Chapter 49 (1/2)
Chapter 49
Chapter 49: The Lifting of the Fog (Part 2)
Neib Koval was born in a mansion in Lelis 45 years ago.
His father was a n.o.ble from the Kingdom of Liuus. However, because he liked the urban life, he spent more than half of his life behind the city’s walls.
When the Kingdom of Liuus, which used to control the area around Lake Liuus, fell apart from civil war, the city of Lelis became the stage for several military clashes.
The mansion that Neib Koval had lived in since young suffered attacks from both rioters and robbers. Due to his father having been an absolute failure at administering to the people of his fiefdom, he himself was also often showered with resentment on his father’s behalf.
Growing up within such circ.u.mstances fostered within him a selfish personality that saw others as nothing but tools.
In spite of that, if only he had never come across that thing. After Lelis gained its independence, he could very well have turned out a run-of-the-mill n.o.ble capable of making realistic decisions every now and then.
The outbreak of Shadow Demons 10 years ago, though not large enough in scale to be called a Bleed, left deep scars upon the various cities of the Liuus Union.
At the time, having already succeeded the t.i.tle of Baron from his father, he partic.i.p.ated in the fight against the Shadow Demons as a member of Lelis’ defence force.
Of course, he never went to the front lines in person, but he did fulfil the bare minimum of his duty.
Eventually, thanks to the efforts of the Carbanera Knight Order, the Adventurer's Guild, the Magician’s Guild, and the 「War Tribe」, the Shadow Demon nest was destroyed.
A few months after that, the Koval House received a queer offering from one of the villages neighboring Lelis that was, in name, under their control.
“What is this. It’s creepy.”
The Baron’s reaction was only natural, as it was the skull of a Small Demon. Its black surface was so glossy that it almost looked wet. He could not discern whether this was painted on or if it was the skull's actual color.
“Indeed it is. No one would even think of putting something like this up for display, would they.”
His faithful, elderly steward’s words was common sense and also only natural. However, something in there touched a string in his heart.
The moment he peered suspiciously into the gaping eye sockets, he thought he saw a faint golden flicker in its depths.
“Hou, is that so. Then I will purposely leave it on hand. It seems more stylish than a common sculpture, does it not?”
♥♦♣♠
The Baron left the Shadow Demon skull in his bedroom, which led to a small change in his heart.
He became able to recognize the evil intentions lurking within everybody’s gazes. He also became able to hear the malicious gossip being whispered about him in places beyond his sight.
It took almost no time at all for this small change to bring about great distortion.
3 days later, he came to view all humans as clumps of malice out to scorn and torment himself. He could no longer believe the fact that he himself was a human.
7 days later, he had fostered such affinity for the anti-human race of Shadow Demons that he offered his own blood to the skull.
Finally, 10 days later, he invited a Demonist priest to his mansion.
&ldq
uo;I was convinced that you of all people would understand the Shadow Demons’ glorious mission.”
“Ahh…… the repulsive beings known as humans must be eradicated, no matter the cost.”
The priest was the Village Head of the village that had sent the Shadow Demon skull to the Baron. That village had apparently been completely converted to Demonism ever since the Baron’s father’s time.
“However, we still need to gather a far greater amount of power in order to eradicate the humans. To that end, you must seize power in Lelis.”
“That goes without saying. So far, I’ve only thought of securing a safe life for myself. From now on, though, I will seriously aim to kick down those merchant b.a.s.t.a.r.ds.”
“To that end, use these as you please.”
What the priest offered to the Baron this time was 5 dark elves.
♥♦♣♠
Using his dark elves as a.s.sa.s.sins, the Baron surrept.i.tiously expanded his own power.
With advice from the priest, the Baron took only the most inconspicuous moves. With that said, though, more than 10 of his political enemies eventually succ.u.mbed to accidental deaths. Because he was employing such superior yet completely loyal a.s.sa.s.sins, even the Thieves’ Guild did not notice what he was doing.
However, even with his barony’s history, historic customs, and financial capital, it took him 10 years to rise to the top position of the n.o.ble Faction. In the meantime, he mercifully led every single person in his household, beginning with his steward, down the path to becoming fervent Demonists.
During that entire time, he never once failed to uphold the monthly ritual that the priest had taught him. The bottom of the underground lake that was the ritual site became filled with countless numbers of human bones.
Everything was going smoothly.
When he finally got to starting preparations for wresting the seat of Council Chairman from the eyesore Zatou Braus, he showed up.
♥♦♣♠
The Baron was ecstatic upon hearing from the priest that a new Shadow Demon nest had appeared close to Yuule Village.
But a mere few days later, that nest was wiped out by a single man. His joy was immediately replaced by rage and hatred.
Being able to easily destroy a Shadow Demon nest with that strange 「wizardry」 of his…… such an existence must not be tolerated.
“Even if we have to stake our lives, we must kill the man, Gio Margils, without fail.”
“Say no more. Destroying that which destroys Shadow Demons is the mission of us Demonists.”
♥♦♣♠
The first opportunity was when Margils, who had gone to the trouble of coming to Lelis himself, was meeting with the Council Chairman.
The most excellent p.a.w.n in his hand was capable of easily infiltrating the Council Hall. So it seemed a great idea to poison the two of them together.
If both of them died from that, then that was that. If only the Council Chairman died, he could frame Margils as the culprit. The same went for the other way round.
In the one in a million chance that they both survived, there would naturally still be friction and distrust between the two of them. Or at least, that was how it was supposed to have panned out.
The actual result was that both Margils and the Council Chairman survived. But rather than friction, the incident helped the two of them to gain even more trust in each other.
Taken back at the report from his p.a.w.n, he rushed to the Council Hall to look at Margils from afar, but all he saw was a common, mediocre, dime-a-dozen middle-aged man. What kind of a joke was this?!
Either way, he understood that Margils could not be killed with any conventional method.
Even though he sent his other p.a.w.ns in an attempt to take hostage people close to Margils, they failed because of an ‘an invisible devil’ or ‘a female devil made of wind’ or some other bulls.h.i.+t.
If a small number of elites can’t finish the job, then how about numbers. So thinking, he hired all of the trash around the streets, but they were obstructed by an even greater number of city guards and adventurers.
Then he was informed that a female magician that he had already considered an enemy from a while back was also close to Margils. But when he sent his p.a.w.ns to her, they were once again foiled by adventurers.
Right when he was laying low, trying to think of a new plan, he received a report that adventurers and city guards are scouring the entire city for information about his p.a.w.ns.
Up to now, there had been times when city guards or adventurers had directed gazes of suspicion towards himself, but he had deftly diverted them all.
This time, however, was different. A strange light burned in their eyes, and they were as persistent and tenacious about it as if they were seeking revenge against a generations-long clan enemy. Furthermore, even the Thieves’ Guild, with whom they had a tacit non-aggression relations.h.i.+p, were now also crawling through the underground routes in hot pursuit.
(T/N: The power of money lol.)