Chapter 30: Secrets

Kalia’s gates were finally opened. Even facing the terrifying army of Death Knights, Galk’s soldiers defended their honor and their humanity at the cost of their lives.
Yet the price paid was enormous. To show the world the significance of having nobles lead this campaign, Scott suffered a heavy loss.
With only about two thousand Death Knights against roughly four times as many Galk soldiers, they still managed to trade one for two, a fact that deeply shocked Scott.
In this battle, while successfully capturing Kalia, Scott lost over three thousand brave soldiers, a clear testament to the terrifying strength of the Death Knight army.
Yet despite such heavy losses, not a single Galk soldier fled from the battlefield—truly worthy of being among the empire’s top three armies for their soldier quality.
“That’s enough…” After the last Death Knight was killed by Galk soldiers filled with grief and hatred, the demon god, the archer Lelarkin, stopped taking lives. This demon god, who had filled countless Galk soldiers with fear, finally put down his giant bow, showing a look of relief.
“You’re the only one left!” A Galk soldier, holding a spear, surrounded him along with his comrades, but his expression revealed his nervousness. After all, his opponent was a legendary demon god, a demon who had killed countless of his comrades—even if this god was now severely wounded.
Yes, even demon gods could be injured. After all, they were merely beings similar to spirits, not invincible gods. But as for someone who had injured Lelarkin, it seemed only Scott in this entire battlefield had done so. If not for Scott’s efforts to hold back this killing machine, Galk’s casualties would have been far greater.
Even so, Scott was almost at his limit. His strength was only comparable to that of a high-level mage; he couldn’t fight for as long as Thos, let alone cast curse spells on a large scale while maintaining a domain. The battle earlier had already left him exhausted.
“I’m the only one left… So what?” Looking at the Galk soldier, Lelarkin calmly stated a fact: even as a single person, a demon god’s power was beyond what ordinary humans could withstand.

“…” Those plain words made all the Galic soldiers nearby tense up, staring intently at the giant bow in Reilajin’s hands. After all, it was that seemingly unremarkable bow that had taken the lives of countless people here.
“Stop!” Before the Galic soldiers could attack, Scott stopped them. He took a few breaths to calm his agitated emotions, then looked at Reilajin and said in a deep voice, “Do you still want to continue fighting?”
“Huh?” Reilajin was stunned. He glanced up at the black dust particles left behind by the Death Knights who had been killed, then shook his head and said, “This is enough…”
“So, do you want to surrender?” Scott, with a blank expression, stared coldly at Reilajin and said in a resolute tone as if making a great decision, “If you choose to surrender instead of fighting uselessly, I might spare you!”
Perhaps the heavy casualties among the Galic soldiers in this battle had made Scott find it hard to accept. Facing this legendary demon god, he wasn’t sure he could kill him without losing a single man—after all, the goal of this battle was to take control of Kalia, not Reilajin.
“Oh?” Reilajin seemed surprised. He glanced at Scott and said in astonishment, “I’m the one who killed your grandfather. How dare you say you’ll spare me?”
Scott remained silent for a moment before saying in a low, resentful tone, “Personally, I’d love to kill you to avenge my grandfather. But sadly, with my magic power exhausted, I don’t think I have enough strength to kill you. Moreover, as the commander of this army, I can’t continue unnecessary battles for personal reasons! — The victors of this battle are us. You have no chance of winning anymore. Stop!”
Reilajin shook his head and smiled. He stared deeply at Scott for a while before suddenly saying in an approving tone, “I thought you’d come at me desperately to kill me… It seems humans aren’t entirely driven by emotions. Being able to control your anger and hatred—you’re excellent, young man!”
“Hmph! — Even if you praise me like this, I won’t be happy!” With a cold sneer, Scott said indifferently, “Get lost, demon god!”
“…” Looking at the hatred and anger in Scott’s eyes, Reilajin was silent for a while before suddenly saying, “Why not kill me? I think you can see that I really don’t have much strength left. Just a hundred people, maybe even fifty, could kill me… There’s no need to let me go!”

“That’s right, His Royal Highness the Young Duke! — At a time like this, we can’t let this demon go! — No matter how many lives must be sacrificed, we must kill this demon right here!” The Galic soldiers nearby seemed to sense Scott’s intention to let Lelarkin escape, and they spoke up one after another.

Looking at Lelarkin’s unpredictable gaze, Scott sighed slightly and shook his head. “Go away! — I don’t want to sacrifice Galic soldiers’ lives for unnecessary battles! — This battle is already over!”

“Is that really okay?” Lelarkin said with a hint of mockery, staring at Scott with an indescribable expression. “Sometimes, one must be ruthless—even if it means paying a heavy price—to crush enemies who pose a threat! — It seems you’re not yet a qualified commander, human boy! — Or perhaps you already know something others don’t? Like us, the demon gods?”

“…” Scott gave Lelarkin a deep look, snorted coldly, then turned away. “Clean up the battlefield! — Bring over the bodies of the fallen warriors. We don’t have much time left!”

“Yes!” The Galic soldiers accepted this order without fully understanding it.

That night, after taking control of Kalia, Lelirra heard about Scott letting Lelarkin go. She was very puzzled and asked about it in surprise.

“Is that true? Did you really let Lelarkin go? The murderer of my grandfather?”

Upon hearing her mention it, a look of regret appeared in Scott’s eyes. He shook his head and said, “Lelarkin isn’t an ordinary guy. His terrifying abilities make him a nightmare even on the battlefield. — Indeed, it was the best time to kill him back then, but how many more Galic soldiers would have to die? Dozens? Hundreds? Besides, we’ve already won; there’s no need to fight him anymore!”

“But he’s still our enemy, isn’t he?” Lelirra sighed softly, looking worried. “If we let him go, he’ll return to that man, Argus, and continue to be our enemy. Won’t we still have to face him then?”

“You don’t need to worry about that,” Scott said, pushing his glasses up as he shook his head. “During this encounter, I discovered Lelarkin’s weakness. Though he’s a demon god, he’s a pure archer—unskilled in magic and not particularly strong. His ability to hit every shot perfectly is the real problem. But this time, we simply didn’t have time to wait for the help of the mages. If it were a battle against the Saxons, with the magic suppression of two thousand dark mages, Lelarkin wouldn’t be able to perform as well as he did today…”
“Is that really true?” Lelira stared at Scott doubtfully for half a minute before suddenly smiling and nodding. “You’re right. There’s indeed no need to continue fighting. Our goal is only Kalia!”
Yet what she really wanted to say was something else. She knew very well what the man she would depend on for life was thinking—nothing more than to use his own strength to defeat that demon god, fairly and without relying on anyone, not even his own army. But right now, her man didn’t have that strength, so…
Perhaps this was just the capriciousness of men. But from a broader perspective, it was indeed the most rational decision as a commander. An excellent commander would never sacrifice soldiers in unnecessary battles.
Yet even Lelira probably couldn’t understand Scott’s true thoughts…
“Regretful? That you couldn’t kill me?” After Lelira returned to her room to rest, leaving Scott alone in the room, a deep and somewhat cold voice came from elsewhere.
“It’s you,” Scott said indifferently, glancing at the figure with a giant bow on the balcony. He poured himself a cup of black tea and sipped it slowly. “What? Want to try the same trick you used in Galic?” He was referring, of course, to the other party’s terrifying assassination skills.
“Hah. If I wanted to do that, I wouldn’t even need to appear in front of you. Even from thousands of miles away, my arrows could still hit their target!” With that, the shadow stepped into the room—it was Karl Lelarkin, the demon god who had fought Scott during the day.
“Then, are you here to kill me?” Scott held the teacup in his left hand while pushing his glasses up with his right.
“Unlikely, right?” Lelarkin smiled faintly, studying Scott with a strange look before shaking his head. “You’re the second human I can’t kill!”

“Oh?” Scott’s eyes showed a hint of curiosity as he asked in surprise, “Then who’s the first one?” As soon as the words left his mouth, he shook his head and said self-mockingly, “Forgive me for asking an unnecessary question!”
“Did you guess it?” Leilajin leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and said softly, “The first one is Argus. His methods are even better than yours… Argus is a terrifying opponent, young man!”
“…” Scott glanced at Leilajin inexplicably, sat on the sofa, and said oddly, “You came over this late just to give me this kind reminder?—You really went to the trouble!”
“Hah, it seems I said a bit too much,” Leilajin smiled self-mockingly, then turned to look at the moon in the night sky outside and said calmly, “You really want to kill me, don’t you?—But you didn’t do it during the day, which surprises me!”
“That’s because I didn’t want to sacrifice Galik’s soldiers in pointless battles!”
“Is that really the case?” Leilajin turned to look at Scott with a light laugh and sneered, “I’m afraid you already know something—that as demons, we cannot be truly killed!”
Scott’s hand holding the teacup trembled slightly. He pushed up his glasses and remained silent, seemingly agreeing.
“Really surprising,” Leilajin looked at Scott with a surprised gaze, then turned to the moonlit sky and said in a melancholic tone, “It’s been over three years since I returned to this world. When I was unsealed, I remembered my name and some fragmented memories, but over time, I gradually recalled more things… Demons originated in even older times than when humans appeared. Back then, there was our kingdom, [Savos]…”
“The ancient mystic civilization [Savos]? A legendary ancient nation as famous as the ancient mechanical civilization [Mekand]?” Scott’s eyes showed surprise and seriousness.
“Mystic civilization?” Leilajin smiled faintly and continued, “Mekand? What a distant yet familiar name. The people of Mekand created war puppets, while in Savos, demons were born. That power, originally meant for war, was eventually used to protect this land from being engulfed by darkness—what irony… Back then, to resist the forces of darkness, the kingdom of [Savos] selected seventy-two warriors to serve as guardians of the thirty-six regions of the ancient world. The true souls of these warriors were sealed inside the seventy-two totem stone pillars of the temple, granting them immortality…”

“An ancient relic [The Hall of Eternity—Aetelron]?” Scott exclaimed in astonishment.
“Is that how you call it?” Lelarkin paused before continuing, “In an era long before your humans even existed, dark forces destroyed this world and annihilated our nation, rendering the existence of guardians like us unnecessary. Over time, some guardians fell away—like Hampa, who destroyed an ancient human kingdom just for his own amusement. And then there’s me… But we never expected to be sealed away by such weak creatures as you one day…”
“Should we consider that fortunate?” Scott said with a cold laugh. “Your actions certainly don’t fit the title of guardians!”
“Of course not,” Lelarkin replied with a faint, mocking smile. “Our existence is solely to protect the Kingdom of Savos, not you humans! Now that the Kingdom of Savos is gone, we should finally gain the freedom we’ve long missed!”
“Including serving Argus?”
“Of course,” Lelarkin said nonchalantly, shrugging. “I respect the strong. Argus possesses great power that earns him my loyalty—until I have enough strength to defeat him…”
“You mean, anyone who can defeat you will earn your loyalty?”
“Is that irony?” Lelarkin smiled faintly. “We are guardians of the Kingdom of Savos, not your humans. The fate of your kind has nothing to do with us. You’d better understand that—we merely seek something interesting to do in this almost eternal life…”
“Then, great guardian of ancient kingdoms, don’t you think it’s a waste of your time coming to find me, a mere human, so late at night?” Scott sneered.
“What relentless irony,” Lelarkin shook his head before speaking seriously. “Let me give you a piece of advice, young man: stop here. Take your army back. The darkness ahead is beyond your imagination. You should know that in today’s battle, the souls of those human soldiers who died did not return to their rightful place of death—they were absorbed by the dark altar in Thasson. Their souls serve as energy to awaken a terrifying existence. If you push forward recklessly, this world will once again be engulfed in darkness…”

“Oh, that’s a terrifying darkness beyond your human imagination!” With a hint of nostalgia, Lelarkin said in a deep voice, “A long time ago, our kingdom of Savos ruled this land. But then, the forces of darkness arrived—forces we couldn’t match. It took the destruction of our entire kingdom, and even the entire world, to drive them out of this realm…”
“They?” Scott frowned and asked curiously, “The forces of darkness you mean are…”
“The Ancient Will, as you call it now!” Seeing the shock in Scott’s eyes, Lelarkin continued solemnly, “Let me make it clear to you: the terrifying being Agus wants to summon to this world is the king who rules the world of darkness—[The Power of Desire—Mammon]. He’s a madman who seeks to control everything he sees. Any who resist him will be mercilessly destroyed. And there are seven such beings…”
“Seven?!”
“Those seven beings completely destroyed the entire world. You don’t think humans have enough strength to resist such immense darkness, do you? Even just one of them is beyond your ability to fight against. So, stop it here. Agus has already obtained nearly half of the soul energy. If you insist on taking back Sassen, you’ll only help that terrifying being arrive safely…”
“…” Scott stared deeply at Lelarkin, lost in thought. After a moment of silence, he raised his head and spoke in a tone tinged with distrust, “Is this really necessary? Tell me Agus’s plans, or are you planning to defy him?—He’s eager for us to get to Sassen!”
“Eager?” Lelarkin shook his head and smiled faintly. “Agus is a very special human… I’ve said before that I won’t defy him until I defeat him or until he’s dead. Telling you this isn’t defiance either—it’s just good advice, as a reward for you not killing me…”
“It’s not that I won’t kill you; I just find it impossible to do so…” Scott said with a cold laugh.
“It doesn’t matter,” Lelarkin shrugged indifferently. “Anyway, I’ve completed my mission. What happens to this world in the end has nothing to do with me…”
“Completed your mission? What do you mean?”

“Oh? Didn’t I say it? The reason Argus asked me to guard Kalia wasn’t to stop you—it was to lure you to Sassen instead. That’s why I advised you to stop earlier…” As he spoke, Lelarkin showed a somewhat unfathomable expression.
“Is that so? Then thank you very much for your kindness. As the capital of this country, Sassen cannot fall into Argus’s hands!”
“That’s really unfortunate…” Lelarkin sighed slightly, looked at Scott, and said in a mocking tone, “Rest assured, my mission is complete. In other words, you won’t need me anymore. So I’ll watch this battle as a bystander, to see how these weak humans will challenge the supreme existence of dark forces… How foolish!” With that, he turned, leaped onto the balcony railing, glanced back at Scott, and disappeared into the night in a few leaps.
Scott, on the other hand, held his black tea and gazed into the endless night, lost in thought.
Vaguely, he felt he had underestimated the terrifying force behind Argus. After all, even Lelarkin, a demon god, seemed difficult to deal with, let alone the Ancient Will that made those demon gods fear it…
What would be the future of this world?
Perhaps what Lelarkin said was indeed good advice. Two days later, Ravia led the Altak soldiers and an army of two thousand black magicians, including Thos, to Scidio. The guardian of this city was Gungro, the vampire Jean Connel, an old friend of Ravia and Thos.
Apart from his much gentler tone, Connel’s words were almost identical to Lelarkin’s—he also asked Ravia and Thos to lead their troops back and stop approaching Sassen, which puzzled them.
To be honest, as the guardian of Scidio, the werewolf Connel was utterly irresponsible. From the start of the battle, he clearly told Ravia and Thos that they could reclaim Scidio by killing those two thousand Death Knights. And by his expression, he didn’t intend to fight at all.
Indeed, no matter his motives, Connel simply couldn’t fight against Ravia.
With the werewolf not participating, the battle became utterly unexciting. Under the combined attacks of the Altak and black magicians, those two thousand Death Knights had no chance of resistance, not to mention the presence of Thos.

This battle served no purpose other than to show those unyielding dark magicians the strength of their legion commander; the Allied forces regained control of Scidio at a minimal cost.
However, after the battle, Connel repeatedly asked Ravia and Thos to stop advancing, saying something that shocked them greatly.
“…This is my advice to you. It is also Agus’s wish…”
Agus? Weren’t he expecting them to lead an army to Sassen to fight him? In that way, he could gain enough soul power to successfully summon the Ancient Will, the power of desire, Mammon, into this world…
What was going on?
Meanwhile…
—In a certain region, somewhere—
Beelzebub, dressed in a black papal cardinal’s robe, and his attendant, the King Puppet Cain, were heading toward Sassen.
As they walked, Beelzebub suddenly stopped and looked up at the sky. He clearly saw countless entities resembling meteors streaking across the sky, heading toward Sassen.
“The ‘warm-up’ has begun…”
“Yes, master! Shall we speed up, master?”
“No, this is enough, Cain…”
“Yes, master!”