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Chapter 36: Demon Followers
The man who stopped the carriage approached Ferda. He pulled something out from where he had been hiding it. He was about to launch a mana orb at Ferda, but then he stopped. Just as the orb was about to fly, Ferda froze. What the man was holding wasn’t a weapon, but a piece of cloth.
“The Emperor has betrayed the trust of his people!” The man’s sudden outburst was a protest. “He ignores the suffering of the people and continues to fill his own pockets while ruling incompetently! They are not children of light; they are leeches feeding off of us!”
His actions immediately drew the attention of everyone around. Commander Marco of the Knights shouted in anger.
“What are you all doing? Subdue him now!”
“Yes, Sir!” Soldiers with weapons climbed onto the carriage and dragged the protestor off, beginning to beat him up with sticks.
“Ah! Ah! People, rise up! We are not slaves!”
“You bastard! Shut up!”
The man was beaten and dragged away, blood flowing from his wounds as he was taken off the main street. The passersby on the street turned a blind eye, ignoring the scene as they continued on with their business.
“Oops, haha! I’ve shown you an unpleasant sight,” Commander Marco apologized, trying to downplay the situation with a forced smile.
Ferda, however, didn’t smile. Instead, his gaze remained on the man being dragged away.
“Who was that man? He looked like he was wronged.”
“Wronged? Don’t be fooled by that. He and his kind are demon worshippers.”
“Demon worshippers?” Marco spoke seriously.
“Lately, with the empire entering its golden age, demons are starting to rise. They spread lies to slander His Majesty the Emperor.”
Marco explained, but Ferda already knew the truth.
‘That man isn’t a demon worshipper.’ He looked like he hadn’t eaten properly in days. He was starving, and in a desperate situation, he had probably screamed about his suffering.
Ferda, however, gave a reaction just like any other noble would.
“I see.”
He didn’t show any signs of surprise or understanding. He simply acted as if he didn’t care. This would help put everyone at ease.
With the protest over, the carriage continued on its way. Ferda looked out at the bustling capital and thought to himself.
‘Is this the empire we need?’
To Ferda, it didn’t matter what happened. Whether it collapsed, rotted away, or sparked a revolution, he had no interest in the empire’s fate.
But Valdrova was different. That woman, who had braved harsh struggles and fought to protect the continent of Serdes, still had the heart of a sheltered flower. She wanted everyone to be happy. To her, the empire’s actions were evil and unacceptable.
‘But she doesn’t act.’ Her focus was solely on stopping the monsters, not on the inner workings of the empire. It was a burden, forcing her to handle things like this.
‘This is something I need to do.’ Ferda had to make decisions for Valdrova.
So, he wrote three letters. No matter who it was, they were all trash. Trying to pick the least bad one was a foolish choice.
‘Better to roll the dice.’ Ferda used the three letters as his dice. He would go with whoever reached out first. That was all.
The carriage entered the imperial palace, and Ferda stepped out. The grand palace, made with massive marble pillars, looked like a place fit for gods. Everything was unrealistically large. The Imperial Guard had lined up to welcome him, and at the end of the path stood someone waiting for him.
As soon as Ferda saw the person, his expression froze. No way. It couldn’t be. He tried to block the thought, but it crept into his mind.
‘No way, not someone I didn’t even send a letter to…’
It wasn’t the Emperor waiting for him. It wasn’t the First Prince. It wasn’t even the Second Prince.
“Greetings, Regent Valdrova.”
It was the Imperial Princess of Arken, who hadn’t even been sent a letter.
“I am Olivia Arken.”
Olivia Arken, the Imperial Princess.
“Your Imperial Highness, it’s an honor to meet you.” Ferda reflexively bowed. Still, it felt like he was being dragged into a massive trap.
‘Destiny.’ Lately, Ferda had been thinking a lot about the concept of destiny, especially when it came to mana. He wondered if destiny was truly something set in stone. The fact that the princess, who hadn’t even been sent a letter, was standing before him seemed to confirm his suspicion.
‘So it’s true.’ The empire must be doomed.
Olivia Arken was known as the Golden Rose of the Empire, and her beauty was unmatched. Blonde hair, blue eyes. Her mother’s figure had passed down to her, with a large bust and slim waist that captivated men. Her innocent eyes and kind behavior made everyone want to protect her. Her natural charm made her impossible to resist, even without her royal title. Every man would want to be treated by Olivia Arken.
“I wasn’t sure what you’d like, so I’ve prepared my favorite black tea. I hope it’s to your taste.” Olivia offered the teacup, looking apologetic.
“The Emperor and my brothers are busy with official duties, so I came to meet you myself. I hope I didn’t offend you.” She lowered her head slightly, glancing up with her blue eyes. She appeared to be a helpless young lady. But in truth, they weren’t busy with duties at all. Ferda’s letter had been discarded, but the princess eagerly took it up.
“It’s an honor to meet the most beautiful woman on the Serdes continent, Olivia Arken.” It was an insincere compliment.
“I’m grateful for your kind words. I’ll do my best to keep the conversation going.” Olivia smiled sweetly, raising her fist in encouragement.
“You mentioned wanting to attend the Great Lords’ Council. Do you know where it is held?”
“Yes. The White Dragon, Blancaros’ neutral zone, commonly known as the White House, right?”
“That’s right.” The White House, created by the White Dragon Blancaros, was a neutral zone where discussions about war and continental issues were held.
‘Once, my name was also part of the gossip there.’ The Great Lords’ Council rarely discussed individual figures. But now, Ferda had become the topic of discussion. If he had been targeted by the council, Ferda would have been officially marked as a target, enduring heavy criticism. Even someone as strong as Ferda wouldn’t have survived that situation.
But Ferda was able to avoid that fate.
‘The Arken Emperor.’ The Emperor was useful in many ways. He seemed incompetent, but when it came to maintaining his own power, he was incredibly sharp. The Emperor had sided with Ferda, and in return, Ferda had helped solidify the Emperor’s rule.
“The Great Lords’ Council is open to officials of duke rank or higher. Since your spouse, Lord Valdrova, is a grand duke and even a Red Dragon, you can attend as his representative!”
“If I attend as a representative, I’m sure people won’t look kindly on it. Is that really okay?” Ferda feigned uncertainty, testing her.
Olivia nodded vigorously. “It’s perfectly fine! After all, you’re the protector of the Far East, aren’t you? You absolutely have the right to express your opinions there.”
As expected of Olivia, she knew exactly what to say to make someone feel good. Even though her words could have offended Ferda, they didn’t spark any anger. Olivia had that kind of charm.
“And anyway, it’s standard practice for dragons to send representatives instead of attending themselves.”
“Representatives… You mean sponsors?”
“There are sponsors, but there are also human representatives.”
Ferda, knowing only vaguely about it, asked her directly.
“Which dragons send representatives to the council?”
“Hmm… Well, it’s quite fluid. As you know, dragons are unpredictable beings.”
As she spoke, she suddenly clapped a hand over her mouth, realizing she might have said too much.
“Oh my, I didn’t mean to badmouth them. That wasn’t my intention!”
“It’s fine. Please continue.”
“Ah, um… Well, the ones who regularly attend are Silverwind, Orosagrado, Ior, and Stroeus.”
The master of steel and wind, the Silver Dragon. The master of faith and light, the Gold Dragon. The master of magic and water, the Blue Dragon. The master of storms and lightning, the Gray Dragon.
‘If they send human representatives instead of sponsors, it must be the Gold Dragon, Orosagrado.’ Orosagrado had built his own theocratic nation in the central-western region. He believed himself to be god and claimed that anyone could trust him. Because of this, he didn’t bother with sponsors.
“Thank you for the information.”
“No, I should be the one thanking you.” Olivia’s eyebrows arched seductively.
“If your fiance, the Grand Duke, attends, it will be a great asset for our empire.”
“I’m still just a regent. I don’t have that kind of authority.”
“But once you marry the Grand Duke, won’t you gain that status as well?”
“Even if I marry her, I’ll still remain a regent.”
“Oh my, why is that?” Olivia covered her mouth with her hand and blinked her eyes, feigning surprise.
“I didn’t come here for power. I’m simply here to oversee and take care of my duchy.”
“Ah, I see. Hmm, hmm…” For a moment, Olivia’s eyes turned sharp. But just as quickly, the sharpness vanished, replaced by her usual soft and cheerful demeanor.
“You’re such a devoted husband. I wish I could meet someone like you.” Olivia let out a deep sigh.
“The Emperor, my father, doesn’t seem to want me to marry. Everyone else is getting engaged, but I’m still alone… It’s so sad.” She pouted, pretending to be upset, and looked at Ferda with soulful eyes. Her gestures carried the subtle suggestion that she could belong to a man like him.
Of course, such behavior had no effect on Ferda.
“You’ll meet someone. Good relationships often come when you least expect them.”
“Hoho, thank you, even if it’s just words.”
Having gotten all the information he needed about the Great Lords’ Council, Ferda decided to move on to his real purpose.
“On my way here, I noticed that people in the empire have been saying that demon followers have been attacking.”
“Oh my, is that so? How frightening…” Olivia shuddered as if scared.
“I’ve heard things have been quite dangerous lately. It used to be that maids would sneak out to buy snacks, but now, with the demons gaining power, security has tightened.”
“It seems the situation hasn’t improved much.”
“But we are protected by the great light of Alte! As long as the Emperor is blessed by this light, nothing will threaten the empire.”
She sounded like a naïve woman with flowers in her head.
“But rebels are like monsters. If they aren’t dealt with quickly, they’ll corrupt the land and turn it into barren wastelands.”
“Hmm… That much, I agree with. We must get rid of the demon followers to keep the citizens safe.”
Olivia nodded seriously, her expression tense.
Ferda decided it was time to lay the groundwork for his plan.
“In that case, why not take this opportunity to deal with the demon followers?”
“That would be wonderful, but… We’ve searched everywhere for their hideouts and found nothing.”
It wasn’t that the imperial soldiers were incompetent. The empire was simply too vast, making it difficult to suppress the forces without coordinated strikes.
But Ferda had already prepared for this.
“Recently, we captured a demon follower in our territory. Among their belongings, we found this.”
Ferda placed a cloth-wrapped piece of paper on the table. The paper was covered in strange, unfamiliar characters.
Without hesitation, Olivia picked it up and examined it.
“What is this…?”
“It’s demon language.”
“Ahh!” Olivia shrieked and dropped the paper as if it were something filthy. She wiped her hands with a scented handkerchief, looking horrified.
“Why is it written in demon language…? This kind of thing can only be used by demon followers!”
“Yes. When I showed it to the scribe in our castle, they confirmed it was demon language. A proper translation will require a magic investigator.”
Olivia stared down at the paper, her expression serious. The innocent, carefree attitude she had been displaying earlier was completely gone. She realized that this was no time for pretense.
After a moment of thought, Olivia raised her hand slightly. The butler, who had been standing behind her like a shadow, stepped forward and bowed.
“Please, speak.”
“Summon a magic investigator immediately. This is urgent.”
On the continent of Serdes, demons were strictly prohibited. Few could look upon demon language without trembling. Within the empire, only magic investigators and senior scholars specializing in heresy and demonology were allowed to handle such things.
The magic investigator, who introduced himself as Yuren, examined the paper Ferda had given him and spoke with a grave expression.
“This… This is definitely demon language.”
“Oh my goodness…” Olivia gasped, her body trembling. But her sharp, focused gaze remained steady.
“Do you know what this means?”
“Yes. It reveals a location. And that location is…”
Yuren pulled a map from his spatial storage and pointed to a specific spot.
“It’s deep inside the underground sewers beneath the capital of the empire.”
