Demon tribe.
Using the great power possessed by the Demon King, a race of plunderers from another dinsion had infiltrated this world by breaking through the dinsional barrier.
As long as their desires permit, they could grow indefinitely, becoming an ever-increasing threat to humanity over ti.
Among the mbers of such Demon King’s army, excluding the Demon King himself, everyone agreed that the strongest among the demon tribe was collectively referred to as the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’.
“M-M-…”
It was said that phisto, ranked second among them, had appeared.
Realizing this, a gasp of horror began to escape from the young saint of the ter Order, Yui.
“Why is Lord phisto here?!”
“Shh.”
rilyn quickly covered the mouth of the young saint with her hand.
The young saint trembled at the force, but rilyn paid no mind, quietly observing the atmosphere around them.
This place was the Saint’s room, connected to the ter Order’s prayer room.
rilyn ca here while wandering the city, having been asked by the ter Order to perform music needed for a holy song and also to gather concerning information lately.
The ter, aside from the empire’s state religion, Friga, had been recently gaining influence.
She accepted the task, hoping to gather much information, but what she actually found was a fellow demon tribe mber playing the role of a saint in the order.
Priests, who would not be satisfied even if they beat a demon tribe mber to death, were venerating one as a saint—a concern for a fellow demon tribe mber, wouldn’t it?
“O rciful saint of ter, it is regretful that a humble minstrel like myself lays hands on your noble body, but nevertheless, I must convey a ssage to you.”
“Mmph, mmph.”
The young saint, her mouth covered by a hand, had tears welling up in her eyes.
Soon, rilyn squinted her eyes, beginning to glare at her.
“You are aware that this is human territory, right?”
“Uh, umph, mph.”
“Being in the valuable position of a saint ans human influences are involved, but it seems you’ve been hiding your identity in public… It would be best if we didn’t reveal each other’s identities openly, right?”
“…Mph.”
Her head nodded strenuously, with her mouth still covered.
Seeing the trembling of her body subside, rilyn gradually relaxed her hand, covering her mouth.
“Alright, let’s quietly… reveal our identities to each other quietly and have a light conversation.”
“Yes, yes. Please, speak, Lord phisto…”
Saint Yui was finally able to breathe and speak…
No, at least in front of her, there was no need to hide her identity.
“What is your na?”
“I am Yui-noi, a low-ranking mber of the Demon King’s army.”
A young demon, looking to be only about 10 years old at most.
This young girl, who hadn’t even learned to drain life energy, likely only did trivial chores in the Demon King’s army.
“It doesn’t seem you infiltrated human society on the Demon King’s army’s orders… Why is a small and young being like you playing the role of a saint in the order?”
“That’s exactly what I wanted to say! All the humans here are crazy!”
Yui-noi continued to ramble on in response to her question.
From the rough explanation, so crazy hero had venerated her as a saint, and then, fanatics flocked to the order, massively expanding its size to what it was now.
“Uh, sob. Humans are scary… If I don’t escape quickly, I’ll surely be devoured.”
“…Well, from what I saw earlier, they seed to be quite fond of you.”
“Fond? Don’t say sothing so absurd! Lord phisto, you’ve seen it too! Such madness, even the Demon King’s army has never…!”
-Thud!
Her mouth closed with a sensation of her heart dropping.
The ensuing chill must be due to the murderous intent emanating from the demon before her.
“Are you saying that to , that it makes no sense?”
“Gasp!”
Yui-noi gasped, her voice distorted.
Then, rilyn, standing up, began to close the distance to Yui-noi, leading with her head.
“Miss Yui-noi. Do you not know who stands before you?”
“Yes, I know. You are phisto Rage, ranked second in the Demon King’s army…”
“Knowing that well, yet you, a re lowly soldier, dare talk back to . To , a top executive of the Demon King’s army?!”
Naturally, one would feel displeased.
After all, there was no such thing as racial affection among the demon tribe, and such a being, tricked by humans, would only be seen as an object of ridicule, not of salvation.
Furthermore, if such a being posed a risk of ensnaring the army, they were considered a primary target for elimination.
“Being toyed with by humans doesn’t look good… Should I just nip this in the bud before any troubleso events unfold?”
“Eeeeek! I was wrong! Please save ee!”
The young demon, reaching the limit of her fear, collapsed and burst into tears.
rilyn, looking down with cold eyes, then smiled bitterly and quietly patted Yui-noi’s head.
“Huhu, it was a joke, so don’t cry.”
“Uh, eh?”
“Coincidentally, I am no longer a part of the Demon King’s army, so there’s no need for to deal with traitors or adhere to the army’s norms.”
Blink, blink.
Yui-noi, with tears in her eyes, stared blankly at rilyn.
By then, the murderous intent that had surged earlier had long since vanished like a lie, but the truth of what was just said also ca as a considerable shock to Yui-noi.
“Leaving the Demon King’s army, who?”
“Who else but ?”
“E-Eh?! Why would Lord phisto…? Why would the second-in-command of the Demon King’s army…?!”
“If you’re curious, find out for yourself. Using your position as a saint, you should be able to easily gather information that humanity has investigated.”
But rilyn dismissed Yui-noi’s question as unimportant.
Even that was shockingly received by the young demon, but the initial reason for eting was to see if soone’s influence had led this young demon to act as a saint.
If such a connection was not found, there would be no obligation for her to intervene in the girl’s circumstances.
“Anyway, as I am not particularly hostile towards humanity nor working for the Demon King’s army at the mont, I will not interfere further with your situation. So, if we et again, please treat lightly.”
“Ah, aah! Please wait a mont! Lord phisto! Lord ph–”
-Ding!
“Ugh!”
A lyre string snapped in an attempt to shake off the girl following her as she was about to leave the room.
As the young demon fell, exposed to a special noise audible only to the demon tribe, the disciples near the entrance, belatedly aware of the commotion, began to approach rilyn.
“We heard the Saint’s scream just now, what happened?”
“It seems the Saint, who was seeing off, tripped and fell. Could you please tend to her injuries for a mont?”
“Ah, yes, of course!”
The disciples hurried into the room without suspicion.
She worried that so disciples might have overheard, but fortunately, since she had laid a spell to block noise from the ti she entered the room, it seed unlikely to be a problem.
‘If that child prioritizes her own life, she wouldn’t spread the word about this.’
Of course, survival was paramount before desires, so she was very fearful.
She might spend her days in tears after she left, but to rilyn, that was of no concern.
What was most important to her now was how to manage the relationship with the person she loves…
…and to eliminate anything that could be a threat to him, as much as she could.
“Would you like to take a newspaper?”
“…Keep the change as a tip.”
rilyn tossed a coin to a nearby newspaper-selling delivery boy.
Leaving the rejoicing boy behind, rilyn then focused her attention on the content of the newspaper she held.
‘Was everything I’ve recently investigated true?’
The war that took place at the Dragon’s Tomb not long ago.
During that war, the remaining two knights of the Undead Legion fought a direct frontal battle with the Demon King’s army, alongside the Corpse Lord.
And during the process, the information that beca known to humanity was that new Four Heavenly Kings had ascended within the Demon King’s army, and, indirectly, that the existing Four Heavenly Kings were either dismissed or had died…
‘The new executives of the Demon King’s army are speculated to be not from the demon tribe but an orc of mixed blood and a demon of gluttony… Well, moving on.’
Though other well-known mbers of the demon tribe had taken their places, they were considered not worth her attention as they were young and not even pureblood demons like the forr Four Heavenly Kings.
What needed attention was whether the Demon King’s army posed a significant threat of invading human territories, and if there were any signs of her forr lord moving directly.
[The Corpse Lord had shown herself on the battlefield, but the Demon King’s appearance remains unseen. With his identity hidden for over ten years, so experts optimistically speculate that the Demon King’s condition has weakened, leading to a reclusive life…]
‘Weakened? The Demon King?’
Nonsense.
Rather, he was an absolute being living emptily every mont, unable to control his own power; how could humanity underestimate her forr lord so much?
If he were to move, not only humanity but also the Undead Legion, the beastn, and the vampires could all be annihilated overnight.
How could humans dare to gauge an absolute being who could directly achieve divine powers worshipped by the order?
‘…My Lord, Demon King.’
The fact that he had not moved until now brought relief, yet bitterness enveloped a corner of her heart.
Even though he was soone she had sworn lifelong allegiance to before eting the person who awakened love in her, it was ironic that now she saw him as a threat and guarded against his existence at every mont.
‘When I et you again, how will I face you, I wonder?’
However, this period of absence probably wouldn’t last much longer.
If the current emptiness becos unbearable, he might finally lose his sanity and move to destroy everything in this world.
So, she must also devise so plan in preparation for that ti.
-Rustle.
While continuing her investigation to scrutinize the movents of the Demon King’s army with such a resolution, rilyn suddenly felt a suspicious presence nearby, and her steps halted.
‘…That man, he’s not human.’
Yes, another race disguised as herself was strolling through the village.
A man in a black suit and cloak, with a dignified gentleman’s air. He felt familiar because she had seen him once before.
Certainly, it was the vampire who had shown interest in her and the person she adored, offering tickets to use a theater during their reunion dinner.
‘No, he’s not just any youngster.’
Just as purebloods among the demon tribe were called such, without mixed blood, the vampires who had cultivated their power the longest were called ‘True Ancestors’.
The being before her could be called a True Ancestor. Despite their vulnerability to sunlight, their re presence on the streets during the day made that clear.
However, enduring was one thing; it didn’t an it was okay.
‘…Suspicious.’
Of course, vampires were of no concern, but knowing they had an interest in her love, she couldn’t just let it slide.
Thinking it best to follow just in case, rilyn started to quietly trail him, concealing her presence.
Through the crowd, and gradually towards a secluded path with fewer people…
-Thump, thump.
Just as she thought to approach slowly, she began to feel her heart beat violently.
It was what one might call a ‘sense of danger’.
But that feeling was not because of the vampire moving deeper into the alley, but rather emanating from the vicinity of the path he was taking.
‘Why?’
Does that vampire not notice the energy, just passing through this street? Or was he withdrawing because it was beyond his interest?
Either way, it was a power rilyn could not overlook.
A power incomparable even to True Ancestors, aware that sothing was afoot in this vicinity.
-Crack.
rilyn, sensing that dense power, ran towards it and physically broke through the barrier encircling the area.
The barrier, designed to disrupt the minds of intruders, was digging into her psyche, attempting to turn her steps away even now.
Yes, a demon tribe mber with great power, enough to interfere with the psyche of a pureblood like herself, was manipulating things behind a barrier here.
“…Oh?”
As if to show she wasn’t the only one to recognize the opponent.
The red-haired demon tribe mber, reaching out to a man who collapsed on the ground, began to wear a welcoming expression towards her.
“Oh my, who do we have here~? If it isn’t our phi~?”
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