War Tribe」, the Shadow Demon nest was destroyed.
A few months after that, the Koval House received a queer offering from one of the villages neighboring Lelis that was, in name, under their control.
“What is this. It’s creepy.”
The Baron’s reaction was only natural, as it was the skull of a Small Demon. Its black surface was so glossy that it almost looked wet. He could not discern whether this was painted on or if it was the skull's actual color.
“Indeed it is. No one would even think of putting something like this up for display, would they.”
His faithful, elderly steward’s words was common sense and also only natural. However, something in there touched a string in his heart.
The moment he peered suspiciously into the gaping eye sockets, he thought he saw a faint golden flicker in its depths.
“Hou, is that so. Then I will purposely leave it on hand. It seems more stylish than a common sculpture, does it not?”
♥♦♣♠
The Baron left the Shadow Demon skull in his bedroom, which led to a small change in his heart.
He became able to recognize the evil intentions lurking within everybody’s gazes. He also became able to hear the malicious gossip being whispered about him in places beyond his sight.
It took almost no time at all for this small change to bring about great distortion.
3 days later, he came to view all humans as clumps of malice out to scorn and torment himself. He could no longer believe the fact that he himself was a human.
7 days later, he had fostered such affinity for the anti-human race of Shadow Demons that he offered his own blood to the skull.
Finally, 10 days later, he invited a Demonist priest to his mansion.
“I was convinced that you of all people would understand the Shadow Demons’ glorious mission.”
“Ahh…… the repulsive beings known as humans must be eradicated, no matter the cost.”
The priest was the Village Head of the village that had sent the Shadow Demon skull to the Baron. That village had apparently been completely converted to Demonism ever since the Baron’s father’s time.
“However, we still need to gather a far greater amount of power in order to eradicate the humans. To that end, you must seize power in Lelis.”
“That goes without saying. So far, I’ve only thought of securing a safe life for myself. From now on, though, I will seriously aim to kick down those merchant bastards.”
“To that end, use these as you please.”
What the priest offered to the Baron this time was 5 dark elves.
♥♦♣♠
Using his dark elves as assassins, the Baron surreptitiously expanded his own power.
With advice from the priest, the Baron took only the most inconspicuous moves. With that said, though, more than 10 of his political enemies eventually succumbed to accidental deaths. Because he was employing such superior yet completely loyal assassins, even the Thieves’ Guild did not notice what he was doing.
However, even with his barony’s history, historic customs, and financial capital, it took him 10 years to rise to the top position of the Noble Faction. In the meantime, he mercifully led every single person in his household, beginning with his steward, down the path to becoming fervent Demonists.
During that entire time, he never once failed to uphold the monthly ritual that the priest had taught him. The bottom of the underground lake that was the ritual site became filled with countless numbers of human bones.
Everything was going smoothly.
When he finally got to starting preparations for wresting the seat of Council Chairman from the eyesore Zatou Braus, he showed up.
♥♦♣♠
The Baron was ecstatic upon hearing from the priest that a new Shadow Demon nest had appeared close to Yuule Village.
But a mere few days later, that nest was wiped out by a single man. His joy was immediately replaced by rage and hatred.
Being able to easily destroy a Shadow Demon nest with that strange 「wizardry」 of his…… such an existence must not be tolerated.
“Even if we have to stake our lives, we must kill the man, Gio Margils, without fail.”
“Say no more. Destroying that which destroys Shadow Demons is the mission of us Demonists.”
♥♦♣♠
The first opportunity was when Margils, who had gone to the trouble of coming to Lelis himself, was meeting with the Council Chairman.
The most excellent pawn in his hand was capable of easily infiltrating the Council Hall. So it seemed a great idea to poison the two of them together.
If both of them died from that, then that was that. If only the Council Chairman died, he could frame Margils as the culprit. The same went for the other way round.
In the one in a million chance that they both survived, there would naturally still be friction and distrust between the two of them. Or at least, that was how it was supposed to have panned out.
The actual result was that both Margils and the Council Chairman survived. But rather than friction, the incident helped the two of them to gain even more trust in each other.
Taken back at the report from his pawn, he rushed to the Council Hall to look at Margils from afar, but all he saw was a common, mediocre, dime-a-dozen middle-aged man. What kind of a joke was this?!
Either way, he understood that Margils could not be killed with any conventional method.
Even though he sent his other pawns in an attempt to take hostage people close to Margils, they failed because of an ‘an invisible devil’ or ‘a female devil made of wind’ or some other bullshit.
If a small number of elites can’t finish the job, then how about numbers. So thinking, he hired all of the trash around the streets, but they were obstructed by an even greater number of city guards and adventurers.
Then he was informed that a female magician that he had already considered an enemy from a while back was also close to Margils. But when he sent his pawns to her, they were once again foiled by adventurers.
Right when he was laying low, trying to think of a new plan, he received a report that adventurers and city guards are scouring the entire city for information about his pawns.
Up to now, there had been times when city guards or adventurers had directed gazes of suspicion towards himself, but he had deftly diverted them all.
This time, however, was different. A strange light burned in their eyes, and they were as persistent and tenacious about it as if they were seeking revenge against a generations-long clan enemy. Furthermore, even the Thieves’ Guild, with whom they had a tacit non-aggression relationship, were now also crawling through the underground routes in hot pursuit.
(T/N: The power of money lol.)
Lelis had been nothing more than a huge canvas for his malicious intellect to freely weave plots and intrigues on. But before he knew it, it had already turned into a cage that locked him in and was trying to corner him.
By the time he came to that realization, it was too late. The rumor that he was a Demonist had already flooded the streets, and his mansion fell under double and triple surveillance by guards and adventurers and even nosy onlookers. He could not take even a step outside.
According to the information that his pawns barely managed to get to him, every single one of these movements had been due to orders from that Margils.
“Baron, now that things have become like this, there is nothing more that we can do. Let us at least perform the last ritual.”
“...... Damn you, Margils! Exactly who on earth is that guy?”
♥♦♣♠
Even before they heard the cheers raised by the crowd outside the mansion, he and the priest and his pawns had already reached the ritual site by the underground lake.
“If we only had five more years, we would have been able to resurrect the Demon God, but……”
“How many hundreds of people do you think we’ve already sacrificed? This much should be more than enough to wipe them all out.”
“Indeed, so we hope.”
So mutters the priest regretfully while looking at the skull sitting on the altar beside the lake shore, which had been ‘nurtured’ to three times its original form.
However, he still brought himself to kneel before the altar and began to chant in prayer.
In response to the priest’s voice, ripples appeared on the surface of the skull, causing shivers to run down all of their spines.
At that moment.
With city guards and adventurer parties in tow, that man — Gio Margils — showed up.
“...... T-, to think that you yourself would come all the way here, wizard Gio Margils……!”
Seeing the target of his hatred right in front of his eyes, the man who had controlled the guards and everyone else into cornering himself, the Baron’s voice trembled slightly.
If he hadn’t been wearing a hood, surprise and ecstatic joy would have been clearly visible on his haggard face.
“It seems that we’ve finally met the Baron, Wizard-dono.”
The Baron heard the wizard’s adventurer companion whispering to him, but it was of no matter.
For as of just then, the priest had finished his prayer.
“At, at the very end, did you want to deal the final blow yourself? It seems that it is fame that you seek, Margils! But that pride shall be your downfall!”
“A-, ahem. Baron Koval, is it? You already have nowhere to run to. Will you quietly turn yourself in?”
“Saying such meaningless things!!!!!”
Clack, clack, clack.
As if in response to the Baron’s shriek, the jaw of the skull laying on the altar began to rattle furiously, while steam began gushing out of the depths of its eye sockets.
“Wha-, what’s going on?!”
“Sha-, Shadow Demon?!”
“It’s moving……! You’re kidding me, right?”
At the start, it was just a small skull.
But after diligently ‘nurturing’ it by painting it with the blood and flesh of living sacrifices and offering prayers of hatred to it every single month……
The puny city guards and greedy adventurers alike fell back in fear, flustered.
The thought of sending out his pawns did cross the Baron’s mind, but the best thing to do here was of course to offer them all to the Shadow Demon as living sacrifices.
“Right now! Right here! With the Demon God that we had spent 10 years nurturing! All for the sake of destroying you! And this detestable town! And every single human in existenceee!!!!”
Bubbling mud began flowing out from the inside of the altar, taking form as twisting and writhing limbs.
The golden light within the skull’s eye socket shone even brighter than the moon in a decidedly ominous manner.
“What the hell, why is a Shadow Demon……”
“Is, is it a golem?”
“Hii…… hiiiiii……”
Within a brief moment lasting less than 10 seconds, it had turned into a grotesque figure resembling neither spider nor crustacean that towered more than twice a human’s height.
Buried in its center, naturally, is the skull, which was clearly serving as its core.
At the tip of four of its limbs glittered pincers and claws the length of longswords.
And above all else, it emanated such terrible hatred that even the priest who had nurtured it felt his blood draining from his face.
“KyuOOoooo……! GiRIuuuooo……!”
The high-pitched cry that sounded like pieces of metal grating together seemed almost capable of slicing up people’s hearts.
Even that Margils, who had mysterious powers completely beyond his ken, was merely standing stock-still and just muttering to himself.
Neib Koval was sure beyond a doubt.
“This! This Demon God! It is my other self! My real self! With it, I condemn this world that looked down upon me!”
“GyaAAahh!”
Hearing a thud, the Baron looked over to see that the skull — no, the Demon God — had sliced up the priest from top to bottom with a pair of pincers.
However, the Baron no longer cared about even that……
“[Destruction].”
Margils, who had been struck both immobile and speechless by fear (or so he had been pretending) suddenly raised his staff, from which a small white bead of light flew out. The light touched the Demon God.
Without causing an explosion, the light simply dived straight into the body of the Demon God……
“Kyu…… GyukyUUuu…………?!”
The next instant.
The large body with a grotesque shape and numerous limbs began falling apart from the inside.
No thunderous roar. No shockwave.
Like a ice sculpture that got smashed into smithereens by a giant hammer, the jet black Demon God simply became several tens of fragments, then a thousand, then mere dust, then …… simply disappeared without a trace.
“Wha-......-t............”
So ended Baron Neib Koval’s secret manipulations within the shadows of the city of Lelis.
