Episode 918
Chapter 229: Keliak’s Safety Net (Part 1)
February 25, 1804 — Dokmas Castle.
“The fortress of Grosh has fallen.”
Clink…
Keliak filled his teacup and spoke, shading his eyes from the pale artificial sunlight streaming through the window. He glanced around at the assembled Demon Lords seated before him.
Ragal Pun, Leila Belgassium, Reldro Trinak, and Sep Mogelis.
While Inse was attacking Grosh Castle, Keliak had been rallying the remaining Demon Lords in Hell.
“I never expected it to end this quickly… Just as you said, Keliak. Sakiel—using even the Field of Loss—what a disgrace.”
“Sakiel did her best, employing every resource at her disposal to make the most fitting decisions. The enemy was simply stronger. Is there any reason to insult her?”
“Oh, yes, my apologies, Lady Leila. I misspoke. It’s just that I don’t get along with her. Did I really insult Sakiel that badly? I was only lamenting that even with the Field of Loss, they couldn’t inflict any real damage on the enemy. Isn’t that right, Keliak?”
Leila still hadn’t fully recovered her memories of her relationship with Sakiel.
Yet somehow, hearing her insulted felt deeply unpleasant. Even without the forgotten memories, as the Chief Secretary, Sakiel was undoubtedly a far superior talent compared to Ragal.
“Both your points are valid, and so is Leila’s. It would have been better if Sakiel had dealt some damage to the alliance. But because of the Field of Loss and the Reverse Sky, the only ones who suffered were the Kinzel and my own houses.”
“Damn it! That bastard Zito! I can’t bear the fact that I was brainwashed by him and loyally served for all those years. So many demons died under Inse’s assault, yet Zito offered no support. How could he be so heartless?”
Reldro clenched his fists and shouted. Sep, sitting beside him, wore a scowl twisted by his own anger toward Zito.
“…As Lord Keliak said, and as our memories remind us, Zito doesn’t seek victory or prosperity for the True Demon Realm. That monster craves only more suffering. Do you think he cares at all about the subordinates who throw their lives away to protect the realm? Until we realized the truth with Keliak’s help, we were no different from Zito ourselves.”
“Hey, don’t say that, Sep. We were victims of brainwashing, so cut us some slack. Ah, geez! Why are my eyes getting all watery? Don’t cry—it’s embarrassing. We’ll get our revenge. We will.”
Ragal’s loyalty had shifted far more deeply toward Keliak than to Zito. He had finished weighing his inner doubts. Another layer of brainwashing had peeled away, and he was impressed by Keliak’s demonstrated abilities.
“Lord Keliak, with Grosh Castle fallen, Inse’s forces will soon enter Hell. The Field of Loss will dissipate, but the residual magic and demonic energy on the battlefield will take a few days to clear. It won’t be long, though. Inse no longer has the troops to stop them.”
Keliak shook his head at Leila’s words. She, too, now showed far more respect for him than when they first met.
“Jin Runkandel is cautious. Even after the remnants of the Field of Loss vanish, he won’t rush into Hell immediately. First, once the residue clears, Jin will use Valeria Hister to examine every record left on the battlefield. He’ll want to see if there’s any internal intelligence to be found.”
Keliak shifted his gaze to Ragal.
“Perhaps by now, he’s realized that you and I have joined forces.”
“Hmm. He might have noticed my sloppy fighting, but surely he hasn’t sifted through all the chaotic defense records?”
“That’s entirely possible. Which is why our house has long sought to eliminate the record mages. My greatest mistake as head of the Ziphl family wasn’t my son’s unexpected betrayal—it was handing over the record mage to Jin Runkandel.”
“Is it really that significant? A record mage?”
“Yes… Even the Field of Loss spell, if Valeria Hister had perfected her record magic, wouldn’t have posed a serious threat to Jin.”
Keliak truly believed this.
Perhaps not only the Field of Loss, but even a perfected Demon God Stone couldn’t disrupt record magic at its peak.
“There are three more reasons why Jin Runkandel won’t enter Hell directly. Ziphl and Kinzel need time to regroup. We gathered to defeat a common enemy, but only the Balmur Alliance remains largely unscathed. There’s no need to rush in alone.”
“Now that you mention it, Keliak’s right! Then what’s the last reason? Wait, no—I’m a demon who thinks things through… Let me guess. It’s the Holy Empire. Zito’s Eye!”
Keliak nodded.
Leila blinked in surprise. She couldn’t believe Ragal was capable of such insight.
“Before Inse enters the True Demon Realm, Zito will try to reclaim his Eye. He’s already insanely powerful, but if he regains it, there’ll be no variables left. I doubt Hellram will even matter then. And when that happens, the freedom Zito granted you, Keliak, will end…”
Keliak’s freedom will end. Ragal thought that when that happened, everyone gathered here would die.
“Zito still seems to be deliberately ignoring you because of the witch… but once he finds his Eye, we’ll probably all be dead. Still, death doesn’t scare me as much as before. The cute little Ragal is gone!”
Keliak nodded again.
“…The ones who will go out to Inse to retrieve Zito’s Eye are obvious. The First Sword, Paelito. Or his successors, Ridolos and Videluce. Zito might even send all three at once.”
Sep spoke.
Those three were indisputably the strongest demons in the True Demon Realm. Paelito was said to have reached the pinnacle of demonhood, but the other two were believed to be nearly as powerful.
“If Zito truly cared about the realm, he would have sent those three to the front lines from the start. If they had been there, so many demons wouldn’t have died like dust.”
“But if all three go at once, can Inse protect the Eye? Even two would be tough.”
“No, no. From my fights, Inse’s forces aren’t ordinary. If the captains of each faction gather, even those three might be outmatched. Not just the ones who attacked Grosh Castle, but Elona and Ziphl are there too. I once sent one of them to the infirmary, but Keliak thinks that person might be stronger than Paelito.”
“That sounds both credible and unbelievable. Keliak’s judgment is usually spot-on, but for someone so careless to be bested by you…”
“If you don’t believe me, ask Elona or Ziphl when you meet them later. Leila, no matter what you do, you won’t be able to hurt them as much as I did. Tch.”
“Of course, as Ragal said, Inse is strong. But when the three Demon Lords are sent to the Holy Empire, Zito will surely create fractures throughout Inse’s forces. Though many key Demon Lords and generals have died, the True Demon Realm still has billions of troops. He’ll make sure Inse can’t focus all their forces on those three.”
“That’s how I see it too. Zito will unleash more fractures in Inse than ever before. The outcome of the Great Demon War will hinge on whether Inse can protect Zito’s Eye.”
“Keliak, so we’ll act flexibly depending on how things turn out?”
“Yes.”
“Zito regaining the Eye, or failing to do so… Which outcome is better for us?”
Keliak smiled instead of answering.
He didn’t care either way.
“Let’s end here for today. We have plenty of time for meetings. Reldro, Sep, you may leave.”
“Understood.”
“So, until we’re called again, we’ll keep trying to contact the other Demon Lords?”
“Yes. The more awaken from Zito’s brainwashing, the better.”
The Flame of Awakening.
The Demon Lords placed absolute faith in Keliak’s power to partially undo Zito’s brainwashing—like a sacred seal of fire.
But Keliak had no intention of using the Flame of Awakening on every Demon Lord Reldro and Sep brought him.
His true purpose in seeking out the Demon Lords was to examine their souls—to find useful ones like the old Ziphl or Kidard Hall.
The two Demon Lords withdrew.
“Lord Keliak.”
“Speak, Leila Belgassium.”
“Brother… no, Lord Paelito worries me.”
“You fear he won’t return alive after invading the Holy Empire?”
“…Yes.”
“You’re still a Changseong. In your language, that’s ‘Ultimate Demon.’ You don’t seem to fully understand those who have reached that level.”
“I know that demons who reach Ultimate Demon status possess power akin to gods, or even beyond. But Paelito, like me recently, is still brainwashed. His strength and mind are diminished compared to when he’s whole.”
“So you wonder if there’s any way I can help him.”
“Yes.”
“I was actually planning to go see him right now.”
A flicker of surprise crossed Layla’s eyes.
“Do you think you can use the Flame of Awakening on Faelito as well?”
“I can’t be sure until I face him directly. Since he was an Extremis from the start, and Zito must have put extra effort into brainwashing him, there’s a good chance my power won’t work immediately.”
“Ah… that makes sense.”
“But even if he doesn’t realize he’s been brainwashed, I can still provide him with a kind of safeguard.”
“A safeguard?”
Kelliak stood up and looked down at Layla.
“Let’s go to Faelito together right now, Layla. Without a guarantor of your caliber, he won’t agree to meet me. I could force the issue with drastic measures, but that wouldn’t be the right way.”