Chapter 126

A deal is always between people.

And between people, there could be no such thing as the “absolute.”

Everything changed depending on the situation and the circumstances.

That was the case now.

Normally, the King of Mercenaries should always be in a position of superiority.

He was the King of Mercenaries, respected by countless men of arms, and also a Royal Knight appointed by the emperor himself.

But because there was something he desired, there was room for the positions to shift, and Fernan did not miss that opportunity.

“Lord Garrett wants to fight a demon, doesn’t he?”

“And that’s why you think you can raise the price of the commission?”

“No.”

“No?”

“I wouldn’t—as long as you don’t insist on being tied to the matter of the corrupt.”

Garrett’s brow furrowed.

“Are you trying to play with words?”

“I just want to understand the true reason you came all the way here chasing the corrupt.”

The reaction he had just seen was enough to deduce it.

If Varus had died, Fernan really would have raised the price of the commission.

Only a fool would pass up a situation that could be used to their advantage. The King of Mercenaries, blinded by the death of his most beloved disciple, wouldn’t have cared about the money.

But Varus hadn’t died.

He wanted revenge against the corrupt, yes, but he didn’t need to risk everything or accept meaningless losses.

And yet, the King of Mercenaries spoke of revenge and sought contracts and leads on the corrupt and demons.

People would say he did it to avenge his disciple.

But in Fernan’s eyes, that wasn’t the truth.

‘He didn’t become the King of Mercenaries by being an idiot or someone ruled by emotion.’

Mercenaries were despised, seen as those incapable of becoming knights.

But in any field, those who reach the top always have something extraordinary.

Was he really chasing demons just for a disciple who hadn’t even died?

‘Impossible.’

No, he was looking ahead.

Fernan didn’t think Garrett saw the future like he or Gismond did, but he was anticipating how the board would move.

He knew the incident with the corrupt wouldn’t end easily, that the coming of demons was highly likely. And he was preparing.

He wanted to face corrupt and demons firsthand.

“I will pay the standard fee. But I also have a condition.”

“So that was your goal from the beginning.”

“Yes.”

“The Pellenbergs have always displeased me. And now you come with these games in front of me…”

He growled with a suffocating aura.

The air grew heavy, but Fernan had experienced it once before and, with the certainty that he wouldn’t be killed, was able to endure better than last time.

Garrett withdrew his pressure.

“Speak.”

“I know traces of another demon.”

“……!”

The eyes of the King of Mercenaries opened wide.

“…I didn’t think the Pellenbergs had such a high level of information.”

“Then I want to hire you as well, Garrett.”

That was Fernan’s true goal.

From the beginning, he had sought the King of Mercenaries because he knew that the 64th demon, Flauros, could appear on the Pandrein continent.

The situation in Bercheff had disrupted his plans, but the solution was simple—hire him twice.

“……”

He didn’t respond immediately.

The King of Mercenaries stared at him in silence, and Fernan met his gaze without flinching.

In the end.

“It depends on the result of this commission.”

“That’s enough.”

Fernan smiled in satisfaction.

***

The egg was not brought to the center of Bercheff.

They couldn’t introduce into a populated area an object that, by its mere existence, emitted miasma and corrupted the land.

That’s why, upon learning of it, the margrave led them to an abandoned fortress on the outskirts.

An old defensive outpost that Bercheff had stopped using after expanding its territory.

Hardly anyone went there, making it a good place to store something so dangerous.

“…This is unsettling.”

The count let out a sigh upon seeing the egg.

It seemed alive—the crimson surface pulsed like a heart, and the lines crossing it looked like veins.

“Where did you find it?”

“Around one hundred and fifty demonic creatures had occupied the eighth snow troll nest.”

The “eighth” was one of the numbered settlements Bercheff had recorded.

“During the battle against them, the ground collapsed. There was a huge underground cavern.”

“And this was there?”

“Along with numerous monsters.”

“And you couldn’t destroy it?”

“No.”

At the words of the captain of the White Lions, the count drew his sword.

The blade gleamed with blue aura. It wasn’t a grand or flashy strike, but Fernan felt it in his bones.

‘If that hits me, I’ll die.’

No magic, not even with artifacts, could stop it.

It was an aura concentrated and refined to the extreme.

The count slashed from top to bottom, a simple movement.

────!

The result was anything but.

A devastating shockwave swept through the area. The tempest reached Fernan, but Luina stepped in with her aura.

“Are you alright?”

“…Thanks.”

“Don’t mention it. You’re still a guest of Bercheff.”

Hyde arrived a second too late and stood awkwardly beside Fernan.

“…Ah.”

“Don’t worry. You might be a bit clumsy, but I won’t abandon you.”

“Even if I’m cut, my lord promised to secure my retreat.”

“That’s true—the Pellenbergs take good care of their people.”

Fernan turned his gaze back to the egg.

“Ah.”

And understood how tough it was.

The Royal Knight’s strike had shaken the entire fortress, but the egg had barely a scratch.

‘A mere scratch after that?’

Everyone thought the same and was left speechless.

Everyone except one.

“Step aside.”

Garrett Schreiner drew the spear from his back and hurled it without hesitation.

────!

It seemed to pierce through it.

But the result was identical—a mere scratch.

“Looks like your spear has rusted from rolling in the mud so much, and you haven’t even noticed.”

The count swung his sword again.

“Bah.”

And Garrett responded with his spear.

“Pathetic.”

Sword and spear took turns, again and again, striking the egg.

The clashes generated explosions that shook the foundations. The knights and mercenaries shouted, and the remains of the fortress crumbled.

Until finally—

Rumble—

“The fortress is collapsing!”

“My lord, we must evacuate!”

“Captain!”

The old fortress, abandoned for years, could not withstand the combined force of two Royal Knights.

***

Dozens of slashes wounded the egg, but they didn’t seem to cause significant damage.

In the end, the two Royal Knights gave up trying to destroy it immediately and accepted that they would have to rely on the power of Aint Armian.

“The problem is how to store this until Aint Armian arrives.”

The land where the egg was already stained black.

They couldn’t simply leave an object there that continuously oozed corrupt magic.

“I have a good idea.”

“What is it?”

Fernan explained the storage method he had been thinking about the entire way back.

“Ask the Cult of the Dragon God for help. Among their spells, there’s one called Holy Light. It’s a spell created specifically to fight demons.”

“Holy Light?”

“It’s called light, but it’s actually fire. It’s not on the level of Armian’s light, but it’s quite effective for burning corrupt magic.”

“You want to surround the egg with priests and cover it with flames?”

“I already mixed the holy water they gave us with sand. It worked.”

Each capital of the Elector Houses had a direct magical transport circle with the Cult of the Dragon God, so calling them wouldn’t be difficult.

‘If that had existed during the Monster Wave, Bercheff wouldn’t have suffered so much…’

Unfortunately, before that catastrophe, there were no transport circles directly connecting the Elector Houses.

A thousand years ago, the First Emperor had united them under one roof, but they were never considered true allies.

That’s why the circles were feared as possible invasion routes.

‘Now it’s just a custom that has lasted a thousand years.’

Only after Bercheff was on the brink of collapse did they connect a direct circle with the Cult of the Dragon God, which had no political or throne ambitions.

Among the other Elector Houses, forget it.

‘In any case, convincing the clergy will be easy. We won’t even need to convince them.’

Surely, upon seeing the egg, they would throw themselves at it like rabid dogs. Perhaps even the Pope would run over himself, saying he wanted to study it.

“For now, that’s the safest option.”

The count nodded at Fernan’s suggestion.

“We’ll leave the squadron here and return to the center to…”

At that moment.

“My lord!”

A pale messenger burst into the castle urgently.

“What’s happening?”

The messenger collapsed at the count’s feet.

“It’s terrible! An attack!”

“An attack? Who the hell would dare attack Bercheff? Speak clearly!”

The messenger managed to catch his breath and continued.

“We have information that a massive army of demonic creatures has begun moving from the Demon Realm! They’re advancing here right now, and their number exceeds ten thousand!”

“……!”

Everyone turned pale.

***

‘Because of me?’

Fernan knew that sooner or later the demons would march south.

But not now, and not in such numbers.

This was because of the egg.

The egg that served as a catalyst for the arrival of the 69th-ranked demon, Decarabia.

Now that they had lost it, they were marching to retrieve it.

‘Wait, then…’

A sinister premonition ran down his spine.

Fernan had thought that it was Decarabia himself who was leading the demonic army’s march south.

It made sense—Decarabia was a demon.

But he hadn’t descended yet, and still, the army moved.

‘Can the corrupt control a horde of demons that large?’

There were no monsters mixed in—it was a pure army of demons.

He wasn’t sure if it was possible, but he was almost certain it wasn’t.

If it were, it would’ve already happened in the Taklakan Desert.

Then…

“A demon. A demon has already been summoned…”

Fernan’s face turned pale.

And that sinister premonition—

A few hours later, when the demonic army formed in perfect order before Bercheff’s first wall, it ceased to be just a premonition.

“The demons aren’t attacking immediately, they’re lining up…?”

“Someone is controlling them!”

“Could it be the corrupt?”

The soldiers on the walls were horrified.

“A demon… It has to be a demon! Why? Why now?”

Gismond’s face turned pale as he murmured to himself.

And as if to confirm it, the horde split in two, forming a path.

From the end, someone advanced.

A massive black steed, twice the size of a regular horse.

Upon it, a gigantic dark knight bearing a greatsword.

Clop, clop—

With his appearance, the corrupt magic intensified.

No one could look away.

In the silence, only the pounding of hooves was heard.

And when he finally stood before humanity—

He raised his gaze toward the men on the walls.

“Hiieeek…!”

“Kuhk…!”

The soldiers who saw the red glow inside his helmet gasped and collapsed to their knees.

“I am the 66th, Kimaris. Marquis of Hell and commander of twenty infernal legions.”

His voice was like metal scraping iron, repulsive and terrifying.

The instinctive pressure in his voice made the soldiers tremble, unable even to comprehend that they were facing a demon.

“Miserable beings, I will give you a chance. Submit to Hell. I grant you the privilege of serving our kingdom…”

At that moment.

A wild spear tore through the air and appeared right in front of the demon.

─────!

A shockwave shook the entire battlefield. The roar jolted the soldiers from their paralysis.

“I am the great Royal Knight and the King of Mercenaries. Shouldn’t a mere marquis like you bow your head before me? Kneel right now.”

The owner of the spear, standing atop the wall, shouted with a crooked smile.

“I see…”

Kimaris slowly lowered the greatsword he had raised.

“Humans always need to experience terror before recognizing it. Backward barbarians…”

A thousand years have passed, it seems I had forgotten.

The black sword began to charge with corrupt magic. He swung a slash.

────!

The magical circles engraved on the wall shattered instantly.

A massive gouge was carved into the fortification.

The soldiers screamed as part of the wall collapsed.

And then.

“Attack!”

Kieeeek!

Kyaaaa!

The demonic creatures began their march.