The man was an eloquent speaker.
He knew how to unfold a story in an interesting way.
Enkrid listened to his tale with considerable amusement.
It was to the point that he wanted to toss him a few copper coins.
For a storyteller needs a patron.
Of course, this man had not come here in the capacity of a storyteller.
The core of the story he told was clear.
In the Demon Realm, each demon had established its own power base.
Instead of revealing their true names, they had been given such nicknames.
The reason for the nicknames was partly to display their prestige, but it was also said that they were titles called out with reverence by those who knew them.
The Burning Crow, The Promiser of Plenty, The Heat-Bearing Companion, The Pure White Destroyer, The Mistrustful Loner.
These were five of the six demons who ruled the Demon Realm.
"And the Father of the Dead."
The merchant's fluid eloquence seeped into everyone.
"He is also the one called The Door that Ends Life. His name is the most widely spread on the continent, is it not?"
There had been a group that had tried to gather magicians and form a collective called the Tower of Wisdom, but had failed, earning them the name 'Womb of Demons'.
Through them, twelve shards of Beelrog had emerged onto the continent.
It was an incident that had scarred the continent as much as when the heretical group called the Demon Realm Holy Land Cult had summoned an otherwordly, fire-breathing monster called a Salamander.
All six of those demons now had an interest in a human.
Beelrog had been a hooligan.
A heretic who, despite being a demon, pursued a different path.
That Beelrog was dead.
At the hands of a human.
That was the reason the demons of the Demon Realm had taken an interest in the identity of the one who had started the fire.
Krais had come up with several worst-case scenarios as soon as Beelrog had died, and this was one of the better ones.
Krais opened his mouth toward the merchant, whose eyes were squashed by his fleshy cheeks and cheekbones.
"So the reason you came here is to make a good proposal to the Captain?"
The merchant immediately nodded in agreement.
"Yes, that is correct."
His nod was so brisk it was almost cheerful.
Krais narrowed his brow.
He frowned.
Unless that merchant was half-mad, he would not have spouted such words so carelessly.
'Why?'
If imagination had become reality, now was the time to grasp its substance.
He had to deduce the opponent's intention.
He had to know the reason why a being called a demon would act.
'Even if they are beings beyond human perception.'
Still, there must be a reason.
Krais recalled the very first reason they had come here.
'Beelrog's death was a shocking event even for the demons residing in the Demon Realm.'
The demon of strife, the battle maniac who collects souls.
These were the words used to describe Beelrog.
A weirdo who would even split a part of his own power to divide souls, scattering fragments of his ego and wandering to collect them.
That was the implication that emanated from the merchant's words.
'And that Beelrog died.'
The news, which had not spread widely on the continent because Enkrid hadn't spoken of it, had spread far and wide within the Demon Realm through some means.
'A shocking event.'
But was their reaction normal?
No.
'Even if the one who lit the flame is highly skilled, is there a reason to employ him?'
He thought it over and over.
The story he had heard from the merchant, the content he had deduced, the realm his imagination had reached.
It was a process of piecing together the circumstances by combining everything.
All of this was done in an instant.
'They are at war.'
The demons in the Demon Realm were not on good terms just because they were neighbors.
'They establish their own territories and exclude one another.'
What if they were fighting, just as Naurillia and Aspen fought?
And in the midst of that, what if a skilled individual who could affect the battlefield emerged from a small city they had paid no mind to?
'What if the Captain had been on Aspen's side, not Naurillia's?'
The outcome of the war might have been different.
A war between demons would probably not be so different from one on the continent.
What decides the tide of battle is a small number of elites, the extraordinary ones who are beyond the standard.
"Hm."
Krais nodded.
His thoughts were organized.
For this reason, they had come to propose recruitment to Enkrid.
They would accept the one who had killed Beelrog as one of their own, whole.
'They might want not just the Captain, but the entire knight order.'
While he was lost in thought for a moment, the merchant spoke.
"A human's life is finite. If you follow my master's will, eternal life will be granted. There is a saying that it is better to roll in a field of filth than to be in heaven. Eternal life, I believe it is an attractive proposal."
He discusses the reward before the task, the duty.
Normally, one might scoff, but it is human to be swayed if the price is unimaginably great.
The merchant had said it, knowing that.
The magician, seeing it was his turn to step up, was about to open his mouth, but before he could, the man named Krais opened his.
"Is that all?"
The atmosphere that had been heated by the merchant's story instantly cooled.
Krais had thrown cold water on it.
Eternal life, in exchange for being put at the forefront of a war in the Demon Realm, a fight among demons.
Of course, the merchant had not realized that Krais knew that much.
"...Eternal life is not 'all'."
The merchant said.
For a moment he was speechless, and the words came out like a complaint.
What held the most important value to him was worthless to the other.
It was, in a way, unpleasant.
"Hmph."
Krais' attitude did not change.
He crossed his arms and shook his head slightly.
It meant he was not pleased.
"If you wish, there are of course many things to give besides eternal life. If you need, I can give you enough gold coins to fill a room, but..."
The merchant's confidence faded, and his words trailed off.
If the opponent could be tempted by mere Krona, there would have been no need for him to come himself.
What was the reason for believing in beings called demons?
It was because they bestowed things that could not be obtained normally.
Such as eternal life or a beautiful appearance.
Here, the value of Krona was not great.
At least, for the merchant.
Could one buy time with overflowing Krona?
No.
Therefore, he said it was without value.
What he desired was to return to his youth and live forever.
And yet.
"Ooh."
The big-eyed man's brow smoothed out.
His ears perked up.
What is that reaction?
The merchant, though flustered, said what he had to say.
The words that came out now were an instinct born from having lived his entire life as a tradesman.
"What is one room? If you need, I can build you a house of gold ingots."
He didn't really mean he would build a house with gold ingots.
It meant he could give that much Krona.
There was no one who could not understand such words.
Krais' arms unfolded and his eyes widened.
"Ooh-ho."
Krais's cheeks flushed as if he were drunk.
At this price, wouldn't it be alright to participate in a local war as a mercenary just once?
No matter how much the Border Guard had grown into a trade city and earned gold, there were also many places to spend it.
The military expenses used to maintain the army alone were staggering.
But the house of gold ingots that portly man had spoken of would remain as pure profit.
'One mercenary job for a house of gold ingots.'
Even demons are demons of a certain kind, so wouldn't a deal be possible?
Poke.
His lover and guard, Nurat, poked Krais in the side.
The Commander Garet she had previously served was also a strange one, but her lover, this man, was even worse.
One look was enough to tell he had the eyes of someone considering striking a deal with a demon.
Ahem.
Krais let out a dry cough and glanced at Enkrid.
He had a face that showed no interest whatsoever in Krona.
Krais found that deeply regrettable.
'We could just pretend to fall for it, take everything we can, and then send them off.'
Isn't it enough to just pretend to go along?
And it would be even better to act as a mercenary, not fight to the best of our ability, and appropriately sow discord.
Of course, the beings called demons would not be easy.
If one were to act rashly, guessing with human perception, they might be severely punished.
Krais knew that too.
He was just lost in a daydream for a moment out of regret.
In Krais' mind, the house of gold ingots crumbled.
"Why can you do, you know he is not a person who would move for such a thing."
Abnaier, who had seen through Krais' inner thoughts, whispered.
"It will not be a bad proposal for you. If not eternal life, what do you desire? Land? Is what you desire this continent? If so, I will give you this entire continent. I can give you the authority of omnipotence, with which you can do whatever you wish."
This time, the man with the greatsword spoke.
It was a grand proposal.
The entire continent meant he could make him the king of them all, the pinnacle of all intelligent beings, including the Empire.
Enkrid still showed no great interest.
If they said they would make him king, would he become king?
Were these words born from the arrogance of the demons in the Demon Realm?
Or was the military power of the demons at a level where they could disregard the continent?
'Both.'
That's how Enkrid saw it.
"What use is eternal life or land?"
This time, the magician stepped forward.
He knew that what the other two were proposing was meaningless.
The beings called demons refer to themselves as demigods.
It meant they were beings in the process of becoming gods.
'What one truly desires is the truth.'
And to reach that truth, what one desires is to become a god, an omniscient and omnipotent being.
"I will show you the path to becoming a demigod."
The magician said.
There would be no better proposal than this.
This much military power, the magnanimity to subdue Beelrog—what all of this was saying was clear.
'That man is moving upward.'
The further he goes, the thirstier he will become.
And in the midst of that, what if someone showed him a shortcut?
"I have come by the order of the ruler with goat horns, who is called The Burning Crow."
A resonance was added to the magician's voice, adding a solemn feeling.
It was a petty trick, but if used appropriately, it could become words that shake a person's heart.
Enkrid turned his head and asked the man with the greatsword.
"One is The Burning Crow, and that one said he was from the Believer in Gold. And you?"
"The Heat-Bearing Companion is with me."
Enkrid nodded and asked again.
"What is the reason I should let you live?"
The implication contained in the simple words was singular.
"...A refusal?"
The magician was surprised.
Shouldn't he at least contemplate it?
And what about Esther?
That child was a magician, so she would have different thoughts, but right now, Esther was just repeating her own thoughts over and over, so she didn't even meet his eyes.
They did not know Enkrid.
They did not know what Enkrid wanted, and they did not know his dream.
He wants to be a knight.
He wants to become the sword and shield that protects what is behind him.
And so, he intends to end the war and erase the Demon Realm.
The indomitability that does not wear down even while repeating the day—that was the human before them.
They did not know that.
Enkrid heard the Ferryman laughing from somewhere.
"Eternal life? A demigod? Ah, this is when one uses the expression, 'an abundant harvest of bullshit'. It's a western expression."
"Can I kill them now?"
Dunbakel, unable to hold back, asked, and the magician said, as if shouting.
"I am not the main body. What was sent here is a part of a clone. Killing me is meaningless. Therefore, you will regret this for the rest of your life."
The magician spoke and was about to use a spell, but stopped.
The beastkin, who had approached at some point, smiled and kicked his chin with her heel.
She placed her hands on the ground and her body spun in a truly natural series of movements.
POW!
The head above the neck exploded.
Black blood sprayed into the air and then turned into small bugs.
It was something she had done as soon as Enkrid had gestured his permission.
—I will make you regret this!
The magician's voice still remained.
This too was a petty trick.
Esther waved her hand indifferently.
There were many things she had spread on this land.
Among them were many formulas to prevent other magicians from playing tricks.
One of them was activated and cut off the magician's mana.
A bracelet Esther was wearing crumbled and scattered like dust.
'His skill is the same as ever.'
That was Esther's judgment.
—You, Child of the Stars. Have you forgotten that there are many who will find your existence and tear you apart?
This was a threat, but this too was a flimsy trick.
As the magician's body scattered and disappeared like dust, the man with the greatsword also lifted his sword, but there was no way it would be meaningful.
Fel and Ropord, who had returned at some point, stood to his left and right.
"See, I told you he was strange."
"Who said otherwise?"
Fel first, and then Ropord, threw a word each and cut off both arms of the man with the greatsword.
One from bottom to top, the other from top to bottom.
The two lines were drawn similarly but differently.
Since the skills of the two also had an extraordinary side to them, the man with the greatsword could not respond.
While Enkrid and the others were dealing with Beelrog, these two had also fought monsters and the souls it had collected.
In other words, they too had risked their lives, won, and endured to reach this point.
It was only natural that their skills were different from before.
The warrior with both arms severed vomited blood.
The blood shot up like a flame and drew two eyes and a mouth in the air.
Its size was that of a human torso.
—You, this, are you serious?
Enkrid's insightful eyes glimpsed the opponent's presence.
It was different from the petty trick the magician had used earlier.
It was a pressure that only a demon-level being could show.
It changed the air, making it heavy, as if it would burn everything in the area with a single breath.
Be it people or buildings.
Its prestige was truly lofty.
As befitting the name of a demon.
"Yeah."
And Enkrid answered cheerfully and brightly.
—Right. See you again.
The demon scattered and disappeared like that.
The merchant looked around, his eyes trembling, and then his gaze changed.
He muttered words that no one could understand, and then black soot began to rise from his body.

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