novelraw Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61 : Chapter 61
Chapter 61. The Seven Archdemons (2)
Alvarez examined his own body.
His bones had hardened, transforming his exterior into solid armor.
Furthermore, a bone sword and shield had also formed.
It wasn't just made of bone; grotesque spines even sprouted from it, giving it a grotesque feel.
He slowly clenched and unclenched his fingers.
The sensation of bones grinding, the heat transmitted through his skin, all senses seemed to have vanished.
There was only the conviction that he had become stronger.
But it was strange. Was this really a good thing?
‘Have I become a monster.’
The words almost came out of his mouth but stopped.
But he couldn't deny it.
As he was examining his body with an expressionless face.
Adel asked with a surprised look.
“Who are you!”
“It is Alvarez.”
“Y-Your appearance is different, isn't it? This is just like······.”
Alvarez had lost his emotions, but not his memories from when he was alive.
‘Have I become a Death Knight?’
The Death Knight was a monster that reigned as the strongest in the undead world, along with the Lich.
Not only did it have high attack and defense power.
It possessed a basic attack accompanied by a powerful curse, making even high-ranking Demon Tribes reluctant to face it.
‘Did I change like this because of Adel?’
There was no other way to explain it.
When she carried him on her back, memories of the past surfaced, and he felt as if his frozen heart was beating.
He wanted to protect her.
The thought that he wanted to become her knight arose, and he was suddenly engulfed in darkness.
Alvarez raised his head, looked straight at Adel, and slowly opened his mouth.
“It's thanks to you, Adel.”
“What do you mean by that?”
“You are the one who made me this strong.”
Alvarez knelt and pledged his loyalty to Adel.
But Adel wore a flustered expression.
“You really are the Alvarez I know, right?”
“That is correct. I am Alvarez.”
“Your appearance is completely different, isn't it? This can no longer be called the form of a human!”
Until just before, only his skin color had turned drab.
At least he had maintained a human form.
But now, from his bone armor and appearance to the aura he exuded, he was a perfect monster.
“Are you afraid of me?”
“That's not it, but······.”
“Then it does not matter. I have become a complete undead, but I can feel that my power has become incomparably stronger. I will protect you, no matter what.”
At his words about protecting her, Adel became angry instead.
“Who's protecting who! I'll protect my own body!“
“······.”
Alvarez said nothing.
But Adel felt as if Alvarez was smiling faintly.
***
A fierce battle had almost broken out in front of my house.
It was understandable, given the sudden appearance of a knight of death.
That is, a Death Knight.
“Of all things, something like this has to show up now? There’s truly never a dull moment.”
Just as Anonymous was about to make a move.
Adel stepped in front of the Death Knight and shook her head.
“This is Alvarez! He's an ally!”
“What?”
“If you look closely, you should be able to recall his features.”
I examined the fellow closely, but there was no information I could glean.
He simply had the appearance of a skeleton knight commonly seen in games.
I couldn't find any trace of Alvarez in him at all.
“Step aside, Adel. You are being deceived.”
“No! I'm telling you, Alvarez suddenly changed like this!”
Only after hearing the whole story could I nod my head.
“I never imagined such a thing could happen. It's truly a marvel.”
“I still can't believe it either.”
Nothing like this had ever happened in the game.
In the first place, it wasn't the type of game where monsters evolved.
A skeleton was forever a skeleton, and a slime was forever a slime.
Besides, if one had to classify him, Alvarez was closer to a zombie.
To think he'd skip all the intermediate stages and evolve into a top-tier entity.
‘A Death Knight is a monster so strong that even high-ranking Demon Tribes can't touch it carelessly. How is something like this possible?’
I wasn't sure what was what, but it wasn't a bad thing.
Alvarez was my slave.
A slave becoming stronger meant an increase in our side's military power.
‘Anonymous, an Archdemon, and now even a Death Knight. The number of useful talents is growing.’
On one hand, I wondered just how strong this Primus fellow was for our forces to be augmenting themselves like this on their own.
In the world of subculture, there's a concept called the 'Balance of the World', where an unseen entity—be it the world or a system—adjusts the balance to ensure the powers on both sides remain similar.
But I digress.
I looked at Alvarez and cautiously asked.
“Is there something you wish to say?”
“There is one thing I wish to receive permission for.”
“What is it?”
“I wish to serve another master besides you, Master.”
As I tilted my head, the fellow immediately continued.
“Please allow me to serve the Young Lady as my master.”
Ha? A dry laugh escaped me without my realizing.
Of course, a Death Knight was a top-tier monster, but, until recently, this guy was nothing more than a zombie with a weak presence.
‘Just because his appearance changed, did his strength also increase?’
Alvarez's espionage skills were useful, but his combat power was below expectations.
When he was alive, he adored Adel so much that he even tried to drive a wedge between me and her.
I couldn't decide whether I should accept this or not.
‘If it were evening after the sun had set, I could have measured his power right away. What a shame. What should I do about this.’
At that very moment.
Anonymous opened the door and shouted.
“Master, the demons are returning.”
Oh, is that so.
Then a suitable opponent had shown up at a very suitable time.
I nodded my head and went outside with the two of them.
No. With one person and one monster.
***
“You've already finished the job? Do you think that makes any sense!”
Rude scowled, saying not to talk nonsense.
It had only been four hours since they left this place.
No matter how great an Archdemon was, they couldn't make an army of 300,000 retreat at once.
Isn't there a saying that there's no hero against a mob?
But Lucifer explained how he had solved the matter with a face that said it was no big deal.
Rude's face rapidly darkened.
“Isn't that breaking your promise with Frank!”
“What are you talking about?”
“Frank said to never let the humans······.”
“He said we shouldn't kill them. But it wasn't us who killed the humans, it was the Demon Tribe. I can assure you, we did not kill a single human.”
“To spout such sophistry. As expected, you guys can't be trusted!”
Rude looked at them as if they were insects, but Lucifer pretended as if he had received a compliment.
“Huhu, what high praise. Now then, will you acknowledge our abilities?”
I slowly nodded my head.
“It's unfortunate that the human soldiers died, but to use the Demon Tribe to disperse the soldiers in this manner is truly an astonishing idea.”
“Frank!”
“The kingdom was on the brink of collapse. Sending them back without a single person getting hurt is nothing more than an ideal.”
“As expected of the one we serve. Then, if we could immediately get to our resting place······.”
“There is one more thing to take care of before that.”
Lucifer glared at me with narrowed eyes.
“This is different from what we discussed.”
“It is not a very difficult task. Do you see the Death Knight over there?”
“Hoh. Now that is a rare one. In my excitement, I didn't even notice something like that was there.”
As Lucifer showed curiosity in Alvarez, Alvarez shot him a cold glare.
“I would like him to spar with one of you. I need to know his strength, and I want to see you fight directly.”
“Will it be alright? Even though a Death Knight is a top-tier monster, we are Archdemons. We are beings of a different class than him.”
“Of course, no one should get hurt.”
“You truly are a person with many demands. Very well.”
Lucifer turned around and pointed at Satan.
“He is the most belligerent among us brothers. When it comes to fighting, he doesn't lose to anyone.”
“Has the time finally come for me to step up?”
“Indeed, brother. Show our master the extent of your power.”
Satan stepped forward with a sardonic smile.
“Thanks to this, I'll be able to test my strength. It is something I couldn't have hoped for more.”
And so, Satan VS Alvarez.
The showdown between Alvarez VS Satan unfolded.
Of course, if they fought as they were, the surroundings might be destroyed, so Rude and Noemi had to cast double and triple layers of barriers.
***
It was truly a battle between a dragon and a tiger.
If Satan was the dragon, Alvarez, who had evolved into a Death Knight, was the tiger.
“Keuk. If only I hadn't been done in by Primus.”
Satan, surprised by Alvarez's power, kept muttering such things, but it was I who was more surprised.
‘Alvarez is one thing, but Satan is also incredible.’
Alvarez's fighting style was almost a straight line.
He would sharply dig in using his immense power, and that was it.
In baseball terms, it was like a 160 km/h fastball.
On the other hand, Satan was skilled with breaking balls.
He would dodge here and there and land counters, all of which were direct hits on Alvarez, dealing damage.
‘Not a single one of Alvarez's attacks has properly landed, yet that guy's attacks are a hundred for a hundred.’
It was just that Alvarez's toughness was ridiculously strong.
Even after taking Satan's attacks, he would only stagger slightly.
His speed didn't decrease at all.
Eventually, Alvarez succeeded in landing a hit on Satan.
In that instant, Satan's body froze cold.
“Damn it!”
From the point where the sword touched, frost spread out like the chill of the dead.
A deep blue curse that slithered up his body like a snake.
“That's enough. This is sufficient.”
“What are you talking about! The battle isn't over yet!”
Satan threw a fit, but Lucifer intervened between the two, and the showdown ended.
“Did you not hear the master's words? He certainly hasn't regained his former power, but that fellow is no ordinary one either. To think he would push Satan this far.”
Surprisingly, he extended his right hand to Alvarez and said.
“From the looks of it, a great knight in his past life became an undead. Am I right?”
“······.”
“So taciturn. Anyway, we are on the same side now, so let's get along. I am Lucifer.”
“Alvarez.”
Watching the two of them shake hands amicably, Satan lost his enthusiasm and stepped back.
“Damn it. I will remember this humiliation clearly.”
Whatever Satan said, as far as I was concerned, both possessed outstanding skills, so I was greatly satisfied.
‘They will all play a great role in the battle against Primus.’
As I was nodding with a pleased expression, Rude approached and whispered in my ear.
“What are you going to do now?”
“About what?”
“Where are you going to find a place for the demons to rest?”
“I have a place in mind.”
There was just one such space, close to the paradise of dragons they wanted, yet a place no one could easily find.
***
“My lord, is it true that we are not to go any further down than this?”
“That is correct. If you wish to preserve your life, I recommend not approaching this vicinity.”
“May I ask for the reason?”
I gave a faint smile and provided an answer that he could accept.
“Sufficient gold is already being obtained from the upper levels. The further down you go, the higher the mining difficulty becomes, and there is a risk of collapse, so it is for your safety.”
“I see. I understand. But it feels like a bit of a loss after digging so hard.”
One of the villagers looked at the entrance leading down with a disappointed expression.
I understood how he felt.
Even I would be angry if I was suddenly told not to enter a place I had worked hard to dig.
But it couldn't be helped.
‘From now on, the demons have to reside there.’
I gave the lowest part of the gold mine to the demons.
If I did this, no one would be able to know that demons were living down here.
Besides, if Mammon also came here, he would set up all sorts of traps, so even if one wanted to enter, they couldn't do so recklessly.
The demons also took a great liking to this place.
“It is a place to my liking. It's gloomy and has only one passage, so it will be advantageous for defense.”
“You must never harm the miners above. Do you understand my words?”
“Is there any doubt? Be it humans or dragons. We will absolutely never encounter them. However.”
“However?”
“You promised to bring Mammon here, and that's the problem.”
Lucifer crossed his arms and made a troubled expression.
“Why is that a problem?”
“It's not just me, but my brothers also felt a severe sense of betrayal from him. If possible, could you, the master, bring him here?”
“What is this bastard saying to the master!”
Anonymous got angry, but I stopped her.
“I will bring him. I have a debt to repay him anyway.”
“That is truly a relief. Then I will be in your care.”
Anonymous asked with a face full of dissatisfaction.
“What kind of debt could you possibly owe to a mere demon like that?”
“Didn't you say you hit him?”
“That may be so, but······.”
Anonymous suddenly became less talkative.
A slave's mistake was the master's mistake.
While I had to soothe Mammon's feelings, there was also an item I wanted to get from him.
Now that the Lombard Kingdom's invasion was over, the third episode would soon begin.
If things flowed just like the original version, we would definitely have to go there.
Primus's appearance was a variable, but the fact that the basic flow was not much different from the original version made it even more so.
‘Hidden there is an item that must be obtained before the showdown with Primus.’
Lest there be a misunderstanding, the item I wanted to obtain was A, and the item needed to obtain it was B, which Mammon had.
While I was at it, I also had to inform them of the Lombard Kingdom army's retreat, so it would be best for me to go to the capital myself this time.
I immediately headed for Tournai with Anonymous.
But to think I would receive an unexpected reward here.
‘They're asking me to become a Margrave?’
A sudden special promotion of 3 ranks like this.
They say you can't see even an inch ahead in life, and it turned out not to be a wrong saying.