The Crusader Order came to aid the Kingdom of Falmuth.
In terms of being invaders, they were no different from Edmaris.
Damien's decision to spare them was already an act of mercy.
"This matter, Artoria, is not your concern."
With a single sentence, Damien cut off any further plans Artoria might have had, leaving her no choice but to withdraw.
"She's so naive…"
After Artoria left, Diablo couldn't help but remark.
"That Hinata, she's Shizu's student, right?" Rimuru asked curiously. "I heard she's the strongest human around these days."
Damien hadn't met Hinata yet, nor had he immediately checked on the Crusader Order's situation.
After being captured by Artoria, they were promptly thrown into Monster Kingdom's great prison.
What came next was Carrera's domain.
One thing Damien was certain of, though:
Hinata and her group wouldn't have an easy time in Carrera's hands.
As the saying goes, they might escape death, but suffering was inevitable.
For Shizu's sake, Damien could spare Hinata.
To recruit Luminous, he could also let the Crusader Order live.
But the price they had to pay would not be small!
"Lord Damien!"
Leaving the Demon Lord's castle, Damien headed straight for the great prison, where Carrera was already waiting. "Welcome to the great prison. Allow me to guide you."
"Hm."
Damien followed Carrera from the prison's entrance inward.
Along the way, he saw many imprisoned Crusaders.
Stripped of their ornate armor, they wore only black-and-white prison garb.
They sat limply in their cells, faces ashen, eyes lifeless, looking utterly broken.
"What did you do to them?"
"Just some light interrogation," Carrera replied.
She explained that she had used techniques akin to mental illusions on their souls.
With so many prisoners, Carrera had to summon her subordinate daemons from the underworld.
These daemons were generally around A-rank in strength.
If they received a name from Damien, breaking through to Special A-rank would be no issue.
And Damien was right here.
"Call the wardens over."
"Thank you for your generosity, Lord Damien!"
Carrera was thrilled, quickly using her daemon summoning to call all the prison's wardens.
Damien glanced over them. The great prison had about 200 wardens, all A-rank daemons.
Without hesitation, he began his naming ritual.
By now, he was well-practiced in such matters.
"Keep a close watch on them," Damien said. "Until Luminous arrives, I don't want a single one escaping."
"You can count on me."
"Hm."
Damien signaled Carrera to continue leading the way. He wanted to see Hinata and her six Saints.
Speaking of Saints, they were essentially a profession similar to Heroes.
Like Heroes, Saints could be awakened or unawakened, equivalent to a Demon Lord Seed.
The six Saints were unawakened, their strength comparable to Demon Lord Seeds.
As for Hinata, the girl had already awakened, but due to a lack of opportunity, she hadn't acquired her own Ultimate Skill.
"Here we are, Lord Damien."
Soon, Carrera brought Damien to the fifth level of the great prison.
Monster Kingdom's great prison had six levels, corresponding to D-rank, C-rank, B-rank, A-rank, Special A-rank, and True Demon Lord.
The Crusaders, with an average strength above B-rank, were held on the third level.
The 111 Temple Knights were on the fourth.
Crack!
Whip! Crack!
As soon as Damien stepped onto the fifth level, he heard the sound of a whip striking.
This level was spacious, with each cell isolated and equipped with decent facilities.
But the prisoners clearly weren't feeling the builders' thoughtfulness.
Being whipped, especially by a daemon skilled in soul techniques, brought unimaginable pain.
"Cough, cough, cough~~"
After waking from who-knows-how-many fainting spells, Leonard, the deputy leader of the Crusader Order, known as the Childe of Light, was in a pitiful state.
His golden hair was disheveled, his prison garb tattered, revealing skin covered in gruesome wounds.
Even more terrifying, those wounds were healing on their own.
Of course, this wasn't Leonard's ability.
With his magic sealed, he was now just a physically strong human.
Unlike Damien's subordinates, who could still fight at near their original level without magic due to special skills solidified by magicules.
"Lord Damien!"
The daemon punishing Leonard resembled a minotaur.
Damien named it Minotaurus.
Beyond that, Minotaurus was the guardian of the fifth level, responsible for its affairs.
Upon seeing Damien, Minotaurus dropped the whip and knelt before him with a thud.
This scene caught Leonard's eye.
The Childe of Light's pupils shrank.
He wasn't shocked by Minotaurus's reaction.
What truly caught Leonard's attention was Carrera, standing behind Damien like a servant!
It had been about a day since their capture.
In that time, Leonard had only seen Carrera a few times.
But those few encounters were enough for him to feel the terror of this blonde daemon.
She was absolutely not someone he could face!
Her magicules rivaled those of the golden-haired knight (Artoria), and her aura was like a black hole of malice and bloodlust.
This daemon…
She was no ordinary daemon!
But that made it all the more horrifying.
A daemon that terrifying was so docile and gentle by this man's side.
For Leonard, who had witnessed Carrera's brutality, it felt surreal.
"Quite diligent, Minotaurus," Damien remarked.
He remembered this minotaur; he'd just named it, and now it was back to work.
"Haha, well, I just wanted to show off a bit for you, Lord Damien," Minotaurus said openly.
With his lord, there was no need for pretense.
Even as a daemon, sincerity would earn Damien's favor.
He admitted it was intentional.
Just like an employee working harder when the boss comes to inspect.
***
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