novelraw Chapter 113
Chapter 113
Episode 113
'Bye, take care.'
It was clearly a greeting.
A farewell greeting, bidding him his final goodbye.
'Don't tell me she knew this would happen...'
But this doubt could not last until the end.
"Always so bothersome when they act up. This is why I hate worshippers."
Pascal clicked his tongue as if he had gotten involved in a nuisance.
Sensing something ominous was about to happen, the Count mustered his last courage and struggled again, but he felt something leaving his body.
A warm, floating sensation, as if his body was drifting in the sky, was followed by a searing pain, as if his body was being torn apart.
But the smoke blocking his mouth didn't even allow him to scream. It was the end of his consciousness.
As Pascal opened his hand, the smoke dissipated, and the Count's body, which had been hidden within, began to fall powerlessly downward.
"Gasp!"
The knights who caught the falling Count were startled when they saw his face.
His once full cheeks were sunken and gaunt, his body was emaciated as if wrung out, and his eyes had turned cloudy, showing only the whites.
He was breathing, alive, but his appearance was clearly abnormal, causing those holding him to panic and drop him.
A loud *thud* sounded, and one would expect him to cry out in pain, but he showed no reaction.
His unblinking appearance was downright bizarre.
"Th-the Count, no, the demon worshipper, is acting strange."
At the knight's words, who had been watching from the side, Duke Bellasia clicked his tongue.
"No matter how untrustworthy he was, worshipping a demon leads to such a result."
He approached, looked at the Count, and shook his head.
"Demons take souls as payment for granting human desires. It seems it's already over. Now everyone understands why demon worship hasn't spread widely… it's for this very reason."
His words, though harsh, effectively communicated the danger of demons. So much so that those who had boldly stepped forward to face the demon just moments ago tightly closed their mouths.
"Ugh, huuuuk."
Amid the shock and silence, there was one person crying.
It was Sir Piet, who was about to meet the same fate.
Shaking off those holding him, he ran forward with his uncomfortable body and knelt before Duke Bellasia.
"I'm sorry, Duke. I fell for the demon's temptation because I wanted to save my son. I will gladly accept this punishment, but please, please spare my family! I beg of you!"
Despite his desperate plea, the gazes directed at him remained cold.
"Humans are so amusing. To save their own child, they recklessly take other lives. How hypocritical."
Even Pascal, the demon, mocked him. Sir Piet, perhaps imagining his own terrible end, began to tremble like a leaf.
"Tsk, I was expecting a show, but this is utterly pathetic. It's no longer fun."
As Pascal raised his hand again, those who had been watching his every move tensed up and immediately assumed attacking stances.
They thought the attack directed at the Count could come for them next.
"I was looking forward to massacring humans after so long, but if they're this lacking, they're not even worth dealing with."
He spared no words in dismissing the subjugation team and smirked, blatantly pulling up one corner of his mouth.
"I'll show mercy and let you live, so just all get lost."
No sooner had he spoken than the space surrounding them began to collapse.
Instantly, their surroundings changed.
As if they had been trapped in an illusion, they now stood in the middle of a peaceful forest, not the dark and dangerous cave, and Pascal had vanished without a trace.
Just as everyone was falling into chaos, wondering where the demon had gone…
"Keep your heads down like you have until now. Don't even think about bringing useless sacrifices or children. If you bother me again, I'll kill you all this time."
With that final warning, he truly disappeared without a trace.
The subjugation team members looked around and confirmed they had been instantly moved from the demon's territory to the outside of the forest.
Someone stretched their arm forward to check inside the forest. But their arm was repelled.
Others tried to enter the forest, but it was as if it were sealed; no one could enter.
Eventually, even the Executors with the 'Hero's Pearl' shook their heads, and the futile attempts ended.
They all couldn't hide their bewilderment.
They had clearly been facing the demon deep in the forest, but with a single gesture from him, they lost even the chance to fight.
Duke Bellasia looked around with an exasperated face.
Knights standing awkwardly, having dropped their combat stances, mercenaries unable to grasp the situation, and even the children still unconscious.
'As expected, it wasn't the demon's doing. Seeing how he disappeared rather than face us, that person's words weren't wrong either.'
He wondered what whim made him appear; perhaps he just wanted to eliminate the worshippers.
Just as he was thinking it was better that there were no major casualties, his eyes fell upon Sir Piet, who was still cowering and watching his reaction.
"So, the abduction cases until now were caused by the worshippers, not the demon."
At the low, resonant words, the attention of those around focused once again on the only remaining intact worshipper.
"I, I mean, th-that is..."
No matter how much he pleaded, knowing he would receive a severe punishment like the Count, fear consumed him.
"Th-this was all the fault of the Count, who tempted me, asking if I didn't want to save my son. He drew me in to offer sacrifices to the demon; I was just used! It's the truth!"
Seeing no sign of leniency from the Duke, he began to spill the secrets he had sworn to protect for life.
How the Count came to worship the demon, his search for the scripture to meet the demon, finding the base, being enchanted, kidnapping children, and how he killed innocent children without hesitation in the process.
He carefully avoided stating how many children he had killed, subtly hiding his own crimes.
As the horrific testimony poured out, the sympathetic glances that had felt some pity for the Count vanished.
"M-my son will die without me. Please have mercy..."
Reactions that it served the Count right, whose actions were so vile he deserved to be torn apart, followed. Seizing the momentum, Sir Piet tried to appeal his innocence again.
"But why did you try to kill me too?"
Flora, who had been quietly observing the situation, spoke up to cut off any potential sympathy for him before it could grow.
"I was scared too. My friends all cried, saying they wanted to see their moms and dads."
Flora looked at Benio, who was holding her, and hugged him tightly with a tearful face.
"I was scared I might die too."
She buried her face in his shoulder, as if not wanting to show it, but her voice was full of suppressed sobs.
'Who said you could try to gain sympathy?'
She spoke up because she didn't want to see the perpetrator pretending to be a victim. It was good she stopped his pointless act before missing the timing.
'Do you know how hard I worked to create this situation?'
She pretended to be kidnapped, comforted the crying children, and was busy taking care of a subordinate who didn't even remember her.
Flora glanced at the children lying behind her.
Among them, Basilian, also unconscious, was sleeping peacefully.
'Right, because of these bastards, Basil found out I use demonic power.'
Thanks to that, she learned she could use her demonic power more freely, but at the time, she was so shocked.
So, she couldn't grant him any absolution.
"He said I was the hundredth sacrifice."
And most of all, for the sake of the children who died innocently, even more so.
Flora revealed to everyone the atrocities Sir Piet had omitted until the end.
The relentless stream of cruel facts shocked everyone once more.
"You guys killed other kids besides us! Those friends wanted to go back to their families too, not just us! You have a son yourself, so why don't you understand that?"
Her voice, filled with sorrow, was followed by Flora beginning to cry, sniffling.
In response, Benio hugged Flora protectively.
He, who had been silent, stared directly at Duke Bellasia and spoke.
"If you do not intend to punish him properly, please tell us. We will make the appropriate preparations on our end."
At the near-threatening statement, Duke Bellasia felt displeased.
But in a situation where the demon subjugation had failed and demon worshippers had appeared, it wouldn't do to clash with the Lucifers now.
After all, the Lucifers had nothing to lose from this subjugation.
'On the contrary, they suspected it wasn't the demon's work from the start and began an investigation, and during that, the Young Lady was even kidnapped, so public opinion is not favorable.'
Having reached a conclusion, the Duke spoke firmly with a stern, humorless face.
"How could that be? Not only the demon worshipper himself, but his family, friends, colleagues, etc., will all be thoroughly investigated and receive the punishment they deserve. In a manner befitting Bellasia's prestige."
At the firm answer, Benio nodded.
"Thank you for making it clear."
"Thanks? It's only what should be done."
Sir Piet, feeling his life was over, tried to wail and appeal his wrongs again, but before the Duke could even give an order, his knights dragged him away.
In the chaotic atmosphere, Duke Bellasia let out a sigh.
The demon was gone, and now that no one could enter the forest, there was nothing more they could do.
Their duties as a subjugation team were over.
Looking at the subjugation team waiting for his words, he spoke as composedly as possible.
"Everyone, you've worked hard. This subjugation ends here."
It was a hollow end compared to its grand beginning.
· · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · · · · ─────── ·𖥸· ─────── · ·
"Hmm, hmm."
Flora hummed a spontaneous tune as she strolled through the beautifully maintained garden.
The cloudless, clear sky, the bright sunshine, and the faint floral scent naturally lifted her mood, but what pleased her most was the fact that the subjugation team, which had made such a fuss, had ended in failure.
'Weren't you getting too full of yourselves over nothing? Did the demon look that easy to you?'
Twirling the parasol in her hand, Flora inwardly laughed heartily at Duke Bellasia and the Executors.
Their fatal mistake was forgetting what kind of beings demons were, blinded by the fact that the Lucifers had eliminated the northern demon.
They overlooked that even bringing the entire Executor force would only make them a barely worthy opponent, and seeing how foolishly they acted, it seemed peace had lasted too long.
'In my time, you know, it took the entire army gathered to subjugate a demon.'
Of course, that was also for dealing with just one demon.
It's not for nothing that humans fear demons and regard Mors as a calamity.