Episode 539: Return to the Demon Fortress
Crackle… Snap…!
The dry twigs crackled as the flames danced upward.
Helmut stared into the blazing fire, lost in thought.
On their way back to the Black Fortress, Sabikang had been unusually quiet.
Helmut didn’t have much to say either.
The atmosphere was that of defeated soldiers.
Yet, each of them held a head—one of the enemy commander, the other of a traitor hidden among their own ranks.
But they had lost all the troops they had led.
Who knows? Perhaps a few, like them, had survived and were making their way back to the Black Fortress.
This war had left many scars.
Snap…!
A twig, heated to its limit, broke, sending sparks flying once more.
Helmut, still gazing at the fire, asked, “How do you manage to endure? Is it really just the power of thought?”
“I’m not sure what you’re getting at,” Sabikang replied.
“Don’t you want to return to where you came from?”
“Where I came from…”
Sabikang closed his eyes, recalling the Central Plains.
After a long pause, he opened them again and said, “I do want to go back. No, I want to experience it again. To walk those streets, taste that food, see those people once more.”
His eyes were now filled with longing.
“An unattainable dream,” Helmut remarked.
“Even if it’s unattainable… sometimes that’s what keeps me going.”
“That’s a uniquely human trait, I suppose.”
“Don’t demons feel longing?”
“Not at all. Longing? Emotion? Whatever it is, I don’t know what it feels like.”
“That’s unfortunate,” Sabikang said with a faint smile.
Helmut chuckled softly. Unfortunate, he thought. Sabikang might be the only person in the world to use such a word for a demon.
From a human perspective, demons were practically omnipotent beings. Just their lifespan alone was incomparable to that of humans.
And yet, unfortunate…
It was like a mayfly pitying a human.
Sabikang picked up a twig and tossed it into the fire. “I just endure. When thinking about the past and future, I reflect and ponder, but when I return to the present, I stop thinking. I just walk the path laid out before me, one step at a time. The harsher reality gets, the more I empty my emotions and focus solely on the path ahead. Concentrating on each step, on enduring without falling.”
“Won’t there come a day when you finally break from all that enduring?”
“Then I’ll just burn brightly with the flames,” Sabikang replied with a sly grin.
Crackle… Snap!
The twigs broke again, sending sparks flying into the air.
**
The last day of their journey.
After spending one more night in the hills, they would reach the Black Fortress the next day.
Sabikang sat against a tree trunk, closing his eyes gently.
Helmut, having just quenched his thirst at a nearby stream, couldn’t help but chuckle.
There probably weren’t many humans who could remain so calm in the presence of a demon.
Or perhaps Sabikang was the only one.
As Helmut stood awkwardly, Sabikang, eyes still closed, spoke casually, “If you have something to say, just say it.”
‘This guy’s uncanny…’
Helmut shook his head slightly and spoke as if looking at a distant mountain. “I was just… reminded of something.”
“Reminded of what?”
“When I became a demon.”
“And?”
“You were right. The moment I decided to hand over my kingdom and people, a certain power came to me. And these symbols appeared on my chest and abdomen.”
Helmut lifted his shirt to reveal his muscular chest and abdomen, marked with a pentagram encased in a circle, with five identical symbols filling the gaps.
“The evil god who grants me power is the god of violence and resentment. I’m the only knight without a title who has the blessing of an evil god.”
“Are you looking for praise?”
“Hmph! I’m not asking for that. It’s just…”
He was simply reminded of it.
But why did it suddenly come to mind?
He didn’t know.
Being with Sabikang seemed to bring up all sorts of unnecessary thoughts.
Was it because he’d been around humans for too long that their habits were resurfacing?
In any case, what he recalled was the exact moment he became a demon.
And surprisingly, he had become a demon of his own volition.
No one had appointed him as a demon.
Not that it changed anything.
He had always thought the Demon King had made him a demon…
‘I became one myself. By my own choice.’
If he were to relive that day, what choice would he make?
“Why didn’t you become a demon?” Helmut asked abruptly.
Spending so much time with Sabikang lately, he found himself talking about all sorts of things.
He wasn’t usually talkative… How had he become such a chatterbox?
Sabikang, eyes still closed, replied, “Because I didn’t want to.”
“But you could become stronger as a demon.”
“Hmm.”
Finally, Sabikang opened his eyes and looked directly at Helmut.
“Imagine there’s a very strong maggot. If someone asked me to give up something precious to become that strong maggot, I’d refuse.”
“What…?”
Helmut asked, bewildered.
A maggot…
For some reason, he understood immediately…
‘Damn it! That’s infuriating!’
By that analogy, hadn’t he chosen to become a very strong maggot?
Even at the cost of his kingdom and people!
But the irritation was short-lived.
“Pfft! Hahaha!”
Suddenly, laughter burst forth.
In that moment, a subtle change stirred within Helmut’s heart.
“Hahaha!”
Helmut’s hearty laughter echoed through the forest.
**
When Sabikang opened his eyes, Helmut stood before him, sword drawn.
There was no malice.
Helmut looked down at Sabikang and asked, “You had plenty of chances to kill me along the way.”
“I needed you. Without you, no one would believe me. If I spoke alone, it wouldn’t be convincing.”
“Then why did you think I wouldn’t kill you?”
Sabikang chuckled softly. “I never trusted you. Not once. I just… believed that having someone like me around would be convenient for a half-demon like you. Isn’t that right? I simply trusted the situation.”
“Indeed… You’re clever.”
Sabikang watched Helmut, sword in hand, intently.
“So, what do you plan to do now?”
Even as he asked, Sabikang was ready to counterattack if necessary.
If Helmut had a change of heart and decided to kill him, he had to respond immediately.
In an instant,
Whoosh!
Helmut moved!
As Sabikang reflexively rose,
Hesitation!
Thud!
Helmut’s sword plunged deep into the ground, standing upright.
As Sabikang frowned and watched, Helmut knelt on one knee and offered a bundle containing Haunt’s head.
“From now on, I will serve you.”
Sabikang narrowed his eyes and asked, “What are you doing all of a sudden?”
“Having been abandoned by the demons, I want to serve you as a way to atone to those I once led and then abandoned.”
“How can I trust you?”
Sabikang eyed him warily, and Helmut met his gaze.
“Do you know what a mana formation is?”
“I do. It’s like the internal mana distribution unique to each demon, right?”
“You’re well-informed.”
Helmut nodded.
Mana formation.
It’s the internal mana distribution that demons are born with.
Only the individual knows it.
However…
“After becoming a demon, I have my own unique mana formation. I’ll share it with you. You know what that means.”
He knew.
It meant becoming a perfect vassal.
It meant revealing all his weaknesses.
Usually, only those who guard their masters even in their chambers share their mana formation.
To share one’s mana formation is akin to offering one’s life as collateral.
Sabikang squinted at Helmut.
At least, it didn’t seem like a lie that he would share his mana formation.
“Let me ask you something.”
“What is it?”
“Why do you want to follow me? Didn’t you despise humans? Don’t give me some nonsense about atonement.”
Helmut chuckled.
As expected, it wasn’t easy.
He sighed and spoke candidly.
“You’re right. Maybe I still despise humans. But… right now, my disdain for demons is greater.”
“Well, that’s more honest. But deciding to follow me seems rather sudden.”
“If the demons don’t welcome me, it’s better to join forces with you.”
“And you want to serve under me? Not above me?”
“You’re someone who will shake this demon realm one day. At least, that’s how I see it. I can’t imagine you serving under me. Besides, it doesn’t matter to you, does it?”
“Hmm.”
As Sabikang pondered, Helmut placed the bundle containing Haunt’s head on the ground.
“If you claim you dealt with both of them, you’ll likely receive a high rank. You’ve eradicated the remnants of rebellion that have plagued the Black Fortress for centuries. Then make me your vassal.”
Sabikang remained silent.
He had never trusted anyone in the demon realm.
Not even the humans who cleaned the Black Fortress.
But could Helmut really be trusted?
Just then, Helmut spoke up.
“Now it’s my turn to ask.”
“What?”
“Where is your path leading you? To the Demon King?”
Their gazes clashed fiercely in the air.
Finally, Sabigang broke the silence.
“Yes. I intend to become the supreme ruler here.”
An audacious answer, to say the least.
Yet, Helmut couldn’t have been more pleased with it.
Just the thought of it sent a thrill through him.
A human conquering the demon realm!
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy.
It would take an incredibly long time.
The odds were that Sabigang might not achieve it even by the time he died of old age.
But… Sabigang was someone who could work miracles, as Helmut had seen time and again.
“What if you fail?”
A pointless question slipped out.
A question he would never normally ask.
He must have been more excited than he realized.
Sabigang chuckled softly, his eyes deepening as he replied.
“Then I’ll turn back time if I have to, to succeed.”
Helmut’s heart surged with emotion.
He bowed his head and shouted.
“Make me your sword!”
“Just so you know, I trust no one. Not even if you offer to teach me mana formation.”
A wry smile crept onto Helmut’s face.
“Doesn’t matter. I’m used to it.”
“Alright, then. I accept.”
It was the moment when a prince who had abandoned his people pledged absolute loyalty to a mere warrior.