Chapter 2 — 의문

Part 2, Chapter 29

Doubt

Tasha jerked her chin at Hanabi.

“Hanabi, go check it out.”

“Yes, Lady Tasha.”

Hanabi, practiced as ever, stepped straight out of the carriage to survey the situation.

“…And who are you supposed to be?”

Hanabi frowned at the figures she had not expected in the slightest.

No wonder—those blocking the road weren’t the Inspectorate, but demons.

They were even flaunting it, keeping their true forms with horns and wings on display, demonic energy wafting off them.

When Hanabi drew up her power as if ready to fight that very moment, one demon stepped forward.

He bent at the waist and bowed.

“Pleasure to meet you all. I am Kaniye, first butler to Lady Lilith.”

A demon introducing himself as Kaniye.

He was a Lilim, one of the demons who served Lilith.

“So you are demons. I’ll kill you where you stand.”

“Ah, might I ask you to wait just a moment?”

Hanabi narrowed her eyes, and a magic circle flared in midair. Ever since the Hueylan incident, she had been particularly hostile toward demons.

Kaniye merely waved his hands with leisurely calm.

“Please, retract your hand for a moment. We didn’t come to fight. We came to deliver Lady Lilith’s message.”

“What?”

That was when Tasha came out.

“Something wrong?”

Sensing something was off, she showed herself.

Kaniye’s face lit up when he spotted Tasha.

“How fortunate. For Tasha Neresta, one of the Three Divine Stars, to come out herself—this will make things go much faster.”

But the instant Tasha realized they were demons, her face twisted.

“I doubt there’s anything I want to say to the likes of you.”

“First.”

Whether she cared or not—

Kaniye lifted one finger and went on.

“First, we are truly sorry about the calamity that befell Hueylan. And in part, the blame lies with us as well.”

Strictly speaking, a portion of the Heung Clan had thrown in with Lilith.

Thus Kaniye was claiming fault for not properly protecting the Heung Clan.

“As such, we wish to offer appropriate reparations—and one proposal.”

“Proposal?”

One of Tasha’s brows twitched. Annoying as his disregard was, Elric’s opinion, as someone involved, mattered more.

She stole a glance inside; when Elric showed no particular reaction, she looked back at Kaniye, eyes narrowing.

Elric’s condition wasn’t good.

Best not to expose him to the outside.

“Yes. The Duke of Chanseong is inside, isn’t he?”

“Why are you asking for Lord Elric?”

Fwoom.

At the mention of Elric, flames climbed up Tasha’s arm.

A promise that if need be, she’d burn him to ash.

“My, my. I did tell you we didn’t come to fight….”

Kaniye showed both palms again to demonstrate he had no intention of fighting.

Only then did Tasha’s aura ease a little. Kaniye smirked.

“I hear you’ve ceded a portion of territory to the other tribes of Hueylan, including the Heung Clan?”

The next words were shocking.

“We Lilim would like you to accept us on the same terms.”

Which was to say—allow demons to live on Mervinger land.

Tasha couldn’t make sense of it.

How?

Elric had made the same proposal to Taihol only a few hours ago.

So how did these demons know already?

Tasha didn’t know about the tie between the Heung Clan and Lilith, so she could be forgiven—but that wasn’t the issue now.

However they’d learned it—so what?

There was something more basic to address first.

Tasha’s brow twitched.

“You want us to let demons into Mervinger territory?”

“Exactly. Could you relay that to the Duke of Chanseong in the carriage?”

“Ha!”

Let demons into the ancestral lands of House Mervinger, the family that had fought the demonic since time immemorial?

Tasha let out a breath that was half a laugh.

“Then we’ll await your reply right he—!”

Kaniye had just bent slightly and begun to step back when—

Whoom!

A blue fireball dropped over his head. Tasha’s face was taut with anger.

“How about you go eat dirt?”

“My… I said several times we didn’t come to fight. If I must, though.”

Kaniye flared his wings wide. Demonic energy rippled out in a vortex.

The blue fireball shattered, sparks flying in every direction.

“It’s a pity you won’t share in the honor of serving Lady Lilith.”

Hand to heart, Kaniye bowed like he meant it.

“What are you babbling about?”

By then Tasha was already wreathed head to toe in the phoenix’s azure flames, charging straight at Kaniye.

Boom-boom-boom!

Azure flame and demonic energy collided midair and speared upward.

Kaniye’s smile turned thin and wicked.

“By the way, do you even know my True Name?”

“What?”

“Perhaps it’s because you didn’t live through the Great Demon War, but even for one of the Three Divine Stars, you’re far too complacent.”

In that instant, Kaniye’s eyes went violet. At the same time, the aura around him turned… fragrant.

A sweet scent that tugged at you before you knew it.

Kaniye’s lips curled.

“Bewitchment. That is my True Name.”

The sigil on his back was a swirling spiral.

And it wasn’t just him. The Lilim behind him bore the same mark.

“Do you know what that means?”

“L-Lady… Tasha…!”

Tasha, deciding it was dangerous to keep meeting his gaze, was just about to turn her head when a strangled voice from behind made her jump.

Hanabi couldn’t keep her footing.

“Hanabi!”

Arms wrapped around herself, Hanabi was fighting desperately to control her own body.

Shudder—

Her body was trembling out of her own control.

Cold sweat beaded on her brow.

“Lady… Tasha…!”

Only then did Tasha catch on to what Kaniye’s ability was.

Hypnosis. Mind magic!

There weren’t many spells in the Tower that directly manipulated the mind. Not merely because they were taboo—interfering with human consciousness itself was incredibly hard.

But demons were different.

Beings born of singularities—mysteries out of anomalies.

Naturally there were quite a few who specialized in mind control.

Which was why, during the Great Demon War, the damage they caused had been particularly severe…!

A mistake.

A mistake born of inexperience dealing with demons.

Hanabi was struggling to resist with all she had, but soon her eyes lost focus and she stared blankly into the air.

A sure sign she’d fallen under.

And it wasn’t only her.

Sss—

The air sank, and gooseflesh raced over Tasha’s skin.

“Apologies, but our ability isn’t limited to a single target.”

Tasha had to watch every mage of House Neresta, not just Hanabi, go slack-eyed and dazed.

“You…!”

Tasha snarled, grinding her teeth. She wanted to spit a curse, but just holding off the pressure trying to swallow her mind was taking everything she had.

“Don’t worry too much. We’ve no intent to harm you. As I said, we simply wish to follow our comrades of the Heung Clan into Lord Mervinger’s domain. So if you’d be so kind as to let us hold you prisoner for a bit.”

Gnash.

Tasha clenched her teeth.

“Close your eyes for a moment and when you wake, it’ll all be over.”

Vmm.

Kaniye’s violet eyes pulsed. He reached a hand for Tasha’s chin.

“Won’t… you… cut it out?”

Whoosh!

When Tasha yanked up her azure flames with a snarl, Kaniye stumbled back.

“Tch!”

“I’ve been on edge enough lately as it is… I’ll just burn the lot of you, underlings and all!”

The phoenix-shaped blue blaze blooming from her fingertips surged outward in all directions.

Overwhelmed by the torrent, Kaniye and the other Lilim didn’t even have time to scream before they were gone.

“Hanabi!”

The moment that unknown pressure on her mind vanished, Tasha sprinted to Hanabi and the mages.

Hanabi’s legs gave way; Tasha caught her in a rush.

“Hanabi! Are you okay? Come on, get up!”

“Lady Tasha… I…!”

Tasha could see Hanabi slowly coming out of the trance.

Relieved that the flames seemed to have done the trick, Tasha finally let out a long breath.

“It’s fine. I’m right here, so don’t worry. Take your time. What is it?”

“I…!”

Hanabi’s lips parted slowly.

But—

“Do I still look like Hanabi to you?”

“…!”

A chill of a sentence.

Tasha’s heart dropped. She tried to shove Hanabi away, but Hanabi’s eyes were already violet.

The exact same color as Kaniye’s.

Vmmmm—

“…You’ve got to be… kidding…!”

Thick demonic energy burrowed into Tasha’s head.

It seeped through every inch of her body.

For some reason, it made her limbs go heavy and languid.

After Jeff, again…?

To show such a humiliating face to mere demons.

Tasha’s chest ached. She felt pathetic to the bone. She didn’t want to look so helpless—why did this keep happening?

“Then please wait quietly.”

Kaniye, who had reappeared at some point, patted Tasha twice on the back and strolled toward the carriage.

Bang!

He flung the door open. Inside sat the very man he’d been looking for—Elric.

As the Lilim had expected, Elric looked unwell.

He’d probably stayed inside to avoid showing himself like this.

Kaniye’s grin nearly split his face.

“Pleasure to meet you, Lord Elric. You heard all that, yes? I am Kaniye, first butler to Lady Lilith. An honor to make your acquaintance.”

His eyes turned violet again.

* * *

Vmmmm—

Kaniye hurried to lay a trance on Elric before the man could do anything.

Demonic energy poured from Kaniye’s body and seeped into Elric.

Thicker than before.

Given who this was, he meant to push his ability to the limit.

And then—

Thump.

In no time, focus bled from Elric’s eyes and one arm drooped limply.

The hypnosis had taken.

Heh. So the Mervinger isn’t much after all.

With the feats he’d heard about—and the Winter Sage’s influence—he’d expected Elric’s anti-demon resistance to make hypnosis difficult.

Not that I mind. Easier for me.

Rumor had it Azazel’s side had been driven to the brink by Elric.

Idiots.

Kaniye threw a hearty sneer at those so-called vassals of a Demon King, then reached out toward Elric.

“Well then, how shall we prepare you?”

First, he would present Elric to Lady Lilith. The unique Mervinger spell system was a subject of study among the Lilim.

The instant they analyzed it thoroughly and devised a countermeasure, there would be nowhere left in these lands that could lay a finger on Lady Lilith or the Lilim.

Grinning with confidence at the thought—

Kkyuuuu!

A strange cry rose from behind Elric’s back.

“…What was that?”

Kaniye tilted his head and moved to look behind Elric when—

Kkyuu!

Kkyuu-kyuu!

Three dragons suddenly popped out from Elric’s back.

“Hhhaaaah! D-d-dragons?”

At the sudden appearance of dragons, Kaniye went pale and fell backward.

What were dragons?

To demons, not just enemies—natural-born nemeses.

Alongside the Mervingers, they had slain more demons than anyone.

Any demon who had faced them still trembled at the mere word “dragon.”

“T-they should be extinct!!”

As far as Kaniye knew, dragons were extinct. Their Jewel Dragon had met its end on the spear of the Great Demon King Mephisto.

So what on earth were these?

The dragons seemed amused by Kaniye’s panic and let loose their breaths.

Whoosh!

Boom, boom-boom!

Flame from Red, poison from Black, and a breath of light from Gold roared forth.

The light Gold spewed was so vicious it scorched Kaniye’s flesh.

Ssszzzt—

“Hii—hiiik!”

With breaths raining down on him from all sides, Kaniye bolted in a wild, stumbling retreat.

But the shocks weren’t over.

Elric, who should have been under, was moving just fine.

Face twisted in annoyance, he grumbled.

“Ah, great. Thanks to you, I can’t even walk into their den now.”

The dragons only cocked their heads, as if they didn’t understand a thing.

Kkyuu?

Kkyuu-kyuu?

Talent Swallowing Magician