Chapter 264 – Chapter 264 ― Gap (4)
Chapter 264 ― Niche (4)
A cool summer evening in Jeno where a warm wind started to blow even in the middle of the night.
The carriage carrying the emperor of Evirgio, about 1,000 knights including him, and 2,000 capital troops arrived at Zeno Fortress.
Bondi Zeno is located about a week’s drive west of Basel, which is the normal speed for merchants to travel by carriage.
Save time sleeping and move quickly,
It was the fifth day after departing from Basel that the Emperor appeared in Zeno, the western border city of Evirgio.
“You have suffered a lot. Thank you for your haste. Your majesty.”
West Blood Lord, Grand Duke of Jeokru greeted Roan with the most haggard face he had ever seen.
Since the last farmland was burned, human forces have begun to gather across the border in earnest.
Once the attack started, it wouldn’t be strange if a second attack followed. Seohyeollord was on high alert and was arranging troops arriving from all over the world.
“Hmm. The Archduke also puts in a lot of hard work.”
After congratulating the Grand Duke in simple words, Roan turned his gaze to the south.
The field near Xeno Fortress is already crowded with troops and barracks from lords gathered from all over Seohyeolryeong.
Passing by flags and tents of all kinds of patterns and colors, and looking further south, we saw a small tent with a distinctly different shape.
What lies behind
An ancient forest whose gigantic shape is covered in the long shadows of the afternoon and looks like another citadel.
It is a dark forest.
Roan recalled beyond the dark forest.
After heading south for about two weeks along the winding border of the Dark Forest, the Dark Forest finally reveals its end.
At the tip of it, it was Hajak Fortress that was built in the Southern Black Spirit, where the borders of the three powers met.
The remaining 1,000 of the troops that came down to Zeno with Roan will rest for a while and depart for Hazark along the border of the Dark Forest tomorrow.
“Please take care of Grünent.”
“Are you planning to leave right away?”
Roan lightly shook his head.
“First I should talk to some of the people here. However, I am leaving today.”
Seohyeolryeongju’s expression was worried.
There is no doubt that the Emperor is strong, but the Dark Forest is vast, even if it is the land of the forest fairies with whom they have now allied. A dangerous place that even contains unknown ancient magic.
Since she also had memories of almost losing the emperor’s life last time, Seohyeolryeongju couldn’t hide her worried expression.
As if to shake off such worries, Roan tapped the shoulder of Grand Duke Tuk-tuk’s horse.
“Do not worry. The forest fairy guide is already here? I can’t keep them waiting too long, so I’ll meet the humans first. Let’s have some dinner.”
“… Hmm.”
However, Seohyeolryeongju only coughed.
A strangely perplexed look.
Grünent and Helen looked at each other in bewilderment.
“I hope you don’t rush too much, and take a little break…”
Soon Roan knew why.
While doing a quick refreshment in the barracks of Seohyeolryeongju, a tattered human being dragged inside.
The human, who was violently colonized by the demonic soldiers in front of a neatly decorated table, was covered in purple and red bruises and bloodstains, and his face was unrecognizable.
Fortunately, Grünent’s face was slightly drawn, and the other three women glanced at the human and then lifted the tableware with a nonchalant expression.
“My girls seem fine. Let’s talk briefly.”
The West Blood Lord sent out the soldiers and attendants in the room. Roan observed the human, seemingly half-fainted, on his knees across from his table.
Her armor is off, but her clothes are burnt.
Although it is stained with blood, dirt, and other things, it is not the shabby clothes worn by ordinary soldiers. Looking at the small patterns on the sleeves and collar, Grunent whispered.
“… It is the symbol of Baron Berger. I have a territory a little further north from here, facing Daora.”
Daora is a border town in Evirgio, two days north of Zeno.
Surely, he had decided not to gather troops yet, or did he only send knights to the territory near the border?
“Have you eaten?”
Of course, the first question was this.
The most important thing to Roan’s kernel.
At the unexpected question, Grunent, who was eating across from Roan, widened her eyes, and the child sitting next to her smiled.
“Oh yeah. Meal. It is a matter of great importance to His Majesty.”
Only then did the man’s body, which seemed dead, start to move. But there was no answer.
“Is it difficult to say?”
Roan and Helen’s eyes met as they stared at his movements. Helen silently stopped eating and rose from her table.
As the captive Helen came before her, she trembled once again.
But Helen did not act violently,
She quietly reached out and placed her hand on her knight’s head.
The knight, who had momentarily flinched at her outstretched hand, froze tensely as Helen’s soft hand touched her head.
And after the light flickers.
The bruises and scabs had disappeared from the man’s face, who slowly opened his eyes.
“… Priests… ?”
The man looked up at her Helen in shock, but
Roan asked again leisurely.
“Hey, have you eaten?”
Finally, the man turned his head to Roan.
There were still bloodstains and muddy water, but his face had been washed away, so his expression of bewilderment was still visible.
“What question… Are you doing it?”
“Have an example, and answer properly.”
When Helen’s scabbard touched the man’s neck, the man flinched again, and then he was startled.
Since he healed himself, he is obviously a priest, but the demons do not have priests. Superficially, this female priest is human.
It was true that there were humans who fell for the demons. She was left with a feeling of disgust, not a hint of gratitude for having cured her.
But anyway, the power of violence has the effect of quickly persuading someone. Contrary to her inner thoughts, her man opened her mouth.
“… Didn’t eat.”
“Didn’t you give me a meal?”
The seriousness of Roan’s question made the man even more bewildered. It is not so important whether or not a meal is given in enemy territory. Usually, you don’t starve.
“I was in a mess before. I had no intention of eating it.”
“Why?”
“I heard that demons eat humans. You mean cannibalizing your own people?”
Then Roan shrugged his shoulders.
“We still need more publicity. We work with humans. In the land you trampled, I was cultivating fields with humans and preparing food to eat together.”
Roan tilted his head in regret.
“It’s been a while since I stopped eating human meat. If it’s because of such outdated rumors, don’t decline from now on. When the interrogation is over, prepare a meal. Whether we live or die, isn’t it that we want everyone to eat and live?”
Seeing Helen’s grim eyes as she pressed her scabbard on the nape of her neck, the man reluctantly replied.
“… I see.”
“I heard that the knights crossed the border and started an attack this time. Were you one of them?”
Normally, he would not have wanted to answer meekly, but once the knight got a taste of violence.
Anyway, just because I open my mouth here doesn’t mean I’m leaking great information. This attack was only a starting attack, and the second team will continue to do so.
The man thought so and comforted her own open mouth.
“Exactly.”
She said, “I heard that they set fire to fields and residences with humans. Did you know that humans exist?”
The knight did not answer.
But it was oddly relieved.
Roan’s low, calm voice asked again.
“Are you trying to kill humans?”
The knight’s gaze, which was looking straight at Roan, fell slightly downward. That action was a sufficient answer.
Roan’s beautiful brow furrowed slightly.
“The reason the people of the two countries finally managed to break the peace was to kill the same person.”
“The traitor… Words.”
The knight answered with tears in his eyes, then glanced at Helen. It was because she stood right beside her and openly criticized her.
But she, a cold-faced beauty like an ice queen, did not give him a glance.
The man, who had been helping himself for a while, felt her heart sink at Roan’s ensuing question.
“Betrayer… She was told that Merde’s food shortage was severe. Does she call traitors to those who come to dig land in search of food?”
“…”
Roan’s languid face was fixed on her man. The knight wanted to turn her head, but he couldn’t because of his strange power.
It was fortunate that her man did not have a smile on his face.
If there was even a smile on that demon’s face, it seemed that the knight would be truly miserable.
“Betrayal is when someone betrays the trust of both parties. If so, it must have been the king and lords of Merde who committed the betrayal first.
The people give their allegiance and service, and those who rule reward them. Aren’t the Merde nobles the first to break that relationship of trust?”
The knight stared blankly at Roan.
He didn’t even notice that he had opened his mouth in shock.
What is this demon talking about now?
Being a demon is
Is this the right person to have such a high-level conversation with?
And like a wave, the shock came after another.
All sorts of thoughts had driven her half out of her mind when she had just been brought here, but the man had been in the war before the armistice.
Her man knows who the absent centaur is. He said that he was an incredibly high nobleman who ruled over a large estate in the country of demons. Such a noble bowed his head to this man.
Only belatedly, the man fixed his gaze on the human woman sitting across from Roan. A familiar impression seen from a distance. Light brownish pink hair and blue eyes like the sea.
“… You are… Who… Time, such words, words…”
Embarrassment led to a breathtaking reason and created a strange question. She struggled to determine whether this was rude or not, as Helen frowned at her.
Seeing Helen like that was cute, Roan smiled lightly without even realizing it.
“Well, that’s not really important, but he’s the emperor of the demons. Humans called him the Demon King.”
“… !”
A groaning sound was heard.
At once, the knight’s body tensed up after realizing that he was being interrogated by the king of demons.
Whether lords or kings, high-ranking nobles are always capricious and powerful. Capriciousness and force don’t go well together. To the extent that the life of a captive knight could be made to disappear for an absurd reason.
And Roan felt that tension through his skills.
“Helen.”
“Yes. Master.”
The knight who heard Roan’s name looked at Helen with his eyes wide open this time. The lost saint, Helen. She is here too
I heard rumors about her sky-blue hair and cool beauty like frost. Okay. It’s a saint
However, she, who served the goddess of life, served the king of demons as her master and awaited his orders.
“It seems difficult for a prisoner to answer, if you grit your teeth like that. Could you make him a little more comfortable? I think he should ask some more important things.”
“All right.”
Helen bent her knees.
The knight’s heart trembled when he suddenly met the beautiful woman’s eyes.
And Helen’s skills did not miss the chance and began to take hold of her man’s heart.
“Knight of Baron Berger. I have something I want to ask you.”
“…”
“I don’t want to harm you. I just have a question, just a few answers. Then don’t bother your colleagues or other humans.”
“Answer… Is it.”
“Yes. I will also keep what you said a secret. If you give a good answer, many people can live safely. I believe you are a knight who knows honor and loyalty, so I think you will answer the question. For the sake of my colleagues and other human beings.”
“Yes. I know honor.”
The skill ‘Charisma’ seems to be working properly in that the honor of the human king has already faded.
However, the article, which accepted the twisted logic, calmly finished preparing to receive questions.
“Don’t ask the question again. Where were you going to set fire to?”
