Episode 289: Elfheim (1)
Unfortunately, Damian’s attempt ended in failure.
Despite continuously infusing the power of lust and subjecting him to torture to weaken his mental strength, it was all in vain.
Damian couldn’t brainwash Alterio. His soul was simply too strong.
“The power of lust is too weak compared to other powers.”
Sometimes, Damian even questioned if this was truly a power of the Demon King.
“Ugh, ugh… huh…”
A strange sound came from beneath him. Damian stopped his musings and looked down.
There lay Alterio, drooling with a vacant expression.
The relentless torture and brainwashing attempts had completely shattered Alterio’s mind.
Damian felt no pity.
Alterio had committed countless sins to become the great evil he was.
Compared to his crimes, this was nothing.
“May you fall into hell.”
With a swift swing of his sword, Damian beheaded Alterio. Thus, the great evil of Pandemonium met a futile end.
After killing Alterio, Damian returned to the warehouse. The people inside looked at him with tense faces.
“There’s no need to be afraid. As I said before, I’m here to save you.”
Only after Damian reassured them did the people begin to relax, one by one.
“Sir Knight… thank you.”
“If it weren’t for you, who knows what would have happened to us by now…!”
Perhaps it was relief that made them pour out their emotions to Damian.
Damian clapped his hands, snapping them back to attention.
“It’s too early to let your guard down. There are still many of the dark sorcerer’s minions left at the harbor.”
In Pandemonium, people were regularly gathered at the harbor and sent to Elfheim.
It was strange that such a large-scale crime had gone unnoticed.
Perhaps even the governor of the harbor was involved with Pandemonium.
“Then, will you help us, Sir Knight?”
The people looked at Damian with hopeful eyes, but he could only shake his head.
“I have other duties to attend to.”
“Then what about us…?”
“Don’t worry. There are people nearby who are perfect for handling this.”
The people looked puzzled, not immediately understanding whom Damian was referring to.
“Head straight to the branch of the Holy Order at the harbor. The paladins there will protect you.”
The Holy Order was trustworthy. No corrupt person could wield holy power.
“Hey, come here for a moment.”
Damian gestured to the boy he had saved earlier. The boy quickly stood before him.
“Show them this when you get to the Order. They’ll help you with all their might.”
Damian handed over his emblem of an honorary paladin. The boy held it tightly, cherishing it.
“Thank you so much, sir.”
The boy bowed his head, and Damian smiled warmly, ruffling the boy’s hair.
“But kid, there’s something that’s been bothering me.”
“Yes?”
Damian pressed down on the boy’s head as he spoke.
“Why do you keep calling me ‘sir’?”
“But… you are a sir…”
“Quiet. From now on, call me ‘brother.’ If you call me ‘sir’ again, I’ll give you a good smack.”
”…”
“Answer me.”
Damian showed his fist, and the boy quickly nodded vigorously.
After sending the people off, Damian immediately launched an assault on Alterio’s ship.
“Who is this guy? Kill him at once!”
“Intruder! Sound the alarm!”
As soon as Damian attacked the ship, the crew rushed out, all wielding dark artifacts.
But they were no match for Damian. In the blink of an eye, he cut them all down.
While dealing with the crew, a group with an ominous aura appeared.
“Kid, do you know whose ship this is that you’re messing with?”
“You’ll pay for disturbing the lion’s mane!”
As they unleashed their dark magic, red flames erupted.
It was high-level dark magic. They must have been Alterio’s close aides.
Damian swung his sword, cleaving through the flames. The dark magic dissipated in a single strike, leaving Alterio’s subordinates in shock.
“How… how did he… our dark magic… argh!”
“Call Alterio… we need Alterio…”
Damian didn’t kill them; he subdued them all.
He needed sailors to take him to Elfheim.
“I have a request for you. Take me to Elfheim.”
At Damian’s words, Alterio’s subordinates cursed in unison.
“Don’t talk nonsense, just kill him!”
“Alterio will burn you to ashes!”
“If you refuse, I have no choice but to force you.”
Damian grabbed one of the subordinates by the head.
“What are you… argh!”
Damian unleashed the power of brainwashing.
The power invaded the man’s mind, scrambling his brain.
“Ah… ah… ahhh…”
Gradually, the man’s emotions shifted from pain to ecstasy.
When the brainwashing was complete, the man prostrated himself at Damian’s feet without hesitation.
“Master Damian… my lord… please, command me…! I will do anything, even at the cost of my soul!”
The sight made Alterio’s subordinates recoil in horror. Damian wore a similar expression.
“It’s a bit creepy when a guy acts like this.”
Though it was repulsive, he couldn’t stop now. Damian grabbed another subordinate’s head.
“Wait… spare me… argh!”
It took quite some time to brainwash them all.
“Oh, Master Damian… please, give us your orders…!”
“Please… please make me your slave!”
Once brainwashed, the subordinates pledged blind loyalty to Damian.
With a look of disgust, Damian gave his command.
“We set sail for Elfheim immediately. Do whatever it takes to shorten the travel time. Understood?”
“Leave it to us!”
The subordinates sprang into action.
Soon, the ship carrying Damian set sail for Elfheim.
The ship carrying Damian continued southeast.
But as days passed, all that could be seen was the endless sea.
Yet Damian wasn’t anxious. He knew the secret of Elfheim.
“Master Damian, I will open the illusion barrier.”
One of Alterio’s subordinates spoke to Damian in a respectful tone.
Among the crew, he was the most skilled dark sorcerer, aside from Damian.
The subordinate took out a large stone tablet and split it in half. The dark magic emanating from the tablet seeped into the air.
Soon, a black mark began to spread in the air.
The mark grew until it was large enough for the ship to pass through.
“Row, everyone! We’re going in!”
The oars moved in unison, propelling the ship through the black mark.
Only then could Damian see it.
Not the empty sea, but a vast island stretching beyond the horizon.
Elfheim was protected by an illusion barrier.
That’s why most ships couldn’t reach Elfheim.
But Damian knew how to open the illusion.
Even in his past life, Elfheim’s illusion barrier couldn’t stop Pandemonium’s invasion.
“Bring the ship closer.”
“Understood.”
The crew maneuvered the ship toward the shoreline. Fortunately, the sea was deep enough to get quite close.
“Hmm?”
At that moment, a peculiar sight caught Damian’s eye.
A battle was raging in the forest adjoining the beach.
“Ha! They’re worth a fortune! Don’t let a single one escape!”
“They’re already exhausted! Push a little harder!”
Dark sorcerers and dark knights formed a battalion.
And the ones fighting against them were…
“Elves?”
The elves were resisting with spirits and bows.
But the dark sorcerers and knights were too strong, and the elves were being pushed back.
“If I don’t help, they’ll be wiped out.”
Just as Damian was about to step in to aid the elves, he turned to the crew.
“What are you doing?”
The crew stood on the deck, weapons in hand.
“We were waiting to assist you, Master Damian!”
“You, help me?”
“Yes!”
Damian pondered for a moment.
Originally, he had planned to have them all commit suicide upon reaching Elfheim.
But using them to fight Pandemonium didn’t seem like a bad idea.
After all, they could handle all the troublesome tasks.
“Charge! Save the elves!”
At Damian’s command, the crew leaped off the deck.
“What a windfall. What a windfall.”
Vantadi, a dark knight of Pandemonium, grinned broadly as he watched the resisting elves.
Elves were creatures of unparalleled value—nothing about them was wasted.
Their flesh, blood, bones, and even their very souls.
No other being was as useful to a dark sorcerer.
And now, capturing not just one, but over twenty elves alive was an unimaginable stroke of fortune.
“You’re all mine! I’ll capture every last one of you and offer you up to him!”
Just then, a voice interrupted.
“Boss! Boss!”
One of his subordinates called out to Bantadi, who responded with irritation.
“What is it?”
“Reinforcements, sir! Our reinforcements have arrived!”
Bantadi glanced in the direction his subordinate pointed. Sure enough, a group of humans was rushing toward them.
The only humans in Elfheim belonged to Pandemonium.
“Why are those idiots interfering with my business?”
Despite the arrival of supposed allies, Bantadi’s expression soured.
In this situation, they were anything but allies. To him, they were parasites, eager to steal his glory.
“You bastards! Get lost, now!”
He shouted at the approaching group, but they didn’t stop.
“Are they out of their minds? What the—what are they doing?”
The supposed allies suddenly unleashed dark magic.
In an instant, a wave of crimson flames engulfed Bantadi’s forces.