"Cruel Hardt's head is with me."
Dan, who couldn't hold it in anymore, took a deep breath.
Even Deon couldn't help but be shaken this time.
Wide-open eyes trembled mercilessly. The hand holding the communicator turned white and was trembling.
"That..."
His tongue, which had been moving smoothly as if it had been oiled, became stiff.
"That's..."
Deon stuttered out the words with difficulty, as the words that had been on his tongue kept slipping and being spit out in an incomprehensible moan.
"What is that..."
"You know that I was the one who killed Cruel Hardt. So I also have his head. I would like to inform you that thanks to the magic placed on it, it is preserved and well without decay."
He's crazy. Dan muttered softly and glanced at Deon.
He looks like he can't even breathe properly. Even though he appeared to be out of his mind, it was difficult to see any more information about his turmoil. He covered his mouth and patted him on the back in an attempt to get him to breathe again and come to his senses.
The breathing that had stopped came out in a gasp under Dan's hand.
"Come to the Duke's residence in Illuster territory. It's okay to bring troops, but you must come yourself."
"..."
"By the way, if you are too late, you will never see your brother's head. Surely you wouldn't abandon the person who died after protecting you until the end?"
"... You crazy bastard."
Deon, who had barely regained his breathing, came to his senses and cursed. Fortunately, his voice came out straight and without trembling.
Crack.
Could this grinding sound be this clear? The Duke smiled, rolling his eyes at someone he couldn't even see.
Cruel Hardt's head was received as proof of the request. In addition to the request to kill Deon Hardt, a request was added to kill Cruel if he showed signs of protecting Deon Hardt. How did he feel when h saw Cruel Hardt's head in the box?
'Why are there so many foolish people in the world?'
He was laughing at it.
The First Prince and even Cruel Hardt. Why would they throw their lives away for their family?
He cherished it because it was a fairly useful weapon, but now that it has come to this, he had no special regrets about it.
For a moment, he was about to feel uncomfortable even though he was watching more.
'... Deon Hardt escaped alive.'
The place where their terrible battle took place was near the entrance of a mountain range. The moment the Duke heard that information, he knew.
'He went to the Demon World.'
Cruel evacuated Deon Hardt to the demon realm.
He would never come back here again. He felt a greater threat to his life than any other threat he had faced so far, and it was also the place where his brother risked his life to evacuate.
Above all, if he wanted revenge on the Duke who killed his brother, it would be much more likely that he would be in the demon realm rather than in the Empire.
The Emperor is a monarch who acts based on the larger picture rather than the grudges of just one person. Although he cared for Deon Hardt, he was neither gentle nor light enough to take all the losses and defeat the Duke at his request.
'He will definitely come back as a big threat.'
It would be nice to live as if he were dead in the demon world, but he knew that was too hopeful.
Even so, in a situation where the human world and the demon world are fighting, Deon Hardt has completely turned to that side. The Demon King would definitely take advantage of this.
So, he cast a conservation spell, consuming even a portion of his precious magical power.
Because Cruel Hardt died protecting Deon Hardt. Even if he was a dead man, or rather, because he was a dead man, Deon Hardt will be weakened by his brother's traces.
If he were to use the body parts of his brother, who couldn't even leave a complete body, as bait, he would have no choice but to let it go even if he knew it.
And now.
The Duke's guess was correct.
Instead of a positive answer, the communication was cut off with a soft curse and the sound of teeth grinding, but this was the signal that he was coming. The Duke was sure that Deon Hardt would change course.
So now let's take some time and move on. As he pushed the turned off communicator aside, he thought of Cruel, the number one contributor.
As expected, using a corpse felt a bit uncomfortable.
"When you were alive, you interfered so much with me and protected Deon Hardt, so it's only fair that you should help me at least once in death."
Isn't that right?
***
After cutting off communication, Deon searched his chest in silence. As if it were a lie that he was overcome by emotions so strong that he even stopped breathing, his expression was frozen as if he had put on a mask and did not show any emotions.
Dan realized what he was trying to bring out and prepared a fire. Deon lit a cigarette and slowly closed his eyes.
"... Are you okay?"
"Am I okay."
After a long period of calm silence, looking into space with a dry expression, Deon opened his mouth softly.
"I was told I should never hate anything."
As soon as Dan heard him, he knew what he was talking about. This must have been what the shaman grandmother said. But he didn't answer.
He didn't know what to answer, but his voice was too tired to answer casually.
The voice continued.
"I feel like fate is pushing me to hate the world."
"... Then."
He didn't like the facial expression that didn't show any real feelings, but he also didn't like the tired voice. He felt much more alive and better when he was filled with hatred and running rampant for revenge.
That's why Dan dared to open his mouth. He had no choice but to hate, as fate wished.
"How about showing a hatred that even they didn't expect?"
"... What?"
"If the size of the hatred they want is a fistful, Master shows that hatred that is large enough to cover the entire world. There is a saying in the South that too much is too little, so this would also be an act of messing with fate."
"..."
There was silence.
In a quiet space that seemed disconnected from the world, something cold landed on his forehead. Deon looked up. His calm gaze filled his field of vision with the snow falling gently against the backdrop of the gloomy sky.
It seems like a lot of time was wasted at Miller's territory.
When did winter come?
"It's already snowing."
Crackle.
The cigarette, which he had only taken one drag of, was casually rubbed against his thigh. It cleverly missed the belt, melting the clothes again and leaving another burn mark over the scar. Deon muttered as if he was talking to himself, ignoring Dan's gaze that was quietly looking at him.
"I hate snow."
"..."
"... I'll remember what you said. Let's go back now. The route has changed, so I have to be busier."
He'll pretend he didn't hear it just now.
***
What route should I take to get to Illuster territory as quickly as possible?
To save time, I should not just look for the shortest distance. The Demon King's Army has already advanced this far and occupied some castles, so it would be a good idea to make full use of them. It's best to move while minimizing combat.
I thought of Paras. The shortest route to the Illuster territory opens after passing through the Paras Territory and Amiable Territory. The territory of Paras has already been conquered, and the territory of Amiable will not be difficult to conquer since its owner, the Margrave, died in Miller.
Since we're going back the way we came to Paras Territory, there won't be any time wasted on battles or anything like that.
It's a waste of time to sleep. The demons have good stamina, so they'll hold out well, and Dan... he'll take care of it. Once I made my decision, there was no hesitation after that.
I immediately returned to the demons and told them that the plan had changed and that they should move immediately, and the demons obediently followed the commander's orders. The Demon King contacted me in the middle asking if the route had changed, but it was only for confirmation and he did not inquire about the reason or reprimand me.
"Master... I don't think you even know it's hard because you're focused, but it's hard."
"Oh my gosh, if I keep doing this, I'm going to die..."
"Master Deon, Master Deon! Just a moment...! It's Ben...!"
"Hero... I need the hero's fragment... It will be less difficult if I become a hero..."
Someone made a dying sound, but I didn't care. But I know it's hard. My body is so weak that I can't hold on and I feel like I'm going to fall, so I'm tying myself to a horse and running.
... It seems like there was something that wasn't Dan's voice mixed in, but I guess I was mistaken.
In this way, the Demon King's Army ran at a speed that shocked everyone and reached the Amiable territory in no time. I heard it later, but it was said that at this time, the Demon King held his stomach and laughed at the position that changed every time he looked away. After all, it's Deon.
I raised my head, rubbing my thumbs under my eyes, which had become even darker. I could see soldiers preparing with their own weapons on the walls...
'A territory without a Margrave is like a toothless tiger.'
As expected, there was a battle, but it didn't last very long.
The Demon King's Army easily crossed the castle wall without Margrave Amiable and began running towards their destination again.
We covered the remaining distance in an instant and arrived at the Illuster territory.
"This is... crazy..."
Dan muttered in a tired voice. His face looked detached, as if everything had been set on fire.
Likewise, demons with tired faces raised their heads with difficulty and looked at the top of the walls of the Illuster territory.
"Uh...?"
Someone made a questioning voice.
Had their hopes for an easy battle been answered? There was no one on the castle wall. Even sentries who were basically supposed to stay put!
A familiar feeling of déjà vu arose. I blurted out a word.
"It's the same as the fiefdoms on the route after Miller."
"...!"
"Now, someone please go over and open the gate. After cleaning up, take a break here for a while... Okay, let's take a good rest, not just for a while, but for half a day."
"!"
It looks like they were very tired. The demons turned on their eyes and pushed the fellow next to them on the back, telling them to go quickly. How long has it been since someone stepped up and climbed over the castle wall?
The door opened quickly.
I thought maybe the demons who crossed over were ambushed by troops, and the open door was intended to draw the army inside and ambush us. I looked inside the door with narrowed eyes, and only after seeing the demons coming out without notice did I slowly lead my horse into the castle.
'It's really empty.'
The inside was empty, as if most people had already evacuated... although it doesn't seem completely empty.
Red eyes slowly rolled to the side. As soon as I made eye contact with someone, they seemed to startle and quickly hid among the private houses.
Dan slowly tilted his head towards me.
"Shall I bring them?"
"... It's okay. They look like a poor person."
If it were just one person, it would have been suspicious, but judging by the inexperienced people everywhere, it seems like there were quite a few people who were in a hurry to evacuate and couldn't escape.
Because of their shabby clothes, they were probably poor people who had not received any support.
"Don't do anything like that, just keep an eye out for suspicious people."
"Even if we don't, we are looking into it diligently. It certainly doesn't seem like there is anything that can be considered a threat."
"I guess so..."
In that case, there would be no Duke, either. I'm not even sure if my brother's head is here...
Still, going to the Duke's residence is a priority. I've come this far, so I can't leave without checking.
Finding the Duke's residence was not difficult. I rode my horse and headed to the most luxurious and largest mansion. A huge front gate without a gatekeeper came into view.
'I knew it.'
The mansion also seemed empty.
The demons came out and opened the iron door. I quietly watched them, then took a step into the front door and spoke.
"You should wait here."
Immediately the demons flinched and stopped. In contrast, I glanced at Dan, who was stepping forward as if he was going to follow, but instead of saying no, I turned my head away.
Not saying no meant giving permission. Dan followed suit proudly.