Chapter 61 - When Holding the Seeds of Chaos
Geshkapo.If this Demon King fails and I die...Don't you ever leave the north.
"Gah!"
The thoughts that woke him up made Geshkapo sit up straight.
"Cough, ugh."
Kopetal.
He was one of the Four Heavenly Kings, known to the world as dead. He had once been Geshkapo's spiritual pillar, leading the north, but he never believed that the Demon Realm could conquer the continent.
When Geshkapo asked him why he still went to the front lines, he would give an ambiguous answer: "because I feel the same as the Demon King."
Of course, Geshkapo somewhat understood what he meant.
Kopetal lost his wife, a fellow demon, to humans. It was only natural that he would be driven by a desire for revenge.
But in reality, Kopetal didn't seem to care about revenge. Only feelings of emptiness and futility seemed to fill him.
So Geshkapo thought that perhaps Kopetal had just gone to find a place to die.
'Foolish.'
Geshkapo couldn't understand Kopetal.
He was so strong, so why would he crumble under such a sense of loss? War was fun. If he just kept fighting, he could forget everything.
It was a simple problem. Truly simple…
"How is it? Fun?"
At that moment, Geshkapo's mouth fell open when he saw a small woman suddenly poke her head out.
"Gwaaah!"
"Gwaaaaah!"
The woman, who had screamed along with him, then said with a calm expression,
"Why are you yelling so much!"
"You, you…"
"Did you lose your memory?"
Lyn poked her own small head with her index finger and sighed.
"You were in the middle of a body enhancement."
"Wha, what?"
"Right, to be precise, a modification."
Golche, who was nearby, opened his grotesque mouth and grinned.
At the terrifying sight, Geshkapo belatedly looked down at his own body. It was filled with various stakes and even had an incision.
"Gwaaaaaah!"
"Golche, what are you doing?"
Lyn asked, looking at Golche with a pouty face.
"Calm him down."
"It is I who should be giving the orders, but I'll do so for now."
With that, Golche injected Geshkapo with an unknown substance.
"Ugh…"
As his consciousness faded, Geshkapo, to his astonishment, finally remembered. Lyn and Golche had told him to lie down for a while so they could enhance his body.
'Back then, they said all I had to do was lie down…'
They had talked as if it were nothing, but what was this?
Later, Geshkapo, who had completely lost consciousness, opened his eyes again half a day later.
"Aaaaah!"
As soon as he woke up, Geshkapo examined his body and broke out in a cold sweat at the sight of the sutured surgical scars.
"Sh, shit."
Just as Geshkapo was about to leave the lab, Cardine appeared before him.
"Is everything ready?"
"Wha, what?"
"Ready for the expedition, I mean."
He had heard nothing of the sort.
"Wh-where are that woman and the monster?"
As he scanned his surroundings for Lyn and Golche, Cardine narrowed his eyes.
"Their names are Lyn and Golche. You should remember the names of the people who are helping you."
"H-helping me?"
"Just in case, I'll tell you this in advance. The Demon King has appointed me as his adjutant. Since I often act as the Demon King's representative, please understand that I've been told to treat even the Four Heavenly Kings informally."
"I don't care about that. Well, I do care, but-"
Geshkapo never imagined the Four Heavenly Kings would be treated this way.
"No matter what, this is treating me like a lab rat. I am the man who will stand at the forefront of the demon army!"
"That is why this happened."
Cardine said firmly.
"If you are to inherit the position of a Heavenly King and go out to battle, shouldn't you have the resilience for it? But what happened to you?"
He had challenged the Demon King and was utterly crushed.
"You are far too lacking. Your qualifications for a Heavenly King are questionable."
"What?!"
"Even so, there must be a reason why the Demon King chose you."
Cardine showed a strong belief in the current Demon King.
"He is not someone who makes the wrong choices."
-We made the wrong choice.
Crunch.
Geshkapo suddenly remembered Kopetal's words and let out a hollow laugh.
"'He does not make the wrong choices,' huh."
The absolute conviction was so great that Geshkapo wondered if the Demon King himself thought that.
For someone right next to the Demon King to have such conviction meant there was something truly special about him.
'Kopetal couldn't do that.'
Kopetal already knew that he and the previous Demon King would fail. Being by the former Demon King's side, he had a clear conviction about the outcome more than anyone else.
"Is it possible even though he was a human?"
"It's possible precisely because he was a human."
Cardine answered Geshkapo's final doubt.
"Because his existence was denied by his entire race."
It was the same as completely losing his identity as a human.
Even Geshkapo, who was a man of action rather than words, understood the meaning.
"Hahaha, right."
Geshkapo finally looked relieved.
"It means he can only live here."
Kopetal had said.
If he were to fail alongside the previous Demon King and die, Geshkapo shouldn't leave the north.
That was the same as telling him not to lose himself.
'I…'
Geshkapo clenched his fists.
'I don't doubt myself, Kopetal.'
That was the one difference between him and his spiritual pillar, Kopetal.
For that reason, he could respect the current Demon King if he was someone who could only affirm his own existence in the Demon Realm.
Because in order not to lose himself again, he would surely protect this place.
If a ruler, unlike his predecessor, never dreamed of failure, was there any reason not to serve him?
And if he was still strong,
'Not following him would be a loss.'
Geshkapo was willing to stand on the front lines for a ruler who would provide him with enjoyable, unwinnable fights.
"I promise."
Geshkapo said to Cardine.
"I will become the Demon King's most cherished vanguard."
"Alright."
Cardine turned his head.
"He said so."
"Oh!"
Lyn, who was hiding behind a shelf, came out with sparkling eyes.
"Then we can continue, right?"
"Hahaha, I was bored to death waiting."
Seeing Golche also pop out and speak, Geshkapo looked at Cardine.
"Well, didn't you say you were ready?"
Cardine shrugged.
"Then I'll be going."
Cardine left the bewildered Geshkapo behind and walked out.
"Wa-wait!"
Geshkapo reached out his hand, then cautiously turned his head back at the stares on him.
"Alright, let's finish this!"
"Next are the limbs."
Looking at Lyn with a magic circle drawn on her palm and Golche approaching with a saw, Geshkapo screamed.
"No, I don't need it!"
Hearing the distant cry, Cardine shook his head as he walked down the hallway.
"I should never let that happen to me."
He made a small resolve.
"So, you're forming an expeditionary force?"
In the Demon King's office.
Leaning against Clay's shoulder from behind while he sat in his chair was none other than Athanasia.
"Athanasia. When did we become so close?"
"We aren't that close yet."
Athanasia whispered.
"But I'm trying to be."
Clay was somewhat anticipating this ever since she came to talk about the divine artifact, but he fell silent for a moment at Athanasia's more proactive approach than he expected.
"Are you trying to improve our relationship so your followers don't lose their faith in you?"
"You're speaking so stiffly."
Athanasia pouted a little.
"But it's not wrong."
She moved to the top of his desk and spoke again.
"Let me join the expeditionary force too."
"You?"
"Yeah."
Athanasia swung her two legs back and forth.
"There's something I want to investigate, too."
"Is it about the Guardian Knights?"
"Oh. How did you know?"
Well, how many new things could Athanasia, who had only recently returned to this world, have experienced?
It was only natural that she would want to investigate those who had awakened her.
"Those guys are also trying to wake up other ancient gods."
"Do you want to help the other ancient gods?"
"Of course not."
Athanasia crossed her arms.
"They were all out for themselves, except when they faced Elheim. Since Elheim is no longer on the ground, I'm worried they'll appear as enemies."
"Enemies, huh."
When Clay reacted calmly, Athanasia thrust her face close to his.
"Aren't you worried?"
"About what?"
"The ancient gods won't like you when they wake up."
"Is that a hate crime now?"
"No!"
Athanasia patted her chest with her slender wrist.
"I plan to recover my power through you now, so you can't be in danger."
"You're spilling your plan."
"Ah."
Athanasia covered her mouth for a moment, then confessed with a dissatisfied expression.
"Fine. Let's just live together."
"I appreciate your honesty."
"Anyway! To the ancient gods, you're just another god! You're even devouring their faith!"
Clay was certainly aware of that fact.
"It's fine. The ancient gods would have been displeased with my existence for any reason anyway. A fight is inevitable."
"Then why are you so nonchalant about it?"
"Athanasia."
Clay said in a low voice.
"Regardless of their displeasure with me, the ancient gods will attack humans first."
"What?"
Athanasia's eyes widened as if she had heard something absurd.
"What are you talking about?"
"Unlike you, faith is not a priority for the other ancient gods. It's not essential for their existence."
"But don't they need faith to get stronger?"
"That's the blind spot."
Since faith wasn't essential for their existence, they didn't need to be desperate for it from the start like Athanasia. But because of that, they could gather faith more easily than Athanasia.
"The other ancient gods can create faith through fear, just like me. Of course, it's not as good as genuine belief in terms of needing to be revered. There's a limit to the faith of forced followers."
They make up for it with numbers. They had plenty of time to do that.
"Since they can survive without a certain amount of faith, they won't be thrashing around like a fish out of water begging for just a little water like you."
"Hey, hey!"
"Athanasia."
Clay said calmly, even while watching the agitated Athanasia.
"The other ancient gods have had plenty of time to 'think.'"
"Are you saying I'm thoughtless?"
"I'm saying they won't be backed into a corner."
Clay brought his face closer to Athanasia's. At the unexpected situation, Athanasia was flustered and recoiled.
"If the Guardian Knights, acting on their orders, mistakenly bring more ancient gods to this world,"
At Clay's next words, Athanasia trembled.
"I will help the humans they are trying to kill, and in doing so, secure chaos and faith directed toward me."
He was outlining a plan that was even more befitting of a Demon King than Athanasia had imagined.
"The more confused the humans are about what I am, the more they will divide and walk toward their own demise."