Chapter 127
Clop, clop.
The horses galloped.
The sight was of the Brusen Kingdom’s knights escorting Chris’s party as they headed toward the Holy Kingdom.
The air was grim and bleak, but there was one person who wore a relaxed expression—Chris.
‘Not bad. Getting to travel with this kind of escort.’
The Holy Kingdom was located deep within Gold Cross, far from the border.
No one knew what dangers might arise along the way, so this was reassuring.
‘Well, the atmosphere isn’t exactly pleasant though.’
The knights were glaring at them like they were staring down their mortal enemies.
Their sidelong glances toward Chris’s party were sharp and threatening, creating an atmosphere so tense that Viscount Roy, pale in the face, gave a command.
“Even if they are demons, they’ve come to visit our Gold Cross as envoys! Show proper decorum!!”
‘If something happens, that Christian demon bastard won’t leave me alone. I have to prevent it!’
Viscount Roy knew all too well how dreadful and terrifying a monster Christian was.
If something did happen, at the very least, Roy’s life would be forfeit, so he was desperate.
The knights grumbled with clear displeasure.
“To think we have to stand by and do nothing in front of these filthy demons.”
“I want to split their heads open.”
“Should I provoke them into a duel? If they die in the duel, there’s no problem, right?”
They weren’t even bothering to lower their voices, so every word reached Chris and his group loud and clear.
Chris yawned, utterly unfazed.
‘Just the kind of reaction I expected. This is probably how it’ll continue from now on.’
The hatred between demons and the Union was as deeply rooted as the conflict between Devils and the Celestial Orders.
Thanks to Viscount Roy running around to keep the situation from escalating, no bloodshed occurred, but the knights kept flapping their filthy mouths.
“Still, those bastards’ faces are no joke. Especially that young master and young lady. Do they choose successors in the Dark Demonic House based on looks? Both of them would fit right in at a brothel.”
“Their sexual energy is insane. Totally my type.”
“Which one?”
“Both. Heh heh.”
“You think they’re screwing each other or something?”
“Wouldn’t be surprising. Demons are disgusting like that—they probably don’t care if it’s a relative or a sibling.”
The knights cackled openly, their repulsive tongues spewing filth.
Roy’s face turned deathly pale at their words, and he glanced nervously at Chris.
Chris merely gave a small smirk.
‘Cute little punks.’
Chris had been through too much to be rattled by garbage like that.
‘Still, I should give a bit of a warning.’
If he left them alone, one of these idiots who didn’t know their place might try something stupid.
‘It’s not like I came to the Union expecting no blood would be shed.’
He was just about to turn his gaze to pick a target.
And then, something unexpected happened.
Thwack!
A loud noise rang out.
The knight at the front, the one who had been spouting filth the most excitedly, had his head whipped to the side.
Someone had thrown down a gauntlet.
It was Jupien.
“A duel,” she said in her usual blunt tone.
“If you can, I don’t mind if you kill me during the duel. Demons don’t hold anyone accountable for what happens during a duel.”
“!!”
“But if I win, I’ll cut out your tongue.”
The entire hall turned cold.
The one who had been slapped was a 4-star knight.
A high-ranking officer even among the knighthood.
In contrast, to the knights, Jupien appeared to be just a delicate, doll-like, beautiful young girl.
Of course, everyone knew she was the princess of the Dark Demonic House, but they underestimated her because of her young and fragile appearance.
The knight who had been struck spat out blood-tinged saliva and growled viciously.
“You filthy Demon bitch. My hands have been itching anyway. I’ll make you beg for your life.”
A crimson mana blade flared to life.
As if he truly believed Jupien was beneath him, he didn’t aim for fatal areas like her neck or chest, but instead for her right wrist.
However—
Fwoosh!
An illusion exploded, distorting the knight’s vision.
Jupien’s sword split into copies.
An illusionary sword art infused with her black blade.
And then—
Slice.
“Gyaaah!!”
A fountain of blood erupted from the knight’s sword arm. His arm had been severed in a single stroke.
Jupien’s blade didn’t stop there.
Crunch.
Her sword stabbed straight into the knight’s open mouth.
Just a little push more, and his tongue would be cut, exactly as she had declared.
“Guh… guh… ah… ah…”
The knight groaned, tears streaming down his face in terror.
Jupien stared at him silently, then frowned.
“Even cutting off your tongue feels filthy.”
“!!”
Thud!
She kicked the knight, sending him tumbling across the floor, and returned to Chris’s side as if nothing had happened.
The entire hall was swallowed in silence.
They had been utterly overwhelmed by her presence.
After that, the journey proceeded relatively smoothly.
The atmosphere was still tense with killing intent, but no one dared to open their mouths carelessly again.
‘A short-lived comfort.’
Yes, this was only the beginning.
The deeper they went into the Gold Cross, the harsher the stares directed at Chris and his group became.
If it hadn’t been for Count Roy, whom Chris had called over to serve as a shield, there would’ve already been multiple incidents by now—it was a precarious situation.
Eventually—
The tension escalated to the point it felt like it would explode.
They had arrived at their destination: the Law Kingdom of Arhen.
* * *
The Law Kingdom was a small nation.
Its territory consisted of a central capital, a few satellite cities, and surrounding estates—nothing more.
But no one dared to look down on the Law Kingdom.
The royal family of Arhen carried the bloodline of the Holy Seat.
Because of that, they had served as the spiritual pillar of the Gold Cross people in their centuries-long resistance against the Magus Empire.
Small, but with a powerful influence that rivaled even the greatest nations—it was a glorious kingdom.
Because of that heritage, the people of the Law Kingdom were immensely proud of themselves and harbored an almost pathological hostility toward demons.
‘Still, this is way too grotesque to be considered art.’
The moment they passed through the castle gate, a massive bronze statue standing in the plaza came into view.
It was a large tree-shaped statue, with countless human heads sculpted in bronze hanging from its branches.
Each had horns protruding from their heads, clearly meant to represent severed demon heads, all bearing twisted expressions as if they had died under unspeakable torture.
‘They’re proudly displaying something only devils from Gehenna would enjoy.’
Chris shook his head in disbelief.
It was a testament to the Law Kingdom’s deep hatred toward demons.
In fact, the moment Chris and his group stepped inside the castle walls, sharp glares rained down on them.
The air was so heavy it felt like stones might come flying at any moment, and Count Roy once again broke out in a cold sweat, his face pale.
“Th-these individuals are envoys from the Dark Demonic House who came to solve the plague that recently struck the Gold Cross! S-so they’re good demons!!”
‘Ugh, why am I the one doing this?! Let me go home already, you damn demon bastard!’
For reference, since they had arrived at the Law Kingdom, Sir Press and the knights who had accompanied them had already returned to the border, leaving Count Roy all alone to swallow his tears.
At that moment, a cold voice rang out.
“The Count tells a funny story. A good demon? I’ve only heard of dead demons being good. Are you the envoys from the Dark Demonic House?”
“!!”
A tall blond man stood there.
He wore the emblem of the Law Kingdom and had knights following behind him.
Chris recognized him instantly.
‘Holy Knight Mieck.’
A man he knew well.
One of the Law Kingdom’s representative Holy Knights.
He had reached the level of a 5-star Elder Class.
‘He’s also known for his righteous nature.’
As Chris recalled that, he let out a faint chuckle without realizing.
A past memory had surfaced.
‘He was the one who presided over my purification ritual.’
In other words—
Mieck was also one of those who abused him under the pretext of purification during his childhood.
The reason it could clearly be called abuse was because of Mieck’s expression during the purification ritual.
At that time, Mieck was taking pleasure in tormenting the young Chris.
‘To run into this guy right after coming to the Law Kingdom.’
Chris nodded without showing any reaction.
“We are envoys from the Dark Demonic House. You must have heard what the main family said?”
“I have. You came as envoys to investigate the truth behind the plague of black death spreading through the federation.”
“Exactly. It’s clear someone is trying to frame our Dark Demonic House. We intend to uncover the truth and make them pay.”
Mieck nodded.
Then he spoke in a low voice.
A voice no one else could hear—directed only at Chris.
“Shut up, you filthy creatures.”
“!!”
“I don’t care what you’re thinking, so stay quiet and leave. We reluctantly accepted your visit as diplomatic envoys, but the thought of vermin like you stepping foot in our sacred Law Kingdom makes my blood boil.”
Chris let out a small laugh.
‘Just as I remembered Mieck’s personality.’
Chris thought bitterly.
‘Should I take care of him while I have the chance?’
Not because he bore a grudge against him.
To be honest, it was such an old issue that Chris had already forgotten about it.
If he held grudges against everyone who had tormented him as a child, he’d have to slaughter almost every notable figure in the Law Kingdom.
‘Still, it’s better to kill this guy. For the future’s sake.’
If left alive, he would become a cancerous presence, eating away at the Crusade Alliance.
More harmful than any enemy—a rotten man.
‘It’s about time I showed my strength at least once. He started this quarrel, so if a fight breaks out, it won’t be my fault.’
Having finished calculating, Chris provocatively faced Mieck.
“I don’t care about your reckless barking. Why don’t you just escort me to your master, the Law King?”
“!!”
“By the way, you kept saying ‘Law Kingdom, Law Kingdom’ so much, but it seems pretty unimpressive. Seeing a nobody like you barking wildly like you own the place makes that clear.”
Mieck’s face flared up with rage.
Just as he was about to tightly grip his sword, he suddenly froze.
His eyes met Chris’s.
“……”
Deep.
So deep it felt like swallowing the abyssal sea—his eyes were a dark crimson.
A chilling pressure crushed Mieck.
It was an instinctive sense of danger.
That he must not draw his sword.
‘What nonsense is this? What does that brat think he is?’
Mieck furrowed his brows as if he couldn’t understand what he was feeling.
He was an Elder Class.
Although still a lower 5-star, unlike Ashid—who was a half-baked 5-star whom Chris had defeated recently—Mieck was a proper Elder Class.
Yet, to feel this from an opponent only ranked 4-star?
“Why? What are you hesitating for? You’re not going to draw your sword? If you want to, go ahead. Demons don’t avoid challenges.”
Mieck ground his teeth.