Episode 286: Secrets (1)
After that, Damian focused on rescuing people with Agnes.
Unfortunately, there weren’t many survivors.
In this massive fortress, the two of them managed to save only a dozen or so people. Most of them were on the brink of death, suffering from fatal injuries.
Damian used his power of jealousy to convert his magic into divine energy. He then used this divine energy to heal the wounded.
“Sir Damian, you’re quite adept at handling divine energy, aren’t you?” Agnes asked, her voice tinged with curiosity as she tended to another injured person.
Magic and divine energy were entirely different forces, each requiring a unique approach. Yet Damian wielded divine energy with remarkable efficiency, wasting none of it.
“It’s thanks to the power of dawn,” Damian replied evasively, focusing on his healing work.
After half a day of grueling effort, the two of them succeeded in saving all the injured. However, they were far from fully healed. They had merely been pulled back from the brink of death and would need months of care to recover fully.
Next, Damian opened a pocket dimension to distribute blankets and food to the survivors.
“Thank you! Thank you so much!”
“Not only did you heal us, but you also provided food…”
“We’ll never forget this kindness!”
The survivors were overwhelmed with gratitude.
Among them was a mother and daughter whom Damian had saved.
“Rita, say thank you to the man who saved us.”
“Th-thank you… Thank you so much!”
The mother and daughter had been tasked with delivering supplies to the fortress. They had come with a donkey and cart, only to find themselves in grave danger. They had nearly become prey for Iota, but thanks to Damian, they survived.
Damian assured them it was alright and sent them off, recognizing their need for rest.
Afterward, Damian and Agnes continued to care for the injured and search for any remaining survivors.
Two days later, a rescue team from the royal family arrived.
“Sir Damian! It’s been too long!”
To Damian’s surprise, the rescue team was led by Oliver Apple, the crown prince of the Apple Kingdom.
“Your Highness, it’s been a while.”
“Let’s not stand on ceremony. No need for formalities between us,” Oliver said with a broad smile.
Once, Damian had served as Oliver’s tutor. Their relationship had been cemented when Damian had personally disciplined Oliver, helping him reform. Since then, they had maintained a close friendship.
“But what on earth happened here? Monsters attacking a fortress?” Oliver said, looking at the devastated fortress with a troubled expression.
“There were two mid-class knights stationed here. The fact that they couldn’t even put up a proper fight before dying means…”
“The enemy was a monster surpassing master-class,” Damian explained.
“I see… Do you have any idea what their objective might have been?”
Damian shook his head. He was as eager to know as anyone, but he had no leads yet.
“This is a real headache… Did you know? It wasn’t just the Apple Kingdom that was attacked. Other kingdoms were also assaulted by the undead.”
Damian wasn’t particularly surprised. He had already suspected as much from his conversation with the Four Demon Lords.
“They say unknown undead attacked. Some places were completely devastated by just one undead.”
Just one.
But if the opponent was one of the Four Demon Lords, it was a different story. They were the strongest undead created by Dorgo.
“The Empire and the Holy Order are already tracking them down.”
Other kingdoms lacked the capability to pursue and defeat these undead. It was only natural for the Empire and the Holy Order to take the lead.
“Why attack the kingdoms?” Damian pondered.
In his past life, Dorgo had been able to bring humanity to the brink of extinction because of Damian. Without him, humanity wouldn’t have stood a chance, even if the Four Demon Lords had been completed earlier.
“Dorgo is a cunning bastard, but he’s no fool. He must have a target in mind.”
Damian recalled what he knew about Dorgo.
“Dorgo’s specialty is creating chaos to achieve his goals.”
When Damian first became a death knight, his skills were only mid-class. But through countless battles, he rapidly improved, eventually reaching a level where he could kill the Empire’s top swordsman.
Dorgo had bought him the time he needed.
Dorgo orchestrated various incidents to divert the attention of the Empire and the Holy Alliance, allowing Damian to grow stronger in peace.
That’s why Damian was certain.
The attack on the kingdoms was a mere distraction. Dorgo had another target in mind.
“Dorgo plans to do something in Elfheim.”
Elfheim was even more secretive than the dwarven cities. So secretive, in fact, that it was often considered a myth. People said Elfheim didn’t exist and that elves had gone extinct long ago.
But Damian knew the truth. Elfheim was real, and the elves were very much alive.
They even had a defense treaty with the Empire. It was an ancient agreement known only to the emperor and his closest advisors.
“Now I understand. The attacks on the other kingdoms were to divert attention so the Empire couldn’t aid Elfheim.”
That left Damian with only one course of action.
He had to reach Elfheim as quickly as possible and thwart Dorgo’s plans.
Finally, he would kill the Four Demon Lords and Dorgo, the leader of Pandemonium.
Damian’s eyes glinted with a deadly resolve.
With the arrival of the rescue team, Damian and Agnes were relieved of their caregiving duties.
Damian entrusted the injured to the prince and prepared to return to his estate with Agnes.
“Sir Damian, could you stay at the royal palace for a while?” Oliver asked cautiously.
With a monster surpassing master-class on the loose, it was only natural for the royal palace to be concerned.
But Damian shook his head.
“My family is waiting for me.”
“If that’s your decision, I understand…”
“And I suspect they won’t attack the Apple Kingdom again.”
In truth, it was more than a suspicion; it was almost a certainty.
In his past life, Dorgo had focused solely on toppling the Empire and the Holy Order.
The other kingdoms were too weak to matter.
Once the Empire and the Holy Order fell, the rest would naturally submit.
In other words, they weren’t worth the effort to conquer separately.
“Your Highness, I’ll be on my way then.”
Damian set off for the Haxen estate with Agnes.
On the way, they stopped by a branch of the Holy Order near the estate.
“Sir Damian, I’ll visit again soon.”
After parting ways with Agnes, Damian headed straight for the Haxen estate.
“Father, I’m home…”
As soon as he entered the drawing room, his father rushed out, arms wide open, and embraced him.
His father held him silently for a long moment.
Just as Damian was starting to feel awkward, the rest of his family appeared.
“Damian! You’re safe!”
“Brother! Thank goodness!”
His mother, sister, and even Abel rushed to hug him.
Damian felt a warm sensation in his chest. It was a bit embarrassing, but not unpleasant.
It was only after a long while that Damian managed to extricate himself from their embrace.
“Damian! I heard everything! The demon summoned in the Tart Kingdom was a duke-level demon! If I’d known it was that dangerous, I would never have let you go!”
His father finally scolded him. Damian replied with a confident grin.
“What do you take me for? Those demons were no match for me.”
“You and your bravado…”
Tears welled up in his father’s eyes again.
Damian found this side of his father unfamiliar.
In his reckless youth, he had always thought of his father as stern and humorless. Now he realized he was a man with a tender heart.
“Father, I’m really fine. I wasn’t hurt, and it wasn’t that difficult.”
As Damian reassured his father, an unwelcome voice interrupted.
“Oh, you’re alive.”
He looked up to see Veronica Sanche passing by, munching on a pumpkin pie.
”…You’re still here?”
“Whether I’m here or not is none of your business.”
Damian felt his blood pressure rise at her words.
Judging by her insolent tone, it seemed it was time for another “reformation” session.
As Damian quietly fumed, his mother hurried over to Veronica, scolding her.
“Veronica, I told you to eat inside!”
“Mother, your pumpkin pie is just too delicious to resist.”
With that, Veronica took another bite of pie, her face lighting up with happiness. Lady Haxen couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Still, do try to maintain some decorum. It’s for your own good.”
“Yes, Mother. I’ll make sure to do that.”
Damian watched his mother and Veronica, shaking his head in disbelief.
They had grown closer in his absence. No, they were more than close; they were like a real mother and daughter, perfectly in sync.
“Veronica.”
“What?”
Veronica Sanche looked at him, still chewing on her pie.
“Are you planning to stay here indefinitely?”
“And if I am?”
“I see.”
Demian’s eyes took on a mysterious glint, causing Veronica Sanchez to shiver as she looked at him.
“What are you plotting now?” she demanded.
“Nothing at all,” Demian replied.
“Don’t lie! Every time you make that face, you end up giving me some task!”
“I’m serious, it’s nothing.”
“You really think I’ll fall for that? Just tell me—”
Before she could finish, Demian pulled a club out of thin air. Veronica quickly ducked behind Lady Haxen for cover.
Later that night, Demian slipped out to the backyard, making sure no one noticed. He infused his voice with dark magic and called out, “Kilo, come forth.”
A swirl of black smoke gathered in the air, and soon, a group of dwarves appeared before him.
“Demian Haxen! Welcome back! We were starting to think you’d never return!” Kilo exclaimed, brimming with excitement.
“You’ll be amazed at how we’ve transformed Spring Castle! I guarantee it’s the finest fortress our Hammer Dwarves have ever built!”
“Indeed,” Demian replied, though his expression showed he was less than thrilled.
Kilo, oblivious to Demian’s lack of enthusiasm, continued to chatter on. “Of course, no fortress can withstand a Master Class attack, so we changed our approach! Destruction and recovery! Offense over defense! I assure you, even a Master Class would struggle to survive inside—”
“I have a different order for you,” Demian interrupted.
“An order?”
Demian retrieved a travel bag from the void and summoned all the undead within it.
“My lord, what is your command?” Dominico asked in a solemn tone.
Demian gathered the undead around him. “Dominico, Kilo, I need you two to work together to protect the castle.”
The sudden command left both of them looking bewildered.
“Pandemonium is on the move. We can’t predict what might happen,” Demian explained.
Though he had Kilo fortify the castle, it wasn’t enough to ease his worries. He decided to leave his undead companions there as well.
“My lord, if it’s Pandemonium we’re facing… we might not be enough,” Dominico cautioned.
Demian’s undead forces were formidable. Dominico was a Master Class, and Munch was even stronger. Mia was a significant threat, and the skeletons were all Middle Class. But against Pandemonium, even this might not suffice.
“I have a plan for that,” Demian assured them.
“What is it?” Dominico inquired, curiosity piqued.
“You’ll find out soon enough,” Demian replied with a cryptic smile.
Just then, he sensed someone approaching the garden entrance. With a wave of his hand, he instructed, “Hide for now. I’ll call you when it’s time.”
The undead obeyed, vanishing from sight.
Moments later, Veronica Sanchez appeared before Demian.
“If you had something to say, you could’ve done it during the day. Why drag me out here at this hour? I’m exhausted,” she complained, stifling a yawn.
“Veronica Sanchez, I have something important to discuss with you.”
“What is it? Make it quick. I’m supposed to go to the city with my mother tomorrow.”
“The Haxen estate might be in danger.”
Veronica froze at his words.
“You’ve heard, haven’t you? The undead attacked the border fortress recently. They were terrifying creatures, strong enough to challenge even a Master Class.”
“So what?” she asked, her voice steady.
“Those creatures were likely sent by Pandemonium. As you know, I’m their enemy. They won’t leave me alone.”
Demian was making a proposal to Veronica.
“Veronica Sanchez, I need your help. Protect my family when I’m not around.”
Veronica hesitated before responding, “I’m only High Class. What good would I be?”
While Demian was away, Veronica had reached the level of High Class. But that wasn’t enough to face Pandemonium, teeming with dark sorcerers and Master Classes.
“Don’t worry. I plan to train you.”
“Train me?”
Demian didn’t intend to train her himself; he was soon leaving for Elfheim. Instead, he planned to have Dominico train her. Dominico had already trained skeletons and Mia, making him perfect for the task.
The challenge was that this plan required revealing secrets to Veronica Sanchez. Could she be trusted?
Demian had already resolved that question. In his past life, Veronica Sanchez had shown little interest in dark magic or heresy. She was selfish, concerned only with her own gain, which ironically made her trustworthy.
“Veronica Sanchez, I can use dark magic.”
Veronica fell silent at his admission.
“Starting today, I’ll have my undead train you. With your talent, you could—”
“Ha! Hahaha!” Veronica burst into laughter.
“What? Dark magic? Hahaha! What nonsense is this?”
She laughed like someone who had lost their mind.
“You think I’d fall for such a lie? Do you take me for a fool?”
“You don’t believe me. Let me show you proof—”
“Even thinking about it is hilarious. If you’d just said you could use dark magic, I might’ve believed you. But commanding undead? Hahaha!”
Veronica couldn’t stop laughing.
“No wonder you’re so gloomy and have such a nasty personality. It’s because you’re a dark sorcerer, isn’t it?”
“Or maybe it’s not the dark magic. Maybe it’s because you’re always around undead! Anyone would get cranky hanging out with corpses.”
“Is this a joke? No, it can’t be. Even you wouldn’t make such a tasteless joke. I mean, you’re strange, but not that strange.”
Tears of laughter glistened in Veronica’s eyes.
“Just a heads-up, don’t say things like this in front of others. You’ll get reported immediately. Got it—what are you doing?”
Veronica’s face turned to one of fear and tension.
Demian was now holding a hexagonal club.
“Why do you always bring this upon yourself?” he asked.
“Don’t come any closer! Don’t you dare come at me with that thing!”
“I noticed earlier today that you were getting a bit too lively, like a fish out of water,” Demian said, tapping the club against his palm.
“Let’s start with ten strikes.”