Declared Dead, Exiled, and Betrayed— Now I Walk Away, but I'll Save One Who Cared - Chapter 51

“Heh heh heh… Why are you toying with them? I shall erase you myself.”

I wanted to press Claire for answers, but just then, a man in a military uniform appeared.

Unlike the others, he seemed to be fully controlled, body and all.

That said, in terms of combat ability, I couldn’t tell the difference between him and the others. His magical energy was about the same, and he didn’t seem particularly strong.

“Take this! Ruin Crash!”

“…”

Just like the others, he was overflowing with confidence as he fired multiple ominous-looking spells.

They hit me—but only because I was too dumbfounded by how weak they were.

Not only did they do no damage, but they didn’t even cause the slightest discomfort.

Of course, I intercepted every spell aimed at Shifa and Michelle.

Claire, though? I figured I could leave her be… but strangely, none of the spells were directed at her in the first place.

“Heh heh heh! How does it feel? My magic—it must hurt! It must be terrifying! You must be trembling in fear, regretting the moment you dared to defy us!”

…No, not even a little.

I guess I’ll just burn him.

“Flare.”

“What?!”

Unfortunately, he was nimble enough to dodge my flames. I quickly extinguished them before they could set the mansion ablaze.

Impressive, even for me.

“Why…? Why is my magic not working?!”

“I don’t know. Not my problem.”

“In that case… Take this! High Ruin Crash!”

Is this what they call déjà vu?

Still no pain.

“Hahaha! How about this?! Ahhhhhh!!!”

“Yeah… still nothing.”

“Huh?!”

I mean, don’t look so shocked…

“You… Do you not care what happens to this house? To this domain?”

The moment he realized his magic wasn’t working, he changed tactics.

I almost admired his adaptability.

But the fact that he couldn’t even land a scratch on me made this entire exchange pointless.

“Heh heh heh… You must be furious. This land is already under our control. We can create more of our kin endlessly. If you want to stop us…”

Hmm…

I expanded my detection radius from the city to the entire domain, but there were no signs that the entire population had been possessed.

In other words, this guy was lying just to stall for time.

Which meant I could ignore him.

But I did need him to talk about “The Abyssal Demon Disemna.”

I wanted to know what kind of relationship they had.

Was “The Abyssal Demon Disemna” really reviving and targeting this land?

Had the Duchy of Horneld already fallen to Disemna and the Ruin Demons?

Still, if I suddenly started panicking now, it would be far too unnatural.

Michelle wasn’t suited for deception or negotiation.

Claire? Out of the question… probably. I wouldn’t know.

I had no choice.

Shifa, I’m counting on you. Get him to talk.

I glanced at Shifa, hoping she understood.

“Damn you… Have you already spread your influence throughout the entire domain? Could it be… the Duchy of Horneld is already…?”

Nicely done, Shifa.

A realistic question, laced with the perfect amount of fear.

“Heh heh heh… That’s right. The Duchy of Horneld is already in our grasp. And soon, our influence will spread even further.”

“How could you possibly do such a thing?!”

“The casino. That is where we ensnare people and entangle them in our web. That is where we plant the Ruin Demons within them.”

“So… someone is controlling you demons?”

“Tsk, tsk, tsk. There is no master-servant relationship among us. That demon merely builds its nest and grows stronger, while we, in turn, feed on the people within its domain. You could say we have a mutually beneficial arrangement.”

I see…

I didn’t know what “The Abyssal Demon Disemna” was truly after, but these dimwitted demons were simply multiplying within the domain it had created.

They eliminated any obstacles in their path and expanded their influence further.

That was their plan.

So this domain had been marked from the time of the first Stampede… No, perhaps even earlier.

The casino had existed since before Eranda was a child, at the very least.

“Do you understand now? Even if you manage to deal with this situation, it will be futile. No matter how many you destroy, my kin will continue to appear, one after another.”

“So unless we defeat this so-called ‘great demon’ of yours, this will all be pointless?”

Having gathered enough information, I took over the conversation from Shifa.

“Hahahahaha! You think a mere human can defeat that demon? You should stop dreaming. Perhaps you are strong, but even the greatest sorcerers of humanity’s past could do nothing more than seal it away. It is futile, utterly futile! Your pathetic struggles only serve to amplify the most exquisite negative emotions. Now, surrender to despair and offer it to us!”

“Hmph…”

“Wha—?!”

By this point, all the Ruin Demons in the area had been eradicated, and I detected none elsewhere in the domain.

With no more threats remaining, I judged it unnecessary to listen any further and simply cut down the foolish demon before me.

I expected it to burst into a spray of bl00d and flesh, but instead, it crumbled away into fine dust.

Its magical energy seemed to dissipate somewhere, but I found it distasteful, so I blasted it away with a spell.