1036. He said to guard what is young and weak.
What would an ordinary person think if they saw the Village of the Erosors?
Aside from the special appearance of the inhabitants, they would simply say, “There is a village here?” or at best, wonder, “Can people really live near a demonic realm?”
On the other hand, for the soldiers or priests dispatched from Roman, Legion, or Naurilia, it would be a place where those they must protect are gathered.
What would the king have thought?
To Krang, the village of the Erosors consisted of nothing but ordinary people. Since they were merely people who wanted to live in his territory, he likely considered them simply objects to be looked after.
Then what about me?
Edin Molsen had long been aware of what Kreis had done in the village, but what he was curious about at the time was not so much when it started or what the intention was, but rather what on earth was going on inside Kreis’s head.
I viewed them as a risk factor.
Since they are humans tainted by demonic energy, couldn’t they turn to the side of the Demon Realm at any moment? What is the probability that an accident might occur for unpredictable reasons?
That is why I decided to keep a safe distance and draw a line, treating them as subjects to watch.
How far into the future are you seeing?
A man named Kreis was different. He frequently visited the Village of the Erosors. At first, no one knew where he was going. He did not go out of his way to reveal his whereabouts.
“Edin, your arrival has given us some breathing room. So, you must be prepared to easily pull all-nighters for a few days, right?”
“The city won’t collapse immediately just because one of you is out. Still, don’t be away for too long. There is a lot of work.”
“Isn’t that why I gave authority to your younger brother and brought him into the administration?”
“Speak the truth. We just need one more worker.”
Kreis turned his gaze away instead of answering. Abnaier’s green eyes were staring intently at him.
“Now, Abnaier. I’m off now, so I’m leaving the rest to you.”
“I’m from Azpen, and you’re asking me to handle the aftermath? What if you sell off this whole city?”
“Is that your dream? My captain would even cheer for that.”
One of the places Crys frequently visited after leaving with a few trivial jokes was the Village of the Erosors.
There, he met the village chief and saw Roman; after staying for a few days and asking various questions, he planted a few of his own men in the village.
While everyone else viewed the Village of the Erosors as a burden or a responsibility, Crys saw it as an opportunity.
“You’re good at digging tunnels, aren’t you? Then, how deep can you dig?”
Such exchanges took place, and he proceeded with a task whose immediate use was unknown. It was a task known only to a select few
. It had become known only to Abnaier, Edin, and a few of the villagers of the Erosioners, though he hadn’t exactly been hiding it.
It was simply that no one paid any attention to it. Not the King, not the Lord of the Demon Realm, not a single person.
Who would have the crazy idea to dig a hole leading all the way to the Demon Realm?
There is no one but this man.
Edin was convinced.
So you did that.
Encred spoke, as if he already knew the story.
Yes. Well, that’s how it turned out.
Crys had a lot to say but held back. Encred was still carefully examining the data.
Ah, there’s one more.
A devil, or the Lord of the Mirror World, is a madman who thinks of striking them from behind to kill them.
Edin didn’t think any deeper. It was already done, and the name “Mad Knights” wasn’t given to them for nothing.
Encred scanned the things scattered on the floor and recalled the conversation he had with Crys.
“Magyeong, can’t we strike first?”
“Yes, there’s no reason we couldn’t, but once we enter the Demon Realm, we’ll be at a disadvantage.”
The air in the Demon Realm was uncomfortable. Moisture clung to my skin, dragging my body stickily, and it was difficult to breathe, as if iron filings were floating in the air.
“Well, I suppose it can be managed somehow, right?”
I said that and moved on.
You proceeded with that.
It is a document with a clearly organized outline. The texture and color of the paper taken out first differed from the one recently added. It was a trace left by the passage of time. Rather than preparation intended to be shown to someone, it was a record of progress, serving as proof that it was not created overnight.
Care and time were devoted to it. Should I say it is typical of Kreis?
“I must have felt the need to do something because I was anxious.”
A demon said to live inside the Mirror of Death—a creature so terrifying that the word “fearsome” is an understatement—is targeting us. Even an ordinary person would feel dizzy. Crys must have felt even greater anxiety. He wishes he could just dodge and escape, but the captain he follows says he will erase the entire Mirror of Death.
Every sleepless night filled with anxiety.
Kreis must have agonized, pondered, and struggled.
Just as I swung my sword and trudged forward toward tomorrow, Kreis did the same.
“I asked Sir Audin how to get back at him, and he told me this.”
Kreis mimicked Audin’s tone of voice with a much better expression than before.
“Brother, you cunning and nasty-tasty, I will go check the inside. It would be even better if you could specify the Promised Land of Abundance.”
The Promiser of Abundance is the bastard who spread the cultists across the entire continent. Crys did not ask why it was his territory, nor did he ask if that was really enough.
Instead, he did not dismiss the words Audin had spoken as empty words.
Where in the Demon Realm could that fellow Promiser of Abundance be?
The remaining demons are the Burning Raven, the Pure White Destroyer, the Loner of Distrust, and even the Father of the Dead.
Crys thoroughly dug into and investigated everything related to the Mirror World, from the information surrounding it to the very essence of it.
In the process, he also discovered why Audin wanted him, but he did not tell anyone.
‘Who is the Promiser of Abundance? What does he want? What does he desire? Ascension? How do you do that?’
To predict someone’s behavior, you must know what they want. It is even better to know what they dislike.
Kreis conducted research on the habits of demons. When the work became too exhausting and difficult, he would visit his lover, Nurat, and mutter to himself while gazing at the stars in the night sky.
“My wish is to open a salon and live well with peace of mind. But that is really difficult, so difficult.”
This is the result of such deliberation. While the demons’ wish is ascension, their methods differed.
Some demons aim to elevate the monsters under their command to the level of an intelligent race.
It is unknown whether this is a step toward ascension or their actual goal.
Since it is said that in the distant past, the god of the giant race ascended to heaven and made his followers into human beings, they desire a similar achievement.
Some demons desire nothing but proving their own abilities. Another one gauged the extent of his influence, and there is also one who aims to survive the longest to see the end of the world.
One who leads a crowd by using wealth and eternal life as bait.
The moniker “Promiser of Abundance” was given to him because of this attitude.
Would such a fellow have entrenched himself in the deepest part of the Demon Realm? Or would he have settled on the outskirts, that is, in the place with the easiest access to the continent?
Reaching this far and asking the question was difficult, but the answer was simple.
Crys found the answer, and from then on, pinpointing where he might be was not that difficult.
Of course, it was impossible to pinpoint just one exact spot. After all, Crys did not know the situation inside the Demon Realm.
Instead, the residents of the Village of the Erosors knew the place.
A place where a path is formed from the many people coming and going.
Would they promise abundance without even showing their face? That can’t be right. They will probably come occasionally to receive praise and perform miracles.
If you define the devil as a false prophet and a deceiver and predict his actions.
That is the reason his behavioral pattern was visible. After finding him and informing Audin, he left.
I need to rest for now.
Encred spoke. Crys was exhausted from explaining, but felt much more at ease.
There was no great worry on his captain’s face. It seemed to be telling him that what he had done hadn’t been that wrong.
* * *
You know that the area ahead is swarming with dangerous things, right?
Roman asked. After emerging from the tunnel dug diagonally upward, if you walked just a short distance forward, you could see a group tearing people apart under the guise of rituals and prayers. These were people who exposed their faces, without even wearing cloaks as black as the continent. There were those
who declared themselves members of the Holy Land Cult through various tattoos, and others who proved their identity through ceaseless murmuring of prayers.
So, what kind of ritual was it? It was impossible to tell. However, a troll was frequently seen in the center directly beneath the altar, and its body grew larger every time the ritual ended.
“Yes, I know. Brother Roman, who was so dim-witted that he got attacked by a parasite and barely survived.”
“……Would you just call me stupid brother?”
Roman gave up on persuading this man. At the same time, he also thought that the exit had been created too close to the enemy.
Perhaps he should return to the village, block this spot, and dig a new hole elsewhere?
It seemed like at least a company would need to come to strike the demon realm here.
Or maybe some of the Knights will come?
Anyway, they wouldn’t fight now, right? Whether it was due to such complacent thinking, or because Audin’s movements were so stealthy, it was impossible to know.
Before he knew it, he had lost track of Audin, who had already left the cave. By the time Roman came to his senses and looked back, he was already outside. The entrance to the cave was cut diagonally upward, so even though he was large, it was wide enough to walk out while sitting down if he ducked his head.
Without a sound?
Someone stabbed Roman in the back from behind.
“Would you please move aside, Brother who calls himself a fool?”
No, isn’t that just because these two have attached such long aliases in front of their names?
A half-giant named Theresa stared at him intently. Roman stepped outside in a daze. No matter how many times he experienced it, he could never get used to the thick, lingering air of the Mirror World.
Theresa, who had climbed up further, looked at Roman. Her gaze seemed to ask what he was doing there.
“What do you want to say?”
“Aren’t you going back? Brother. If you stay here, you will die.”
“And are you two alright?”
Meanwhile, Audin crouched halfway and hid behind the trees of the Demonic Mirror, which were tinged with purple and indigo. One
should say he hid quite well. The sunlight in the Demonic Mirror was thick and hazy. Even though it was daytime, the surroundings were not bright; instead, it was gloomy, as if it were about to rain.
Even though the sky was cloudless, the color was not blue but a dull gray. The sunlight could not penetrate the sky of the Demonic Mirror.
This side of the Demonic Mirror weighed down the body as if chains were wrapped around it, giving off an unpleasant sensation as if dust-filled cotton balls were enveloping it.
We will do what we have to do and then leave.
That is what Teresa said as she bent down. She leaned halfway out of the cave entrance to survey the area ahead. She didn’t see anyone who seemed particularly conscious of or wary of her.
I will keep the entrance well covered.
Theresa finished speaking. Roman was about to say that he was still used to this hellish place, but Audin spoke to him first.
“It will be hard to endure without divinity. Brother, who was foolish enough to get attacked by a parasite and barely survived.”
“Um, do you call me that on purpose?”
“Ah, it is easier to remember if the characteristics are clear.”
Audin spoke with a good-natured smile.
Roman wondered if it was okay to leave just the two of them here, as neither a company nor a knight order was involved, but it was not his business. He knew all too well the might of the Mad Knights.
“Go and wait. If you and I do not return by ten days, please contact the Border Guard.”
“Understood.”
Roman pulled away. Right now, protecting the village of the Erosors was more important to him than fighting them.
I became like this because I learned from you. Oh, Ara.
The knight she respected most was the one who had defended an entire city, despite being a member of the Order and possessing a bright future, talent, and even an imprinted weapon.
Before she knew it, Roman was guarding the village of the Erosors, much like her.
After Roman left, Audin stealthily dug into the ground with the tip of her foot.
The soil certainly looked soft, yet the ground was unusually hard. It
was because the energy called Magi, which had spread throughout the Mirror Realm, had long encroached upon this region.
With that, she dug into the ground with her foot and moved to the side. Theresa followed behind her.
After circling roughly once around the altar, Audin strode toward where the cultists were gathered.
“Hmm? Who?”
One of the cultists turned around. If the inhabitants of the Village of the Eroders were those who had become human despite being tainted by magic, the people before him were creatures who looked human on the outside but had renounced their humanity.
Behind them, a crude wooden prison and those sleeping inside were visible. Some groaned in their sleep, as if they had a fever.
Regardless of whether they were beastmen, humans, fairies, or dwarves, they were all children.
God said, “You can guard what is young and weak.”
While Audin was muttering, the number of cultists who discovered him increased.
“Where did this guy come from?”
The guy with the scar on his eye suddenly drew his sword and stabbed. He was a man confident in his swordsmanship, even among the cultists.
Everyone was watching.
Bang!
The head of the one who stabbed with the sword was torn off and flew into the sky. Even in death, he stretched out the hand gripping the sword, but it merely flailed in the empty air.
Audin, having extended and pulled back his fist without any intermediate steps, looked down at his surroundings.
Regardless of the air of the Demon Realm, the intimidation he exuded weighed down the area.
“Call Armadon.”
One of the cultists muttered.
