Chapter 42
42 . Epilogue – Page of Fate
The battlefield was cleaned up . The corpses of the dead Orcs and Ogres were moved with great difficulty and decapitated, their heads used to perform the funeral rites unique to their respective races . All of the human corpses were buried as well .
The battle had been great news for the Demon Kingdom . Not only had the Hero’s army been defeated at every battle, but the Hero himself had been killed . Every single one of the tyrannical invaders had been repelled . All of the Demons lingering around the City of Twilight cheered uproariously, the victory having significantly raised their opinions of the Demon Lord .
“But, I didn’t even do anything!”
In the Commander’s Tent, Demon Lord Lily was sitting upon a shabby wooden throne with a complicated expression on her face . Karakul and Ellin were standing before her with the other Commanders standing on each side with their heads lowered . Kuman was left to stand outside as a guard .
Lily Golt herself felt that she had done nothing . However, Karakul shook his head, disagreeing .
“No, Your Highness . You are the one who deserves the merit of this victory . ”
“How so?” She asked with a confused frown .
If it was his plan to hand all the merit for their victory off to her just because she was the Demon Lord, then she would be upset . She didn’t feel like she deserved it whatsoever . If anything, she should have been chastised for putting them all in danger .
“Rather, all of you were in danger because of me . So, how did I earn any merits?”
“It is because the City of Twilight would have fallen if Your Highness didn’t come . ”
He wasn’t wrong . If Kuman and his Ogre armor division hadn’t been moved due to Lily’s orders then the Orc army would have been decimated . Also, they would have been unable to impede the mobility of the Holy Knights’ cavalry which would have allowed them to enter the city . If that had happened, all of the Demons in the city would have been slaughtered .
‘If the Hero had stepped in, it would have been a guaranteed loss . Also, if Her Highness wasn’t involved, Master himself would have been hesitant to step in . ’
If Tom had stepped in, he would have most likely saved only Karakul . He had to not only be careful with his movements, but he also had wanted to avoid confrontation with the current Hero . But that didn’t matter anymore . There was no changing what had already happened . The Hero was dead and the allied forces had retreated .
Once this truth was known, however, the Holy Kingdom and the various other kingdoms would be under pressure to prepare a larger army and better-trained Heroes for the next invasion .
‘It’s good that we were able to buy some time for now, but…’
The true problem was only something Karakul and Tom were aware of . The scheme of Vampires . If they weren’t suppressed soon, they would prove troublesome for all of the Demon Kingdom .
“If Your Highness hadn’t brought Kuman, our clan would have been slaughtered . I am grateful . ”
Karakul bowed deeply .
Lily smiled awkwardly feeling overwhelmed by such a sincere act of gratitude .
“I’m happy that you think as such . ”
Lily was speaking the truth . She had been nervous about whether she had been an inconvenience this time as well, so Karakul praising had brought her some much-needed relief .
“However, the true person of merit was not me, but the one that saved both you and I . I want to see that meritorious Ajin . ”
Whispers permeated throughout the Orc generals .
“That was no ordinary Ajin . He had powers far greater than anything I had thought possible . ”
“Demonic Power and Holy Power . He had both contrasting powers at once . How did this happen? That Ajin… who was he?”
“The Devil of Lania . ”
Ellin muttered . The Orc generals turned to her and paled in fear . The Devil of Lania was an existence that had toppled the capital of the Holy Kingdom . It was also the name of the only person to ever have had a chance to take the Pope’s life, though he had turned it down, leaving a warning instead . His infamy was widespread amongst both the human and demonic kingdoms and he was the most feared existence between the two factions . A one-man army with power rivaling that of Demon Lords . He was also the kind of existence that could stand against a Hero .
“B-but, why did that person, who disappeared for 30 years… for what reason…?”
“… I heard a report a moment ago . According to a Wandering Demon, he left quite a mess back in human territory . ”
“… Wait, so he’s not on the side of the humans?”
The Orc generals were growing excited . It was becoming clear to them, after all . He was an Ain and on the side of Demons . There was no other reason for him to protect the Demon Lord . In that case, there was no reason for them to fear humans any longer . A Hero had died as soon as his heart had been pierced, just like that . So there wasn’t a lot to be afraid of anymore .
Ellin’s eyes turned to the tent’s entrance . She had only seen his appearance as a vassal of Arrtark . She didn’t know what he truly looked like . So, she expected him to look terrifying . If not, there would be no reason for him to cover his face with a white hood .
‘His face must be all roughed up without ears and a nose! He might even have a horn like a goblin!’
As Ellin’s imagination continued racing, Lily started to speak .
“Come in . I wanted to meet you . ”
Then, the tent was opened and he walked in . The Orcs who saw him looked puzzled .
“A human?”
“No, he must be an Ajin that looks similar to Humans . ”
“His ears aren’t that of a beast, so he’s not a merfolk, and they’re not long, so he’s not an elf . Looking at his stature, he’s not a dwarf either . Just what is his species?”
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At those words, Ellin sighed and turned her head . Regardless of how he looked, he was the savior that rescued both her and the Demon Lord . She had to give him her gratitude at the very least .
When she saw him, her eyes grew wide in shock . He was still covering his head with a hood, but she could see part of his face . He was a young man with clear and pure pumpkin-colored eyes, bright and glamorous golden hair, and a scar on his right eye .
“W-…?!”
Ellin froze in shock . She shook her head and rubbed her eyes as though she had seen a ghost, but when she realized the man had the appearance of a certain probationary Holy Knight, she simply stood dumb having lost her words .
“… Are you both acquainted?”
Ellin paused at Lily’s question, then shook her head in reply . He was a probationary Holy Knight, and in this sensitive time, it might bring trouble to mention that .
Tom knelt in front of Lily and lowered his head . Lily smiled looking at such a natural gesture .
“I wish to see your face . ”
Tom raised his head, gazing at her expressionlessly .
Lily looked back, conflicted .
“You… haven’t we met before?”
He slipped out one letter as though he wanted to say more .
“Ell…”
“…Ell?”
When Lily tilted her head in confusion, she realized his mouth was shaped to pronounce ‘Ly’ .
‘Ellie?’
When Lily looked confused, Tom simply shook his head .
“No, it’s nothing . ”
“You’ve contributed greatly to this battle . I am grateful that you protected me, my servants, and my people . Perhaps… Do you need anything? I don’t have much power, but I wish to give you anything I can . ”
The Demon Lord herself, the reincarnation of Ellie, asked him that exact question . After giving it a moment of thought, Tom knew what he wanted and met her gaze . Her crimson eyes met with his golden-colored ones .
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“… Will you let me protect you?”
Lily looked at him and tilted her head in confusion .
He formed a happy smile on his face as he spoke honestly .
“Let me protect you . ”
Once his meeting with the Demon Lord concluded, Tom was led back to a tent assigned as the VIP room . Karakul who led him there opened his mouth to speak .
“Why did you let the humans go?”
Karakul had a lot of questions, but this was the question he believed Tom was the most likely to answer .
Tom sat upon the bed made of straw and smiled with satisfaction .
“Hm? Ah, would you have been happier if I had slaughtered them? Would killing them have been better?
“… I don’t make a hobby of murder, but, what I’m concerned about is the leaking of information . ”
If every one of them had been killed, it would have taken considerably longer for the information to reach the Holy Empire . With survivors, the news would spread much more quickly . It was already known that the Devil of Lania had appeared in the Golden Fief . However, they would raise their guard that much more if it was known that such an existence was near the borders of the Demon Kingdom .
“The bastards will bring more soldiers, ones that are better trained, led by a more powerful Hero . Their strength will only grow . ”
“Yeah, but you know…”
Tom spoke with a smile .
“What if ‘our’ strength grew as well?”
Karakul’s eyes grew wide and Tom’s lips curled into a smile . It wasn’t a natural smile . It was instead far more sinister .
“This battle destroyed their sense of ‘Good’ and ‘Evil’ . ”
“…”
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“They saw a ‘miracle’ . Everyone did . The Holy Knights, the Priests, and the entire Allied Forces…!”
He laid on his bed and leaned on the side of the tent . He sat in a haughty pose .
“I don’t really know the situation on this continent . I lived for 30 years stuck in the palace, after all . I only managed to receive information through you . However, I know this much . Things are different from the era in which I lived . The world has become more wicked! So, I’ll ask you this . What happens if a rotting nation isn’t purified, but is instead left to continue rotting? The putrid juices will continue to fester . ”
The continent was rotting . Under the direction of Pope Salem, the dispatching of Heroes took on a new shape while magic continued to develop each and every day . However, the continent that possessed this fearsome ‘might’ continued to fester . Every kingdom was pressured to prepare vast funds which led to a rise in taxes everywhere . This led to the suffering of their subjects and caused dissenters to be executed as examples . While this allowed for long term industry growth and expansion, it also increased the number of captive slaves without any rights . It was a free world with an established upper class that only the wealthy merchants, aristocrats, and priests could enjoy . Those that felt chilled by this injustice rose up . Something strange had happened at this opportunity . The Devil of Lania had toppled the capital of the Holy Kingdom . And with that, was the newly formed ‘heresy’ .
“God has descended!”
“The Lion of God has appeared!”
“Devil of Lania! The true Lion to judge good and evil has arrived!”
‘Rebellions’ formed in various parts of the continent . It was because of the fact that not everyone was allowed to participate in the industry and expansion of the rotting nations . These people who had placed their faith in God were used as cattle to fatten the stomachs of priests rather than be rewarded for their devotion . Also, those who had seen the miracle in the rotten nation’s capital all said the same thing .
‘I saw an angel!’
It was a well-known fact that clergy that performed evil deeds were hung on the cross and killed while those that did good deeds were released . With that fact and the testimonies of the survivors, it was persuasive enough to give these people hope . People believed what they wanted to believe . That was human nature .
If they say an angel had arrived, one had really arrived . As such, a religion and faith worshipping the Devil of Lania as their god was born . The Holy Empire sensed the threat and suppressed the heretics, but the corrupt nobles turned in innocent people as well hoping for merit . It made their abuse worse which in turn grew the heretical church’s influence as they dug deeper and spread . They formed their own faith and religion as they expanded all across the continent . After 30 years of this, and with the Devil of Lania appearing once more, this would cause the uprising to form again . The survivors of the Hero’s forces, the priests, and the Holy Knights would become living proof against the current faith and religion . They would only need to say that ‘they saw a miracle’ before the Devil of Lania . This would result in the destruction of the current faith and religion . The destruction of the Holy Kingdom .
“… Hahaha!”
Tom burst out into laughter . He thought of the Hero he had killed, Ludin of the Allied Forces, and Aris, who he had let escape .
‘Devil!’
‘I-it’s a lie . It’s a lie! Don’t succumb! The bastard’s the devil! You must not succumb to the Devil!’
These were Ludin’s words
‘Devil! W-why did you kill Ludin! I’ll curse you! You wicked monster!’
He thought of Aris’ eyes filled with resentment . Tom didn’t feel sad nor anguished thinking of their words . Rather, he felt amused . It was because he felt that they were true .
‘Ahh, yes . You’re right . Wicked Devil? That sounds right . ’
He was a being of creation, both God and Devil . A sovereign of the fallen that would deceive, pollute, and corrupt humans . As he recognized that within himself, he couldn’t stop laughing . Karakul, who was watching Tom, stood with his mouth closed . Tom’s ecstatic laughter looked too cold-blooded in his eyes .
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