Stigma asked a question, making no secret of his favor towards him.
"Is my junior coming to that war too?"
"If it were Honorary Count Deon Hardt, I think he would probably join the war even if it were late."
Well, there's no way the Emperor would save such a good card.
"I wish I could meet you soon."
Stigma liked him.
When awarding awards to war heroes for their contributions, the order was in the order in which they distinguished themselves.
Therefore, like Nemeseus, who answered the Emperor's question about what he wanted, Stigma answered nothing in particular and received the title of marquis and a large territory in the south, as well as a considerable amount of money and jewels. He was satisfied at the time.
That is, until he found out what Deon Hardt, who had requested a private meeting with the Emperor, had requested.
'I'm asking for permission to destroy my family with my own hands.'
It felt like he had been struck by lightning. How could he come up with such an idea?
He felt not only shock but also joy.
At the same time, he developed admiration for Deon Hardt, whom he had never had a conversation with.
Of course, it was a little disappointing. It would have been better if he had known there was a way to do this before talking about rewarding merit.
He chuckled and stood up, using the sword he was holding as support.
As he stood on the uneven ground, he felt a slight movement beneath his feet. Stigma's eyes glanced downward.
"Oh my."
He was still alive. Just in case, he looked around and occasionally saw people who were still alive.
He took out the sword that had been stuck in the ground, or rather, in someone's stomach.
Stigma ordered coldly as he stabbed the writhing creature in the neck.
"There are those who are still alive, so make sure to find them and kill them. No, there is the problem of infectious diseases... It would be better to just set fire to it."
"Yes."
Well then, since this was a long-awaited war, let's go get ready. Since everyday life is a battle anyway, there wasn't much to prepare for.
Stigma walked out with his sword dripping with blood.
Behind him was a mountain of corpses.
The chair he sat on... Flames rose from the pile of corpses.
Stigma Primero.
The second hero of the Empire to receive the title of Marquis.
The territory he received was the southernmost part of the Empire, where wars were fought every day with the Barbai tribe. It was not because the Emperor disliked him that he bestowed it on him. This was what Stigma, who was from the southern part of the Empire and had a lot of regrets toward barbarians, wanted.
How powerful must be his power, which grew relentlessly by fighting epidemics and barbarians in the humid and harsh south under the Emperor's tacit permission for massacres?
Stigma, who had already formed a warlord in the south, happily ordered preparations for war as if he had been waiting for this moment.
***
Uh...
I was looking at Dvelania, who was rolling her eyes from the carriage and gesturing for me to get on, with a shocked expression on her face, and then I looked back at the Demon King who had come out to see us off.
For some reason, the smiling face as always is that of the Demon King... Ah, the Demon King, right?
Shit.
Feeling like a cow being dragged to the slaughterhouse, I forced myself to take a step that seemed stuck to the ground. The magic stone necklace around my neck was swinging, showing off its presence, as if to warn me of an uneasy future.
...
It was about 30 minutes before leaving for the second city that I felt uneasy.
This was the time when Ed, faithful to his role as adjutant, was conducting the final inspection before departure.
"The 2nd Corps Commander says she will go with the 2nd Corps. Demon, are you still planning on not taking the 0th Legion with you?"
For some reason, Ed, who had been fully arming me, tied the knot of the dagger sheath around his thigh tightly and opened his mouth.
"It's enough for me to go with you to the 2nd Corps."
No, it's actually overflowing. I'm just going to buy clothes, but if one corps comes out as an escort...
Moreover, there's no reason for Dvelania to try to kill me, so there's no need to take the 0th Corps with me, whose sanity is diminished just by looking at them.
If this was the human world, I would never be sure, but this was the demon realm... no, it was the Demon King's Castle.
Unlike humans, who were under the same monarch but were constantly divided by those who follow the monarch and those who do not, and who fight for power among themselves, demons, especially the Corps Commanders of the Demon King's Castle, do not do such things and only follow the Demon King.
'I happened to see a fight between Corps Commanders, and it was so bloody.'
If I was attacked like that, I would definitely die.
As such, I had always been careful in all my actions, so I would not have offended Dvelania and would not do such a thing again. So there was nothing to worry about...
So why?
"Is that so... It looks like the 0th Corps is only a hindrance to Demon."
"...Yes?"
"It would be more convenient for you to go alone, Demon..."
"...?"
"I need to increase the intensity of my training."
Is this what Ed's reaction looks like...?
"Of course, it won't catch up with Commander Demon, but I won't hold you back..."
"..."
This was the first ominous sign I felt.
The second was Lirinel.
She came into the room with her eyes shining brightly, holding a familiar-shaped necklace in one hand, and immediately began speaking with an excited face.
"Demon, I heard you're leaving the Demon King's Castle again?"
"Yes, I am going to the second city."
But why is that...?
"Why do you just say that? I heard you were going around the outskirts."
"Yes..."
So why is that...?
"As the leader of the Demon Cult, I can't stay silent after hearing news like that! So I prepared this!"
A familiar necklace was thrust in front of my eyes.
No, I think I heard something strange before that...? What kind of cult?
This must be pointed out. If I just let it pass by, I will definitely regret it.
Lirinel was one step faster in opening her mouth, faithfully following the instinctive warning to shout...
Without waiting for the few seconds I had left to clear my mind of the absurd words, she placed the necklace in myhand and said proudly, "Just like last time, it's a necklace with a protection spell engraved on it! It will respond to life-threatening attacks. In addition, once it is worn, I have added a function that automatically recognizes the owner and returns automatically even if it is removed or lost."
"Thank you. But just now..."
"Oh, and a function that automatically summons me when the necklace breaks is also added..."
Wow...
I should never wear it.
"...I tried to do more, but I couldn't because the Demon King scolded me for wasting my energy and wasting my magic. I'm sorry..."
"Thank goodness... This is enough. Thank you."
"What. Now, go ahead and try it on!"
I paused for a moment, but it was only for a moment.
Fortunately, it didn't seem to have any annoying features, and there was no reason for Lyrinel to harm me... so I immediately put the necklace around my neck.
The necklace that recognizes its owner glowed for a moment and then became quiet. Only then did I get a chance to speak, so I quickly opened my mouth before the player was taken away again.
Lirinel's statement that had been lingering in my mind for a while. I missed the timing of the conversation that followed and let it slip away, but it was so intense that I couldn't forget it.
"Rather than that, I think you mentioned something... a cult leader... but what is that..."
"Ah, Demonism?"
"Cough!"
Oh my god. I didn't hear wrong! From the very name of Demonism, I can tell that it has something to do with me!
To calm down, I quickly took the glass of water Lirinel held out to me. After taking a sip, I felt like my heart calmed down a little.
"Are you okay?! You need to call your doctor...!"
"No. It's okay. Rather than that, it's called Demonism..."
"It's an organization created to worship Demon!"
"Khuk–"
It was only for a moment.
I wanted to drink a little more, so all the water I had in my mouth came out again.
Holy shit. You moved on to prayer.
"Cough, cough, cough!"
"What should I do! After all, the attending physician...!"
"Oh, cough, no, it's okay... Cough, cough!"
I can't stop coughing so damn easily. I need to calm down quickly...
I hurriedly reached out and held Lirinel, who was scared, as she stood up and said she would hurry to call the doctor.
After coughing a few more times, I finally calmed down and raised my head and looked at Lirinel.
For some reason, she was looking at my hand holding her collar with thrilled eyes.
...Maybe it's my mood?
"Lirinel?"
"Yes? Ah yes! Are you okay now?"
"Yes... by the way..."
Demon religion... There were not many stupid people who would believe in a religion with such a bizarre name and purpose.
Contrary to my belief that it would disappear soon, I was unable to ignore my ominous instincts and curiosity and eventually opened my mouth.
"How many people believe in Demonism?"
"First of all, it can be said that almost all users of the inner kingdom believe it, and about a third of the outer kingdom people probably believe in it."
There's more than I thought, right?! A rootless religion was encroaching on the Demon King. What on earth was the Demon King doing?
"Actually, the Demon King also showed interest."
Of course he did. What monarch would just sit by and watch a pseudo-religion grow in power?
After all, he was the Demon King. It wasn't like he was just sitting still...
"He asked if there was any position for a vice leader."
"This is crazy."
"Yes?"
"No."
He definitely didn't just sit back and watch. He did something crazy.
So, doesn't that mean that the Demon King is the vice-religious leader now...?
To prepare for the shock that would follow, I gently put down the water cup I was holding on the table. There's no need to make a fuss again just because I missed it.
"But if the Demon King came in, Demonism would become an official organization with political implications, so he had no choice but to give up in the end. He seemed very disappointed."
Well.
It wasn't a shock other than what I had expected...
'...'
I gave up thinking. That shouldn't have happened.
I should have thought again about why Lirinel gave me the necklace, mentioning the fact that I was going to the outskirts.
And the third time I felt an ominous sign was when I found out that Ben was accompanying me.
To be precise, in the scene where Ben, who had joined to follow the Demon King's orders, got into a fight with the 2nd Corps Commander Dvelania.
As time ran out, I arrived at the first floor and saw Dvelania with her arms crossed, blocking the entrance to the carriage, and Ben looking up at her in a crooked manner.
"I thought I was going alone with Demon–"
"It's the Demon King's order. And it's not like we're going alone, right? Anyway, it was planned to be just the two of us in the carriage."
"Is that so? That's so sad. However, since I don't know what will happen to Demon's health, it is natural for me to accompany him. Rather than going straight to the second city, aren't you taking the 'outskirts' route?"
It was also the 'outskirts' again.
I wonder why everyone was saying that there is a problem with going a little further to the outskirts. Doesn't it just take some more time? I glanced down and checked the state of the armament beneath the roughly draped robe.
The six daggers were clearly worn because Ed had armed them well, as if sending me to war.
'Something doesn't seem... right?'
I don't think I'm going there just to buy clothes. Should I just back out and say I won't go now?